Ted Halstead on C-span- Repubs the Party of the Church

[RainDog]

calling them essentially a theocracy...full of true believers.

black and white view of world bad for policy.

since the founding of the republican and democratic parties, the two have now flipped.

Lincoln, were he alive today, would be a Democrat.

Andrew Jackson would be a Republican.

Halstead is prez of New American Foundation, whatever that is.

I'm sure he'll have some dings for the dems next.

major risk of combining moralism with policy- dogma triumphs over reality.

(mentions the IMF warning about America's economy, and that middle class does not benefit from Bush policies.)

[RainDog]

1. Now Dems-- party of the Chieftains

hobbled by factionalism within party.

evidence in this since Bush has taken office.

Tensions seen now b/t wall street and main street.

new deal occurred when not subjected to foreign competition.

global competition makes interest of wall street and main street very different.

[RainDog]

2. other tensions-

fiscal responsibility-- programs vs funding them

also made a snide remark about the "democratic wing of the democratic party" vs those who are electable...

b/c of the power of the chieftains, we can already predict that the dem agenda will be "backward looking."

(okay, since when is the gilded age more forward looking than the freakin' new deal???????)

trapped in the past-- that's his description of dems. have confused ends with means.

means are no longer industrial era set of solutions.

dems do not trust American people...where to send your child to school, where to invest soc. security.. .

(I have some problems with that assumption...this totally IGNORES the lack of accountability by wall street when they fuck over people ala Ken Lay's .88cent pensions, or when schools are funded who teach Biblical doctrine as science...those schools should not be eligible for vouchers, imo. it is wrong to fund schools which teach bullshit as science.

[seemslikeadream]

3. Thanks

you're not alone, I'm watching too.

[zbdent]

4. I want to know how we're going to get to the moon

if nobody's paying taxes?

(Breaks for the wealthy, no income for the masses. No money?)

[RainDog]

5. Paul Starobin- National Journal Correspondent

talking about value of Anger in politics.

used the examples of abolitionists, those at the Boston Tea Party, Harriet Beecher Stowe.

Rebs at that time founded as party of anger.

Red v. blue American anger-

liberal values anger- long time in coming- Liberals who are angry.

number of voices - anger over Iraq, Bush stole presidency..

v.

traditional values anger- Scopes trial example, movement of modern secular society. right now hot topic is same sex marriage that has sparked backlash in Mass. among conservatives now...links it to backlash in South over racial intermarriage in an earlier time.

younger gen. vs older generation issue in many ways.

Third time of anger-

economic populist anger- first with agarian anger here (linked to conspiracies of power groups earlier) Now see it in Penn. with manufacturing job losses.