Apocalypse Now: Seriously, It Is Time for a Major Rethink About Liberal and Progressive Politics

[xchrom]

http://www.alternet.org/activism/apocalypse-now-seriously-it-time-major-rethink-about-liberal-and-progressive-politics



As the Editor of AlterNet for 20 years, I have read and seen the entire range of horrendous and growing problems we face as a society and globe virtually every day. It is not just climate change, or ISIL, or Ferguson, or poverty and homelessness, or more misogynistic murdering of women, or the Democrats about to lose the Senate as Obama gets more unpopular. It is much, much more. Every day. It passes by before my eyes. At AlterNet, there are no issue silos—there is just the open faucet of depressing political information coming and going every hour of every day (with the occasional story of success and inspiration).

So I am sorry to share my deep-seated opinion, which should jibe with anyone who is paying attention. After decades of engagement in progressive politics and media, it is very clear to me: we progressives, liberals, common sense people, are losing badly to the conservative business state, the tyranny of massively expanding tech companies, theocratic right-wing forces and pervasive militarism, home and abroad. By virtually every measure, things are getting worse. And are trending much, much worse in ways we can easily measure, like inequality, climate, militarization of police forces, etc., and in ways that are more psychological and emotional.

Americans are very pessimistic: 76 percent of respondents in a Wall Street Journal poll did not feel confident that their children’s generation will have a better life than they. That’s up from 60 percent in 2007. Optimism for Americans peaked in 2001. The percentage of American adults who believe the country is on the wrong track jumped eight percentage points just this summer, to 71 percent, the WSJ poll found.

And Americans dark views of the future are rational, as their lives have become so much more difficult and depressing. People are working longer hours, working far past previous retirement age—if they can retire at all. Many Americans do not take vacations. And many Americans of all ages can't find good jobs, or can only find low-paying and often part-time work, which causes their lifestyles to plummet. College graduates are burdened with heavy debt.

[snappyturtle]

1. Just finished reading the entire article...whoa...although

depressing I do think it accurately states our present condition.

last paragraph:

In that light, I have started describing myself as a pragmatic/apocalyptic, which means there are huge problems on the horizon, likely severe crises ahead, and there is at present no light at the end of the tunnel. So let's stop fantasizing about all the ways our world should be when there isn't the remotest chance of those ideas coming to fruition any time soon, if ever. Let's focus on what can be done, on building local and regional strength, on developing thousands of new organizers and less think tankers, and bringing people together in ways they feel supported, as opposed to on their own, with no one at their backs.

------------------
....something to think about before voting, imho

[classykaren]

20. It seems we have to start all over again like before we even had Unions

I've talked to young people here in Florida who asked me what is a Union and have never even heard of the Teamsters.

[antigop]

54. we are going to have to go through the labor movement all over again in this country. nt

[jtuck004]

56. That is because the Industrial Unions were broken by business, governement, and business unions,

turncoats like Gompers, others.

Read "Them and Us: The Struggles of a Rank-and-File Union"
James J. Matles & James Higgins

and

The Autobiography of Mother Jones
http://www.eclipse.net/~basket42/mojones.htm < Here among other places

The business unions sold out the workers. We don't need a time before unions, just need to get rid of the traitors who preferred to befriend business and screw workers for their own profit. Get back to Industrial Unions with employees making the decisions, like the IWW was fighting for in the early 1900's. Added to more government investment to create opportunities like they did in the 60s and 70s, it would make a difference.

[QuestionAlways]

77. I am a proud Union member who belongs to a craft union

What you would call a business union. Our members were not sold out, they each average over 100K per year, have a gold plated medical plan, both a defined benefit pension and Annuity to which the employer contributes 10% of gross pay every week and we can retire at 55 and draw from them. We are over 125 years old and the last 20 years has seen our membership triple in size.

In order to achieve this we did not fight automation, but used it to our advantage. Each member of our union gets trained at union expense on the latest equipment used in our industry and will qualify for required licenses. Our members can not be easily replaced, and that is our greatest strength.

[jtuck004]

82. That's what Mother Jones a Matles, among others, called them. And just because you have yours,

and everyone else has fuck-all, doesn't mean a union didn't stick the others in the back doing it. One of the key characteristics of Gomper's backstabbers was to offer people a little higher wage than others, so they would leave their unions and make his craft union stronger. His did very well even as other union workers were being murdered and jailed. The history books make this age seem very, very tame, even with our militarized police.

If the other unions aren't doing as well as yours, and given they have mostly experienced their steepest drop in membership in history, and you aren't working with them to fix it but instead are collecting your defined pension while they lose their jobs, you just defined the issue.

But seriously, and I mean that, good for you. Glad you are comfortable.

On the other hand, if there was one big union perhaps many of the union members (your brothers and sisters, eh?), former union members of shut down companies, unemployed, broken, and dis-spirited neighbors who would like to work and be treated like a human being could be too.

[riderinthestorm]

2. Big K&R! I love his takeaway - that we need to start locally to begin to effect change nt

[Tommymac]

67. IMO his takeaway was local organizing in Not enough by itself.

We need some national leader(s) to have the moral courage to disengage from the established game and lead/organize local efforts from outside the system. Otherwise local organizing is too haphazard - by nature liberals are ornery folks who have a thousand individual agendas to push.

[djean111]

3. Depressing but accurate read.

[RiverLover]

4. Great call for action

I wish he would have mentioned FoxFiction. There is a 24/7 propaganda machine blinding people to reality, well, 24/7. I'm in territory sales and I talk to many different people M-F, and I can tell you without Q, this fake news is a HUGE part of the problem.

And I am one of the liberals he talks about who signs lots of disjointed petitions, OMG, so many petitions in my inbox each day. I give a little money here & there. I have strong opinions but can't voice them when working because I would lose sales, and thus my job. That's actually why I'm not on Facebook. I don't want my strong opinions to hurt my job. I can't do any good to anyone if I'm homeless & broke...

I'd love to do more than just espouse online.

[redruddyred]

8. the nice thing about being (semi) homeless and broke

is that you've nothing better to do than air your strong opinions.

stay strong.

[classykaren]

22. I totally agree with you RiverLover why oh why did they ever do away with the real Fair and Balanced

law for television. Remember how it used to be? I remember the stations editorial at the end then a timed rebuttal from the opposite side.

[appalachiablue]

69. You are correct. No FOX wasn't mentioned. I find when stating the propaganda power of

24/7, FREE, ACCESSIBLE Right Wing TV and Radio to some on the left it falls on deaf ears. 25 years of this free (unlike MSNBC which costs)- in offices, homes, military bases, gas stations, and look at the result.
The consolidated corporate media is now owned by 5-6 major entities. Currently there are about 1,200 radio stations with right wing shows, and hosts screeching throughout the US in cars, homes, trucks and stores.

Many average Americans are not all likely to search the INTERNET at home to seek out independent news online at night after work or on busy weekends, if they can afford the internet in these times. When this subject was brought up two years ago at a national left conference, one of the main speakers who's excellent replied, we have the blogosphere.

If as a consumer I don't know about, or I can't find a decent organic grocery store, then of course I'll go to the main corporate outlets and forget about the healthier stuff.

FSTV (Free Speech TV) does a terrific job with Thom Hartmann, Amy Goodman and all. They can be viewed online or through the Free Speech Channel which is carried primarily by DISH and DIRECT TV.
Many alternative radio program hosts are there if you know about them, and some are also online.
YES! Magazine out of Pacific N.W. is great, online or mail, quarterly by subscription. David Korten, Chair.

For a country that fought the British Empire to form its own nation, the wealthiest in the world, is it too difficult to form a consistent, good quality news program (or magazine) that would reach many by TV or Radio? Especially given the stakes, our democracy.

[appalachiablue]

88. Correction-conservative corporate media and Fox were in the full article on Alternet.

[cantbeserious]

5. Accurate - On Point

eom

[Le Taz Hot]

6. Local control, self-sufficiency

and boycotting as many corporate interests as possible. I've been saying this for a decade now. Bring back community. Bring back neighbors helping neighbors, bartering, trading, self-sufficiency via raising our own produce and meats, so many things that we could be doing but we've been too reliant on big business and corporations to supply us with our day-to-day needs. I was going to do some serious writing a few years ago and present it to DU in installments. I asked Skinner and he said I could write it but it would be placed in some obscure group that nobody reads so I didn't bother.

[ReRe]

15. Write!

I think it would be better to write than not, Le Taz. Why don't you make a few installments and see how it goes? I'd very interested to hear your ideas.

[Le Taz Hot]

26. You are correct.

I'm sitting around on worker's comp. right now, bored to tears and just doing minimal house work (OK, that part hasn't changed) and cooking and not making optimal use of my time off. The fingers and hand are still screwed up and I can't macramé, play the guitar or piano yet but I can write. I need to just sit down and do it.

[ReRe]

31. There you go!

Sorry to hear about your hand. Are you getting physical therapy for it? I'm a big believer in Phy Therapy, as it worked on my bum knee. Looking forward to hearing what's rolling around in your mind.

[Le Taz Hot]

32. Well, it's workers comp. so the answer is,

I'm supposed to be but it's worker's comp. I'm hoping to hook up with treatment next week.

[Chathamization]

33. Some of this is happening. At least around here, I've seen a real push not only for food from the

nearby area, but for food to be grown in the city as well. Part of our recent 20-year sustainability plan is to dramatically increase food grown within the city, as well as greatly increasing the amount of our food produced locally (within 100 miles) and the access to it (making sure poorer areas aren't left out). There's a lot of other good stuff in the sustainability plan as well (make the waterways swimmable and fishable, 40% of the city covered by a tree canopy, parks a 10 minute walk away from all residents, city-wide compost collection, a carbon tax and 50% emissions reduction, etc.).

It seems like other localities are moving in this direction as well, especially as cities are rising in popularity.

[Le Taz Hot]

34. Those are all great ideas.

I'm in California, currently suffering severe drought, and we HAVE to make some drastic changes. Personally, and I know this would never happen, but I think lawns should be outlawed. So much water is wasted on landscaping it's just a sin against Mother Nature. Get rid of lawns, invest in rain barrels, in cisterns, and organic water purification systems. In place of grass plant food and/or other beneficial plants/trees, and put everything on drip irrigation.

I just wrote a ton more to this but deleted it. I think ReRe is right, I need to get to writing on this but you've given me several research topics. Thank you.

[Chathamization]

44. I look forward to reading it when you finish. If you're interested, here's our sustainability plan

http://sustainable.dc.gov/finalplan

We're about to elect a new mayor, but since the council is pretty pro-environment and seem to have been supportive of this plan, I feel there's a good chance that it will get implemented (some of the earlier provisions have already been implemented). The environmental initiatives we've had outside of the plan have also been good, such as support for rain barrels and rooftop solar panels.

I'm curious about what other areas are doing, as I get the sense that this is part of a somewhat broader movement. It seems to be another example of where it might be difficult to get things done at a national level, but there are lots of things that can be done (and are being done) at the local level.

[vlyons]

7. welcome to the Age of KaliYuga

The Degenerate Age. From a Buddhist perspective, as things get worse and worse, it gets easier and easier for an individual to awaken and move towards personal liberation; providing of course that one wishes to make the effort to do so. In this age, each act of compassion, generosity, forgiveness, equanimity, tolerance, patience, and enthusiasm has a greater and greater impact. That's because these qualities become rarer and rarer. It's all in your point of view. Do you see everything as the depressing and distressing, or do you see a target-rich field in which to add benefit?
Illegitimi non carborundum!

[democrank]

9. Back to basics.

The change needs to start with the message. We have to stand for something and we have to uphold basic principles of social and economic justice. As is evidenced here and elsewhere, it`s time to stop emulating Republicans and get back to basics.

[ReRe]

17. You can say that again. n/t

[TBF]

10. He had me until the solutions -

when we play their game we lose.

We need to tear it all down.

Their system - capitalism - does not work for most of us. It needs to go.

There are thinkers out there who have talked about splitting up resources based upon needs (as opposed to usage of currency which also needs to go), and building local communities/coops.

Unfortunately it won't be easy.

[brooklynite]

19. Maybe the solutions were written for a real world?

"Capitalism needs to go" and "currency needs to go" are colorful bumper stickers but have no basis for implementation. Flawed as it may be, we have a political process that can't just be replaced.

[TBF]

25. Oh yes it can be replaced -

you wouldn't like that because all your precious money would be worthless. But it most certainly can be taken down.

[brooklynite]

28. Please enlighten us...

I do what I can supporting folks like Elizabeth Warren, and I'd be happy to have my tax rates rise. But explain how you plan to get rid of capitalism, given the rather poor track record of efforts so far.

[DonCoquixote]

53. Money

You can argue that our scoeity places too much emphasisi on it, which i think it does. However, the fact is, Currency is a means of cooperation, where people can exchange somethign for something they need. barter works great until other people have no use for what you can barter; it will suck for the farmer whose corn is not needed as much as Iron or Water. Part of the problem with alternatives is that, sorry to say, the propponents of what could be called leftist solutions where in many cases of a bunch of academics, true "burgesoie" who would make policy on labor or agriculture despite being uselss in either farms or factories. The Capitalist elite is also uselss in the regard, they were just able to hide it slightly better thanks to Hollywood.

It is no accident that the most successful leftist revolutions were done by the folks like Chavez, Morales, and Lolas, people who, unlike the Castros and Ches, WERE members of the proletariat. If you are going to take currnecy away from farmers, you better be able to offer them more than abrter, because they know that it can leave them helpless.

[muriel_volestrangler]

58. Without currency, people end up on subsistence-only living

Consider someone retired. Do you want them to have a choice of either a non-necessary item of clothing, or having a restaurant meal? If so, you need them to have money (they are retired, so they do not have any goods or services to barter) to make the choice. Money can only be eliminated in a society where either no-one has anything beyond the bare minimum needed to survive, or where everyone has effectively unlimited resources. For every situation in between, you need money to allow the allocation of goods according to past work and consumption.

[TBF]

59. I don't think that is true -

I believe it is true in the minds of those who prefer capitalism because they believe they have something to lose, but I don't think it's an absolute. Many on this board lack imagination or willingness to try new methods because they are benefiting from the system in place. And that is what makes this party SO ineffective.

[muriel_volestrangler]

62. How do you expect to support retired people?

If they cannot save money themselves, and the state cannot pay them money, then the state will have to provide all their goods and services. How do you allocate those goods and services? You can't give them all everything they desire, without question; the world doesn't have enough for that. You need a way of providing a fair way of giving them some things above bare subsistence. You need money, to keep track - and allow them to make some choices themselves (people need to have some control over their lives).

More generally, money allows people whose work produces intermittent results (like farmers) a way to keep some of the value of their products for later. It makes it a lot easier to do everyday transactions than having to do it via barter.

[TBF]

68. Scare tactics of capitalism -

there are many ways of divvying up resources. Why do you assume if we don't have capitalism we will all be living like pirates in Somalia? That is what you are saying - that everyone is on their own and old people would die in the street. That is the picture you are painting as the only alternative to capitalism. Why is that?

[muriel_volestrangler]

70. Socialism, communism and feudalism have all used money too

If you're scared by this, that's because it is scary. I'm not assuming it would be Somalia. I'm asking you how you would support retired people, without money. You haven't made any suggestion yet. In societies without money, old people have had to rely on younger family members to support them, and that ends up being uneven - what happens with different size families, or people who don't have children?

If you think that you can supply all the needs of an old person directly, without the use of money, are you going to give them any choice at all of what they receive? If you do, how do you ensure that each gets a fair amount of the total?

[CJCRANE]

71. Money is just a representation of resources. If you allocate more equal amounts of money tokens

then resources will inevitably be shared more equally.

You can put also put higher taxes on luxury and polluting items and invest in more recyclable and renewable items.

[TBF]

73. But that's not happening -

even with a democratic president the gap between rich and poor is greater than it has been in 100 years.

I can't fathom why it is so hard for people to admit that this system is not working for most of us. Why is it so hard to voice that it is inherently unfair? Why do we put ourselves in the position of having to beg for crumbs from psycopaths? Why do we not fight back?

[ronnie624]

99. Abandoning the status quo is a frightening prospect.

Last edited Wed Oct 29, 2014, 03:17 AM - Edit history (1)

The fact of the matter is, capital plays no role, whatsoever, in the physical process of the conversion of resources and energy into usable energy, goods and services. That is done by energy and nothing but. Capital is only an element of a theory for organizing economic activity, and is not essential to the economic process, which is governed by the Laws of Thermodynamics and the will of humankind. If we had the will to develop an economy without the need for capital, we would do so.

The result of a capitalist economic system, can never be anything other than to enrich a minority at the expense of the majority, because there is simply not enough for everyone to have more than what they need. If someone is making a profit, then others are going without.

[snooper2]

92. OCCUPY!

a bank lobby?

[TBF]

93. Well that wouldn't be my approach

but at least the Occupy movement did get folks talking about class. That's a win in today's environment I guess.

[AndyTiedye]

80. You Seem to be Unable to Describe What You Want to Build in Its Place

We need to tear it all down.

What do you intend to build int its place? You have been asked that repeatedly and instead of answering the question you attack the posters.

There are thinkers out there who have talked about splitting up resources based upon needs

"From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs" really describes a gift economy.
Who else knows what my abilities and my needs are?

building local communities/coops.

No need to "tear it all down" to do that.
Start a co-op.

[TBF]

85. "Start a co-op" only works if it's not

in the middle of a capitalist system.

In terms of "what would you build instead?" - that is just a red-baiting ploy.

Honestly I wasn't born yesterday.

[AndyTiedye]

97. Yes, Right in the Middle of a Capitalist System

You really need the co-ops in place before you "bring down" capitalism since the for-profit stores that sell food and other necessities will certainly stop functioning in the absence of money, as will the wholesalers that supply them, and so on.
Cooperatives that run on volunteer labor and deal as much as possible with local farmers and other cooperatives would be more likely to find some way to continue.

[whereisjustice]

11. Look no further than the authoritarian freaks who have taken control of the Democratic Party

they won't stop until we have the slums of India and wages to match.

[ReRe]

18. [phone]

[bigwillq]

41. ...

[SomeGuyInEagan]

72. Our enemy is not Conservatives. It is Rahm Emanual, the Third Way, etc..

The corpratists sold much of the national party to the rich, beginning a generation ago.

[TBF]

74. No kidding. nt

[hifiguy]

91. Right on.

Here's a massively depressing list posted last week by DUer woo me with science.

Read it and weep.

Mass spying on Americans? Both parties support it.

Handing the internet to corporations? Both parties support it.

Austerity for the masses? Both parties support it.

Cutting social safety nets? Both parties support it.

Corporatists in the cabinet? Both parties support it.

Tolling our interstate highways? Both parties support it.

Corporate education policy? Both parties support it.

Bank bailouts? Both parties support it.

Ignoring the trillions stashed overseas? Both parties support it.

Trans-Pacific Job/Wage Killing Secret Agreement? Both parties support it.

TISA corporate overlord agreement? Both parties support it.

Drilling and fracking? Both parties support it.

Wars on medical marijuana instead of corrupt banks? Both parties support it.

Deregulation of the food industry? Both parties support it.

GMO's? Both parties support it.

Privatization of the TVA? Both parties support it.

Immunity for telecoms? Both parties support it.

"Looking forward" and letting war criminals off the hook? Both parties support it.

Deciding torturers are patriots? Both parties support it.

Militarized police and assaults on protesters? Both parties support it.

Indefinite detention? Both parties support it.

Drone wars and kill lists? Both parties support it.

Targeting of journalists and whistleblowers? Both parties support it.

Private prisons replacing public prisons? Both parties support it.

Unions? Both parties view them with contempt.

Trillion dollar increase in nuclear weapons. Both parties support it.

New war in Iraq. Both parties support it.

New war in Syria. Both parties support it.

Carpet bombing of captive population in Gaza. Both parties support it.

[whereisjustice]

95. Great post, the canonical issues making it difficult to distinquish our two parties. And as

as the Government monitors our voting records and political views, it is going to be just about impossible to convince people that to improve their own quality of life, you have to protest the authority that is stripping away our value as citizens and humans.

That authority is like a den of parasitic worms hiding out within the core of our political system, both Democrat and Republican.

[Dustlawyer]

12. K&R!!! +1,000,000,000!!! This is what I have been talking about for the last 3 years!

I would add one thing to the emphasis on local change, I believe we build our consensus locally, but we join to fight nationally. We focus on one small, but all important area for the fight for all the marbles. We attack the root of the problem where corporations gain their control over our government. That is their ability to legally buy our politicians and judges. As Bernie Sanders says, it is the number one issue, and I believe it has to be to the exclusion of all other issues, Publicly Funded Elections! Outlaw campaign contributions! That is it. If we could get a very large and committed movement going, we would attract politicians who would see that their prospects of getting and staying in office would be better if they joined and helped lead the masses in this effort. Local work, by itself will not work. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce already plows large amounts of money down to the local levels.
Other than backing Bernie, I don't know how to motivate and organize people to do this. I have tried here at DU and even here among Progressives few believe or were committed enough to join this fight. They would rather come here and bitch about the symptoms created by the corruption than get off of their asses and do something.
Plus, there is a very large number that say we "must back Hillary or Republicans will get the White House." They are afraid to risk it for the kind of dramatic change that is imperative. Many fool themselves, like I did with Obama, that he was going to be this transformational President. Hillary is part of the big money class, they have been her friends for years. She will sell us out much like Obama has. This article does an excellent job of explaining this, we keep doing what we have always done, we will get what we always got! I for one will not play that game anymore! Sure if Bernie runs as a Democrat and loses to Hillary, I will vote for her before a Republican. If he runs as an Independant I will vote for him all the way! He is the only national figure that gets it and that makes him someone to rally around. It will take millions of committed people and there will be violence directed at us from all sides, but this, in my view is the fight for our very survival! Climate Change will not be addressed in any meaningful way unless we do this and win. If you care about your pet issue, jobs, environment, inequality, NSA... you must put them aside and join this fight. If we win we can then fix these other issues, otherwise we all lose!

[RiverLover]

13. Bingo! Great post.

Citizens United was just the icing on the cake, Big Money was buying elections prior to this, but its made it a whole lot easier. This is a good article on how it's hurting democracy, esp on the local level~

"From Montana, where a statehouse seat can be had for as little as $20,000, to San Francisco, where the mayoralty can be won with just over $1 million in outside support, big spenders are finding cheaper and stronger influence by narrowing their sights. As investor Rex Sinquefield, one of Missouri’s largest political donors recently put it, at the local level “you will be amazed how much influence you can have.”

That influence comes not just from the amounts of money, but from how it’s spent. While the court in Citizens United said that independent spending could not lead to corruption, in fact newly-unleashed outside spenders are working “hand in glove,” as one state regulator told us, with candidates at every level."

http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/see-how-citizens-united-hurting-democracy-look-local-elections

Most Americans should be able to see the sense in this. We need to end private financing of elections, & lobbyists writing legislation, only then can we turn things around.

We need to get behind those actually trying to end Citizens United. (But that's just the start.)

http://www.wolf-pac.com/

http://sign.citizens-against-citizens-united.com/

https://movetoamend.org/

http://www.sherrodbrown.com/petition/e141010/?subsource=ngpattre141010

[Dustlawyer]

38. Great post as well! The question that I have is how do we get enough people motivated to

to take part and get active? Most people agree that there is a large amount of corruption, so we don't have convince people of that fact. A big problem to overcome is the Democrats/Progressives that still believe that we have to ignore the Bernie Sanders of the world and put all of our effort into backing Establishment Democrats to avoid Republican control. We lose in the long run with that strategy as the article demonstrates how much worse some areas have gotten with Obama in the White House.
I would say we should put it all behind Bernie, if he loses to the Republican (likely), we would actually be able to wake up more converts who finally get frustrated enough to see the light. Bernie's message would be able to reach a national audience and hopefully motivate enough people to get off their fat American asses and make it happen!

[L0oniX]

14. This will only suppress Dem GOTV efforts.

I can hear it now from the usual.

I always keep it in mind that -vital- resources are finite. Oil will end. Clean water is in danger now. The military remains supreme at the peril of SS, Medicare and food for the poor. I consider the people who are having children to be careless fools who will be incapable of providing a reasonable chance of at least an equal life quality to their children. Recycling, water purification and local farming may be the only future ...if the military doesn't get in the way or doesn't take that away too.

[adirondacker]

21. "The Left is too content just to rent space in the attic from the Democrats.

Until that changes, the Republican Party is going to be too extreme and the Democrats too enfeebled. Neither will change voluntarily because the people in charge have too great a stake in the status quo." Bill Moyers

http://www.commondreams.org/news/2014/10/24/bill-moyers-grassroots-pro-democracy-movement-must-rise-challenge-corporate-control

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1016105284

I wish someone would open a vent. It's getting kinda stuffy in hear.

[L0oniX]

23. Corporate control is the peoples worst enemy.

[MisterP]

47. it's literally called the "Veal Pen" strategy: anyone who *wants* anything beyond electioneering

is carefully inerted--basically just kept alive in the party in exchange for unconditional electoral exploitation

[adirondacker]

48. Thanks. That would explain the early slaughter of many a good candidate. nt

[MisterP]

49. and they broadcast how they're going to do it:

2001-6 they followed Bush's lead and blamed Nader even for the IWR and the Lebanon War (which 98% of Capitol Dems praised or said didn't go far enough in slaughtering civilians Guatemala-style); 2006-7 they were all "you lefties are gonna PURGE THE PARTY AND WE'LL LOSE 2008" just as they started processes that pushed out Cegelis, Lamont, McKinney, Halter, Romanoff, Sestak, Grayson, Kucinich, Buono, Lutrin, Rev. Manuel Sykes (and now Wendy Davis and Grimes) ESPECIALLY when they were ahead of the Pub
2010-1 it was "you fags lost us the election"
2012-4 it's "primaries and abstentionism threaten our very planet," so I expect the Dems will start voter caging for '16

[adirondacker]

51. I recall Lieberman claiming that Howard Dean would cause a depression during the 2004 debates.

Interesting how that worked out.
I worked on the Lamont campaign, He was a moderate at best, but MUCH better than the "Independent" we got stuck with. I'll wrap that poisonous rotten snake around Clinton's neck and the dlc, where it should remain.

[LiberalElite]

16. "Americans are very pessimistic"

and rightly so but according to NBC, they're voting Republican:

http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/first-read/poll-republican-advantage-solidifies-voters-more-positive-about-gop-campaigns-n233656

-snip-

With just nine days to go until Election Day, Republicans' national lead appears to be crystallizing, with voters still preferring a GOP-led Congress and viewing Republican campaigns significantly less negatively than those of Democrats.

-snip-

[L0oniX]

24. Voting Republican is a suicidal tendency.

[ReRe]

29. I sure hope Americans don't listen to NBC's propaganda...

... and who can deny that that is exactly what it is? Fuck NBC. Didn't they just make a huge mistake of hiring Chuck Todd to head up MTP? They had the opportunity to put a responsible broadcast journalist in that spot and blew it. I think polls should be abolished. We need to get money out of politics all the way around, including all the polling businesses that set up self-fulfilling prophesies.

[TheNutcracker]

27. Support Bernie Sanders for President

nuff said.

[tularetom]

30. If people feel pessimistic about their children's future

maybe they will stop having children. And if that trend continues for a couple of generations, the depletion of the earth's air, water, and food resources might be slowed down to the point where some sort of equilibrium is reached,

Things will have to get worse before they get better. There aren't enough people pissed off with current conditions to effect change on a global or even national scale.

[loudsue]

35. A long, but absolutely wonderful article.

Depressing, yes, but the entire political situation is even worse than he describes.

[progressoid]

36. Rec!

[CJCRANE]

37. A similar movement is "Dark Optimism".

I'll post a link later when I get the chance.

[polichick]

39. Truth. k&r

[LeftishBrit]

40. Sadly there's a lot of truth in this - and not only in America

[ChiciB1]

42. Kicking So I Can Come Back And Read Later... n/t

[truebluegreen]

43. Our nation is collectively insane

and plenty of others are following our lead. Things won't change until enough people realize that fact. By "enough people" I refer to the entire sorta left and moderates, since the right is too far around the bend to retrieve.

Unfortunately, it will probably take an even worse collapse than we have already suffered...and given the greater organization/unity of the forces of darkness I don't know if we can hope for a positive result.

IMO we had our chance and it was blown. Thanks, DLC! Thanks, Clinton! Thanks, Obama!

[colsohlibgal]

45. I So Agree With The Thrust Of This Article

It's pretty much game, set, and match nationally. We are not going to get the change we need under the current structure and environment. Instead we get to vote for Hedge fund champions like Schumer so we don't get egregiously worse.

Nothing major is going to change nationally as is, so yes, lets start locally and try to build out. Maybe that will work. Talk amongst each other, find like minds, go from there.

2008 was about my last spark of hope - but boom, he brings in the Rubin supply side gang as his money team and later tried to sneak the TPP past us. So meet the new boss, the same as the old boss...not totally true but true enough to be thoroughly discouraging.

[rhett o rick]

46. Good article but I don't think it emphasized enough how we must

start doing something different. We've been organizing on the local level for over a decade but that isn't enough. We must overcome the conservative propaganda machine.

[Man from Pickens]

50. Interesting

I put up a post which was very similar to this - so similar that I have to wonder if the author of this piece read my post - only instead of dozens of recs, the post was hidden and I was accused of all sorts of nasty things.

[Maineman]

52. Current voters have been described as unhappy but confused on what to do.

I think a reasonable starting point is to vote against anyone supported by the Koch brothers and their comrades. Stop letting the professional manipulators of public opinion who work full time for big money and corporate profiteers lead us around by the nose.

My idea for 2008 was to vote for Democrats and then give them hell until they made useful changes. The big bank melt down got us off track. And, we elected a president who thought that Republican politicians could act in a reasonable manner for the well being of the nation, and who assumed the Republican appointed justices on the Supreme Court would be honorable. Wrong on both counts. I think he knows that now, but it is way too late.

I still say, vote against anyone supported by the Koch brothers and their comrades, and stop letting the professional manipulators of public opinion who work full time for big money and corporate profiteers lead us around by the nose.

On another level, I like the idea of coops, and employee owned businesses. Serious boycotts, one-at-a-time as the auto unions used to do with car companies, could work if enough people do it.

I am not sure when public supported elections with donations illegal could be passed. Big money has bought too many politicians. So, vote against anyone supported by the Koch brothers and their comrades, and watch for other opportunities.

[geretogo]

55. What makes me fearful is the longer this tyranny continues the tighter the rubber band gets and there

will come a time when the rubber band can't be stretched any further and " snap ", all the anger , the frustration ,
and the hatred will come to the surface and we will have a Watts riot x 10 on our hands .

[RiverLover]

57. Maybe other people are afraid of the same thing

& that's why police forces across the country are stocking up on tanks and grenades...craziness. FDR is turning in his grave.

[PatrickforO]

60. Yeah, it's time we all went populist and began insisting on policies and spending that

actually helps us and our children. We all know what the issues are - Social Security, better (single payer) healthcare, huge expansions in Pell grant funding, better graduate school grants, dramatically decreased carbon emissions, more grain and trees; less cattle and beef. All that and more.

You know, if we actually CARED about one another instead of doing the useless and destructive social Darwinist 'every man for himself' individualism, we'd be a LOT better off.

Socialism?

Nope.

Populism. These are OUR tax dollars that are getting spent for a huge bloated security apparatus we DON'T need, death drones, tanks and wars that kill innocent people and do nothing but pad the pockets of capitalistic profiteers like Halliburton.

The nascent Occupy movement is out of sight now, simmering just below the surface, but people are getting closer and closer every day to the level of quiet desperation that will send them into the streets seeking justice.

The powers that be could easily avoid the massive social and economic shift that will surely take place just by tossing us a few bones, like more affordable college and single payer healthcare, expanded Social Security. But NO, they have to eke out the uttermost farthing of PROFIT at our expense. The window where they could, in effect, buy off the middle class like Roosevelt did with the New Deal is closing rapidly and future Occupiers are being made every day.

[scarletwoman]

61. Kick - so I can find this again later.

Thank you for posting this.

[Pharaoh]

63. The elections are fixed

[silvershadow]

81. I wish you were wrong. Alas, you are not. All else aside, those damn electronic machines are

somehow manipulated. The evidence is there, if one would look.

[brooklynite]

84. And yet, no candidate, elected official or Party leader has claimed that...

[ancianita]

64. Powerful. The sad, hard truth and necessary solution. The groups named are a good start toward it.

There is still some semblance of organizing going on in America—in California, Kentucky, and Minnesota—and by groups like PICO, the Domestic Workers Alliance, Partnership for Working Families, National People's Alliance and U.S. Action,

...

They're not the answer but they do point to the last paragraph's solutions -- build our strength and get ready to brace ourselves.

Most progressives are not prepared for a future where politics is even more dicey and dangerous than it is now. So we have to stop going through the motions of not producing change and get down to the basics where and when we can make a difference.

Let 's do more political action with friends and colleagues. Let's agree a higher level of popular political education and self-reflection is necessary. Let's build up ways in our neighborhoods, cities and towns, where progress can be made to protect ourselves from hostilities and repression from the hugely militarized police and the massive network of spying on us. More repression is bound to come.

My Millennial son calls this "on the ground progressivism." He will be among those who lead this country away from their dark corporate rulers.

How Millennials live their lives right now is big part of the solutions called for here. Here's a look at how they're living it.

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/09/the-cheapest-generation/309060/2/

[humbled_opinion]

65. We need a complete restructuring

of how we obtain and what we expend energy on. The U.S. must lead the world toward a reality of low cost sustainable energy. This one change will solve many of the worlds problems by eliminatring our reliance on oil and help the planet begin healing. I so wish the President had expended all of his political capital and energy in doing this...

[ancianita]

66. K & R with thanks.

[AZ Progressive]

75. Liberals need to unite, heavily organize, and attract brilliant leaders

You can't have a successful movement without unity, heavy organization, and brilliant leaders. Especially when going against a force that is heavily organized, united in destroying the power of the people, and of which has extremely crafty manipulators and PR geniuses.

In other words, you have to fight fire with fire or something better. It's time for liberals to stop quarreling with each other, agree to what it will stand for, unite, and treat this with the same level of seriousness as the military generals of a country at war.

[geretogo]

89. You forgot " educate " . They have taken civics out of our public schools . The Corporatists push

their lies on our public airways ,TV and radio . They push it in the churches . They are rewriting the text
books in the schools and now privatized schools . The liberals need to heavily concentrate on gaining control of
all the means of communication , both electronic and written or we will surely lose for years to come .

[blkmusclmachine]

76. Everything's going according to plan. And no real "Opposition Party" to stop it.

[TBF]

86. Or any type of opposition really -

leftists were drummed out of the country decades ago and capitalism merrily steams along.

Any "parties" that remain are overshadowed and/or co-opted by the two primary (and each very conservative) parties.

[vlakitti]

78. A note on the crisis of liberalism

According to the left theorist and polemicist Corey Robin:

"Historically, liberalism was proffered as an answer to the left. That is what gave it its political heft and social depth. For the last half-century, it's been proffered as an answer to the right. Therein lies the problem."

It isn't progressivism or Marxism or radicalism that's in crisis, at least as a philosophical problem. It's the liberalism that had tried to matginalize thinking to its left that is the root of the crisis.

[liberal_at_heart]

79. K&R

[yellowwoodII]

83. Nothing

Nothing will change. It's just all talk. Obama has been our best chance. I think he's done the best he can in light of the forces against him.

[LWolf]

87. We'll stop losing

when we stop electing neo-liberals and calling them "liberal" and "progressive."

[brooklynite]

90. And when "real liberals" lose in red States, that means you should run MORE liberal candidates....

...because the counter-argument has worked so well for Republicans, right?

[BlindTiresias]

94. Solution:

There is a historically validated solution to this, and it is leaving the country. The most ideal solution would be to leave for space colonization, but barring that, any organized emigration to some other country or countries will do more to simultaneously increase your own happiness and security and cripple the ability of the United States to make trouble. Americans need to realize that the good days are over and the country is defaulting to what it always really was: An oligarchic banana republic. Reversing the direction is impossible, it was attempted before and reversed in a generation. Fighting it directly is apparently not palatable to many and just creates arguments about the validity of revolution. So, you can't fight it peacefully and you can't fight it violently. Just leave. Gather communities of people, pool resources, and move en masse like most of our ancestors did before us. When you are in your new host country or countries amass resources and build a fund to get economically disadvantaged people who couldn't make it to the first wave out of the country.

Yeah, the country itself will become much more right wing but so what? Imagine if only half of progressives and leftists emigrated out of the United States, what that would do to the tax base (note: people will have to renounce their citizenship to not keep getting taxes by the U.S.) and the general economy. If the first half then gathered resources to get the other half out (not dissimilar from previous emigrations) the U.S. would be without a pot to piss in, economically speaking.

[AndyTiedye]

96. Foreign Income Taxes are Credited

(note: people will have to renounce their citizenship to not keep getting taxes by the U.S.)

Expatriate Americans still have to file tax returns, but foreign income taxes can be credited against what you have to pay Uncle Sam, so you might not have to pay the IRS anything.

http://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc856.html

[hunter]

98. Yet everybody keeps playing.

Quit buying what the oligarchs are selling.

The only people who don't have this option are people living in poverty. They have few choices spending what little money they have. Most days they are merely surviving.

If you have discretionary income, then keep it away from the oligarchs. Or work less if you can. There are plenty of things to do that will strengthen your local community, exercise your mind, and have minimal environmental impacts.

I see consumerism as a huge problem.

Instead of deciding what to boycott, boycott everything, and then decide what not to boycott.

I boycott any television with commercials, including blatantly corporate public radio and television. I don't have cable and satellite television. I won't pay for crap channels (like Fox news...). My television only plays movies I choose to watch, not corporate propaganda.

Ralph Baer, one of the creators of video games, whose family fled Germany when he was a child, said this:

How is it possible to take a country like Germany that was well in advance of everybody else in terms of technology, science, culture -- how is possible to screw up the heads of virtually everyone in a country of that type and of that size inside of three or four years, with propaganda? How do you convince people that they belong to some Aryan race which had descended from the Vikings or some fantastic thing like that, and are superior to everybody else, and therefore deserve to run the world? All it takes is loudspeakers in every storefront, and Goebbels on the speaker every day of the week, and inside of three years you turn everybody’s head around, especially those who are less sophisticated and the underdogs in the country who need their egos bolstered a priori. So we had to get out of there, and we did in 1938.

http://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/102657972

Television news and advertising in the U.S.A. are the corporate propaganda that turns everybody's head around.