YoungDemCA

YoungDemCA's Journal

October 1, 2015

How the American Right claims the mantle of democracy - even as it undermines democratic practices

Found this article by political scientist and social activist Jean Hardisty (1945-2015) on how the modern American Right dresses itself in populist, "everyman" small-d democratic trappings, which means a lot of working and middle class (white) Americans are persuaded to vote for politicians and parties that support the interests of the super-wealthy.

Right-wing leaders often appropriate progressive themes by calling for rule by “the people,” equal opportunity, and “equality” feminism. Their rhetoric has convinced many voters that the Right offers a more fair and direct form of democratic representation than that offered by liberals and progressives.[1] But an accurate analysis of the Right’s agenda reveals that, while it embraces the rhetoric of democracy, it promotes a constricted, shrunken version of democracy. It’s a version that resembles the United States political landscape before the New Deal reforms of the 1930s and 1940s. By defining democracy in its narrowest sense, the contemporary Right claims the mantle of democracy, even though, since the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980, its campaigns, policies, and initiatives have attacked democratic principles and undermined democratic practices.

snip:

In the 1970s the New Right set out its ideology with shameless clarity. Calling itself a “revolutionary” movement, its leaders declared that they were going to take the country back from the liberals, feminists, and secular humanists who “controlled” the national agenda. In a book that could serve as the manifesto of the New Right, The New Right: We’re Ready to Lead!, Richard Viguerie states, “Conservatives are fighting for …basic rights not merely for ourselves but for all Americans. One of the biggest lies of 20th century American politics is that liberals care about people and conservatives don’t. This is a bum rap put on us by liberals. I suggest it’s conservatives who, by their actions, show real love and compassion for their fellow men.” [8] The New Right repackaged the agenda of the Old Right, while denying that the movement was racist. The New Right’s leaders sought to leave behind the Old Right’s tainted association with the KKK, White Citizens’ Councils, neo-nazi anti-Semites, and even the John Birch Society, while simultaneously positioning themselves well to the right of traditional Republican conservatives.[9]

To become a mass-based social and political movement, however, the New Right needed to attract a following outside of the Republican Party. Republicans have for decades had a reputation as the party of white country club members and big business. But at various times it has successfully painted itself as the party of “the common man,” especially during the anti-communist hysteria of the 1950s. Another instance was the courtship by President Richard Nixon’s Vice President, Spiro Agnew, of “the silent majority.” Agnew claimed that most inactive voters were conservative and were best represented by conservative Republicans. Two constituencies were available for the New Right’s recruitment: voters who had supported the presidential candidacy of George Wallace, the white supremacist Democratic governor of Alabama who is sometimes called the father of the conservative movement, and conservative Christian evangelicals across the country.

In recruiting these new constituencies, the New Right’s leaders struck an aggressively populist tone, despite an agenda that served the interests of business and the wealthy. As Chip Berlet describes in his book, Right-Wing Populism in America: Too Close for Comfort, “…[T]he grievances of many White middle- and working-class people-both a legitimate sense of injury and angry scapegoating generated by the erosion of traditional privileges-could be harnessed to benefit wealthy elites and intensify disempowerment and inequality for millions of people.” [10] As is so often true of right-wing populism, rhetoric about “the people” masks the interests of the ruling class.

Full article: http://www.jeanhardisty.com/writing/articles-chapters-and-reports/rights-for-some-the-erosion-of-u-s-democracy/

September 30, 2015

Russia says it’s bombing ISIS in Syria. It’s actually bombing their enemies (Vox).

snip

"Russia targeted only groups that are not ISIS and it may have targeted groups backed by the US," (intelligence analyst Michael) Horowitz told BuzzFeed's Borzou Daragahi. "It’s really clear that the airstrikes were not meant to target ISIS."

This shouldn't be surprising. Russia is in Syria to prop up Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, Moscow's ally. The main threat to Assad is not ISIS, which the Syrian leader has often tolerated, but rather Syria's non-ISIS rebels — including al-Qaeda's Syrian franchise as well as more moderate rebel groups. These rebel groups (along with the Kurds in Syria's north) are also ISIS's main enemies in Syria.

snip:

Assad has.... tacitly tolerat(ed) ISIS in northeastern Syria, while focusing his military efforts on the rebels. This was part of what appeared to be a deliberate strategy to encourage extremism in order to discourage foreign intervention against him.

Both Assad and Putin win, in other words, if the West is forced to choose between Assad and ISIS in Syria. Which is part of why Russian airstrikes appear to be targeting ISIS's enemies in Syria — under the pretext of targeting ISIS.

http://www.vox.com/2015/9/30/9423229/russia-bombing-isis-syria

September 28, 2015

80% of Republican voters approve of George W. Bush's Presidency.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/georgew-bush-jeb-bush-poll_5604456fe4b00310edfa78d0

In all likelihood, the other 20% don't think he was enough of a right-wing asshole.

September 26, 2015

A couple of observations from an African-American pastor friend of mine...

Recently, I had lunch with a friend of mine who is an African-American pastor (though not at a congregation or denomination that is predominately black). Among the topics we discussed included politics, white privilege, and the experience of black Americans and other PoC in the Age of Obama.

Something that my friend pointed out to me is that for many white conservatives, it is important to refer to President Obama with claims like "He's not our President!", because for them, he's the BLACK President, not OUR President. This way of "Othering" President Obama, combined with Birtherism and other racist memes, is a method of denying him legitimacy - and consequently, denying black Americans any power (real or symbolic) in the US.

Another point my friend made is that Barack Obama's election in 2008 (and reelection in 2012) was a slap in the face to those Republicans who for several decades were counting on the Southern (White) Strategy, or the strategy of "maxing out" the white vote, to keep winning the Presidency. Obama proved that a black Democrat can not just win the Presidency, but win the Presidency even while losing a solid majority of the white vote nationally. The GOP is all too aware of this reality; hence, the doubling down on Voter ID laws and other draconian voting restrictions (at the state level in particular) and the Roberts Court's striking down of parts of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. They recognize that America's days as a white-majority country are numbered, and so they are doing their damnedest to cling to their political and social power - even rewriting the rules of the "game" to continue their hold on power.

Anyway, it was an interesting and enlightening conversation.

September 26, 2015

Jeb Bush's "free stuff" remark in South Carolina is a racist dog whistle

Some data-driven analysis from the Washington Post:

In South Carolina, where Bush was speaking, five of the seven congressional districts have a greater percentage of white households than black on food stamps, as of March of this year. All of them are represented by Republicans. Of the two where black households are a plurality, only one has a Democratic representative.

The mentions of "free stuff" by Bush and Romney seem to be focused on the current political situation -- one in which Barack Obama has twice been elected president. It doesn't take a whole lot of analysis to figure out a reason that black voters might have turned out more heavily for Obama in 2008 and 2012 that doesn't involve government programs.

snip:

But, besides, if the argument is that black voters oppose Republicans because Democrats give them benefits, it neglects a whole lot of elections in which Republicans have won since those programs came into place.

Yes, the Affordable Care Act is new, but much of the new coverage under Obamacare is an expansion of Medicaid, which is 50 years old. There's the (rather grotesque) meme of the "Obamaphones" -- basically reduced-cost or free cell phones for poor Americans. But "Obamaphones" are really "Reaganphones," having been introduced in 1985. And food stamps themselves date back to the '60s.

Aha!, you might think. The '60s are when African Americans started voting Democratic! Well, about that.

Black support for Democrats coincided with civil rights actions:

It's worth noting, too, that lots of people get "free stuff" from the government. Seniors get a lot of government-program support, but they vote more heavily Republican. (Even older non-white voters tend to vote less Democratic -- though not much less.)

Not to mention corporate tax breaks and so on. Corporations do spend money to ensure tax breaks, but it's safe to assume that in many cases the savings from tax breaks are far larger than the money spent lobbying Congress or contributing to campaigns. Call it "low-cost stuff."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2015/09/25/why-jeb-bushs-free-stuff-argument-about-black-voters-is-so-off-the-mark/

September 25, 2015

#WalkingWhileFemale HOF thread

A friend of mine shared this experience on Facebook:

Random guy on city sidewalk: "Hey, I like your body!"
Me: *steady glare at him*
Guy: "Hey fuck you, that's a compliment you bitch!"

‪#?walkingwhilefemale‬

One of my friend's comments:

I would like to add that this kind of thing happens to me 3-5 times a week, depending on how often I go outside. I've been keeping it to myself up until now, but decided recently to start posting these interactions to show what it is like to walk while female. Please share your own experiences as well!! Awareness leads to action

.....

Pretty universal experience among women, particularly young women.

Speak out, speak up, and call it out. This kind of behavior toward women is unacceptable. And it's not just because women are women, it's because women are human beings, deserving of respect. No one is entitled to any one else's body.

September 23, 2015

"Do your part."

In honor of National Voter Registration Day:

I was beaten, my skull was fractured, and I was arrested more than forty times so each and every one of us can register to vote.

Do your part.

-U.S. Representative John Lewis, D-GA.

September 22, 2015

How racial inequality in American society contributes to poorer health outcomes for PoC

Some information from Stanford professor Donald Barr here:

"A principal determinant of access to health care in the United States is the availability of health insurance. As is the case with health status, those from lower SES groups in the United States also have worse access to health care, based on this econmic fact of life. However, a growing body of research has shown that, even when people have the same level of health insurance and are treated for the same disease by the same physicians and hospitals, those from minority racial or ethnic groups often get worse care - either not receiving care when appropriate or receiving care that is lower in quality."

Barr, D. A. (2014). Health disparities in the United States: Social class, race, ethnicity, and health. JHU Press. p. xiv-xv

https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=8kZjBAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=food+health+america+social+class&ots=-52kOxj5GI&sig=0S-wRKOY8IA6cqlR8BA1w_vI1JE#v=onepage&q&f=false

I should note that in Chapter 4 of this book, Donald Barr introduces the concept of allostatic load, which he defines as "the physiologic response to the stress of being in a position of social disadvantage, which over a period of years can result in physiologic injury and illness" (p.xiv).

Other stuff:

From the CDC website:

- African Americans in 2009 had the largest death rates from heart disease and stroke compared with other racial and ethnic populations; these disparities in deaths were also found across age groups younger than 85 years of age.

- From 2007-2010, the largest prevalence of hypertension was among adults aged 65 years and older, African American adults, US-born adults, adults with less than a college education, adults who received public health insurance (18- 64 years old) and those with diabetes, obesity, or a disability, compared with their counterparts. The percentages of African American and Hispanic adults who had control of high blood pressure were lower than among white adults.

snip:

Infants of African American women in 2008 had the largest death rate, which was more than twice the rate among infants of white women.

African Americans in 2009 had the largest death rates from homicide among all racial and ethnic populations. Rates among African American males were the largest across all age groups.

African American adults in 2010 had the largest HIV infection rate compared with rates among adults of other racial and ethnic populations. Prescribed HIV treatment among African American adults living with HIV was less than among white adults.

In 2010, a larger percentage of Hispanic and African American adults aged 18-64 years were without health insurance compared with white and Asian/Pacific Islander counterparts.

snip:

In 2011, similar to other racial and ethnic minority adults aged 25 years or older, African American adults had a larger percentage who did not complete high school compared with white adults. Also, a larger percentage of African American adults lived below the poverty level and (ages 18-64 years) were unemployed compared with white adults

snip:

Factors contributing to poor health outcomes among African Americans include discrimination; cultural, linguistic and literacy barriers; and lack of access to health care.

http://www.cdc.gov/minorityhealth/populations/REMP/black.html

As always, free to share your thoughts, comments, or even stories.

September 19, 2015

The better question is how do we reduce inequality within the profession

The pay distribution of professors mirrors that of many other professions these days: a relatively small number of higher-paid professors, and a larger - and growing - number of lower-salary, non-tenured professors (or assistant/adjunct professors or "lecturers&quot whose jobs have few benefits.

That's the way of the world these days. Quite unfortunately, IMHO. This is why we need a much stronger public safety net and potentially, a significant restructuring/revamping of the capitalist economy.

September 16, 2015

GOP bill to defund Planned Parenthood moving along in the House

Introduced: Jul 21, 2015
Status: Referred to Committee on Jul 21, 2015
This bill was assigned to a congressional committee on July 21, 2015, which will consider it before possibly sending it on to the House or Senate as a whole.
The House Majority Leader indicated on Sep 14, 2015 that this bill may be considered in the week ahead.
This bill is scheduled for the following committee meetings:
Sep 16, 2015 7 p.m. — House Committee on Rules

https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/114/hr3134?utm_campaign=govtrack_email_update&utm_source=govtrack/email_update&utm_medium=email

From the same page:

The bill now has 176 cosponsors (175 Republicans, 1 Democrat).

The one Democratic cosponsor is conservaDem Dan Lipinski from the Chicago area. Other than him, this is entirely the work of the GOP.

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