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LiberalArkie

(15,686 posts)
Sun Mar 20, 2016, 01:04 PM Mar 2016

What Happens When Neither Political Party Answers to the Bottom 90%? America in Crisis

Last edited Sun Mar 20, 2016, 01:46 PM - Edit history (1)

By Thom Hartmann / AlterNet

As Donald Trump leads a full-scale war against the Republican establishment and elites, particularly through his attack on both their military (Iraq) and their trade (NAFTA) policies, the Democratic Party is also in a predicament that Bernie Sanders’ candidacy is exposing. Both parties right now face a great crisis of leadership/ideology as well as a great opportunity for reinvention, and whichever party first reinvents itself successfully will begin winning elections the way the Democrats did in the 1932-1968 era.

If neither does, our nation faces a massive crisis provoked by the loss of democratic representation of the majority of the American electorate. Neither party today does much of anything for the bottom 90% of Americans, as so clearly demonstrated by a recent study out of Princeton that showed that the likelihood of legislation passing that represents the interest of that bottom 90% was equivalent, statistically, to white noise.

Thomas Frank’s new book Listen, Liberal: Or, Whatever Happened to the Party of the People? offers the fascinating premise that starting with the McGovern Commission of 1972 (which largely excommunicated Labor from having a large role in Democratic Party decision-making) and going into a full-out embrace of the “professional class” – i.e. the top 10% economically – the Democratic Party has largely abandoned the American working and middle class – the bottom 90%.

As Frank told me on my program recently, the doctor who delivered me in 1951 was almost certainly a Republican (then the party of the professional class), but today would almost certainly be a Democrat. In the 1950s and 1960s virtually the entire professional class (the top 10%) was Republican; today it’s virtually all Democratic.


Snip

http://www.alternet.org/election-2016/what-happens-when-neither-political-party-answers-bottom-90-america-crisis
23 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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What Happens When Neither Political Party Answers to the Bottom 90%? America in Crisis (Original Post) LiberalArkie Mar 2016 OP
IMHO - The Answer Is Simple - Eventually - Revolution - One Way Or Another cantbeserious Mar 2016 #1
Frank answers many of todays questions about the Wellstone ruled Mar 2016 #2
Nadin has been posing the deadly question lately in clear terms Hydra Mar 2016 #3
+1 daleanime Mar 2016 #7
and since nobody represents the bottom classes, Trump's filling that void MisterP Mar 2016 #12
It's not an accident that independents are now 50%. lob1 Mar 2016 #14
They don't work for us. Plain and simple. nt artislife Mar 2016 #22
^^THIS^^ appalachiablue Mar 2016 #17
K&R nt LiberalElite Mar 2016 #4
We need to admit the Cold War is over and promoting Capitalism is obsolete. Spitfire of ATJ Mar 2016 #5
The top 1% are using the Cold War to enrich themselves as they make their final getaway. highoverheadspace Mar 2016 #10
"getaway" to where? Spitfire of ATJ Mar 2016 #20
The political parties in the US are NOT here to support 99% of the voters fasttense Mar 2016 #6
Sad isn't it? davidthegnome Mar 2016 #8
Rampant Myopia Of Too Many Democrats colsohlibgal Mar 2016 #9
Nobody but me and a few others will say it, America is a plutocracy through and through. Rex Mar 2016 #11
The idea that both parties are the same is RW propaganda baldguy Mar 2016 #13
No, not really. Donald Ian Rankin Mar 2016 #19
K&R. Frank raises great points. I hope we can turn things around. Overseas Mar 2016 #15
It's very important to put the Democratic Party back on a progressive track All in it together Mar 2016 #16
A return of the D party to FDR progressive policies is imperative to restore civility to our society Dont call me Shirley Mar 2016 #23
K&R CharlotteVale Mar 2016 #18
People keep watching TV tabasco Mar 2016 #21
 

Wellstone ruled

(34,661 posts)
2. Frank answers many of todays questions about the
Sun Mar 20, 2016, 01:27 PM
Mar 2016

Corporate take down of the Political Parties. To think this was a Democrat who was the change agent. The birth of the true Dino.

Hydra

(14,459 posts)
3. Nadin has been posing the deadly question lately in clear terms
Sun Mar 20, 2016, 01:43 PM
Mar 2016

If there is no representation for the Left, that creates a vacuum. SOMETHING has to fill that vacuum, no matter how much the DLC objects.

MisterP

(23,730 posts)
12. and since nobody represents the bottom classes, Trump's filling that void
Sun Mar 20, 2016, 03:52 PM
Mar 2016

the Dems should've been trying to move them leftwards and towards solidarity, but instead they either pandered with rifles and new hunting jackets, or just cut them loose altogether: with neoliberalism the savings would trickle down to every sector of society!

didn't happen

now we have a party of billionaire galas, of smart white-collar work like services, entertainment, IT, and investing, and it's left itself completely unprepared for any backlash

Trump's a wily (though not particularly profitable) brander and wheeler-dealer: he sees the GOP's tactic of feeding these resentments while undercutting their economic needs and sees an opportunity: he can wreck the whole gravy train and cripple any resistance to remaking the party in his image; he's made himself gaffe-proof

lob1

(3,820 posts)
14. It's not an accident that independents are now 50%.
Sun Mar 20, 2016, 04:01 PM
Mar 2016

That's as much as both parties combined. People are getting fed up with not being represented.

 

highoverheadspace

(307 posts)
10. The top 1% are using the Cold War to enrich themselves as they make their final getaway.
Sun Mar 20, 2016, 03:43 PM
Mar 2016

I think they know the American people have caught on to all the propaganda. It has become too obvious from both sides of the political aisle.

 

fasttense

(17,301 posts)
6. The political parties in the US are NOT here to support 99% of the voters
Sun Mar 20, 2016, 02:24 PM
Mar 2016

They are here to manage the downsizing of the American middle class. All the wealth of the United States is being moved into the hands of about 60 people/families. The rest of us are here to to create the wealth for them.

We are here to suffer in toil, to do the work. They are here to manage us and convince us to keep working.

davidthegnome

(2,983 posts)
8. Sad isn't it?
Sun Mar 20, 2016, 02:46 PM
Mar 2016

"Neither party today does much of anything for the bottom 90% of Americans, as so clearly demonstrated by a recent study out of Princeton that showed that the likelihood of legislation passing that represents the interest of that bottom 90% was equivalent, statistically, to white noise. "

I guess it goes well beyond sad and into frightening. Ultimately... it may not matter who we vote for, who we elect, with such a deeply obstructionist congress and Senate. If the democrats win a majority in either, we gain a small lead, enough to try to promote progressive legislation... maybe. Ultimately though, I think it's going to come down to millions of people stopping whatever they're doing and marching in the streets. I believe Mr. Sanders has acknowledged this himself.

It's a pretty bizarre situation in any event. If Trump or Cruz were to organize a march of millions, they would likely come with guns, confederate flags, they would come dressed as the KKK, as Nazis and white supremacists. As tea party fanatics and right wing religious zealots.

Almost ten years ago, I had a long argument with a conservative. At the end of it, he told me he thought that it could ultimately only come down to violent civil unrest or revolution, because the differences in our opinions, in our principles, in what we believed in, was so severe that there really wasn't any middle ground. I told him he was wrong, that things can be accomplished through peaceful protest, through civil disobedience, through working within the system to make change. His argument was that it didn't matter either way, which side gained and/or maintained power, because that divide would simply widen and increase our hatred for each other.

I still... don't know which one of us was right at the end of that argument. The extremism of Trump, Cruz - and even Sanders (who I believe is extreme for the right reasons) is heating up this debate, this conflict that has been decades if not centuries in the making. What it may ultimately come down to is a centrist like Clinton to maintain the status quo... I suspect that's at least in part why a lot of great minds and great people support her - more than matters of policy or personal principle.

Either way, all that can really be done here is postponing the inevitable. The revolution IS beginning - and for the most part, those of us with Sanders want it to be peaceful, compassionate, progressive. Those on the other side... well, I think they're looking for the opposite.

No, we can't trust established politics to work for the majority of us. I think the most we can realistically expect without some kind of massive movement or protest is the continuation of the class warfare being successfully waged against most of us.

Perhaps I am naive in my hope that, if we get together in our millions and go to DC, protest in the streets... that we can accomplish these things that Sanders wants to do. Perhaps they'll call out the National Guard and force us into "protest zones" where we can be comfortably ignored by both businesses and politicians. I don't know. I do know that those who make peaceful revolution impossible make violent revolution inevitable - and frankly, the Trumpfucks and Cruzshits scare the shit out of me - and that's where that "violent revolution" would likely come from.

Maybe that's an extreme position. Maybe I overestimate the level of anger, frustration, fear and hate in this Country... but I think, if anything, I am underestimating it.

colsohlibgal

(5,275 posts)
9. Rampant Myopia Of Too Many Democrats
Sun Mar 20, 2016, 02:47 PM
Mar 2016

We have tussled with the Hillary Brigade here and it is puzzling why they do not see what we easily see.

For the most part Eisenhower would be a pretty liberal democrat now. The whole political baseline has moved hard right since then.

Nationally it is a mess but state wise and locally we need to also pay attention. The Kochs are closing in on getting enough states to place a constitutional requirement for a balanced federal budget. If it comes to be watch out, does anyone think they will cut defense spending or lower their salaries? Public Assistance will dry up, taxes will go up, parks and infrastructure will crumble and fall into disrepair.

The longer we keep buying the shell game and misdirection of the third way democrats the longer and harder the road back will be.

 

Rex

(65,616 posts)
11. Nobody but me and a few others will say it, America is a plutocracy through and through.
Sun Mar 20, 2016, 03:48 PM
Mar 2016

Always been kinda bought and paid for, but now it is at levels never seen before. Also, when a tiny fraction (80 out of 7,000,000,000) own HALF of all the wealth on the planet...you will see global unrest and when those elite call for 'austerity measures' the other billions see it for the long con that it is.

It is not just America, it is the planet. Globalization created huge corporate monsters that politicians from all nations are scared to mess with. Take BP as an example.

 

baldguy

(36,649 posts)
13. The idea that both parties are the same is RW propaganda
Sun Mar 20, 2016, 03:54 PM
Mar 2016

designed to weaken support for progressive principles & the Democratic Party.

Donald Ian Rankin

(13,598 posts)
19. No, not really.
Sun Mar 20, 2016, 04:19 PM
Mar 2016

It's very common on both the far right (who think it's an indictment of the Republicans) and the far left (who think it's an indictment of the Democrats).

It's a fairly useful litmus test - people who genuinely aren't aware of how massive the differences between the two parties are can generally be fairly safely ignored.

All in it together

(275 posts)
16. It's very important to put the Democratic Party back on a progressive track
Sun Mar 20, 2016, 04:16 PM
Mar 2016

That's why I support Bernie Sanders Presidential run. I think this country is at a turning point and we don't want to be ignored anymore. Nominating Hillary keeps us on the status quo and keeps the party working for the top 10%. Two parties who don't serve the people will harm our country.

With the trade deals hurting our people and sovereignty and Climate Change barreling down on us, we can't wait generations for this change to happen without severe suffering.

Thanks Thom.

Dont call me Shirley

(10,998 posts)
23. A return of the D party to FDR progressive policies is imperative to restore civility to our society
Sun Mar 20, 2016, 08:17 PM
Mar 2016

To those Dems addicted to the oligarchs, you can get help getting off your addiction. Follow Bernie Sanders. Listen to old FDR speeches. Meditate upon compassion. Sacrifice selfishness.

Welcome All in it Together

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