Thomas Frank sees the coming Clinton victory, and he is not pleased...

Thomas Frank sees the coming Clinton victory, and he is not pleased...

By jollyroger on Mon, 08/15/2016 - 7:40pm |

Frank makes a strong case, but I think he shows a truncated understanding of the long game. Genghis can better deconstruct the eddies of flows over time as electoral coalitions emerge, meld and dissolve.

Assume a Clinton landslide, will not the resulting reshuffle of the downballot militate towards a more progressive future?

URL:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/aug/13/trump-clinton-election-chances-moderate-policies-economy

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Frank always has great perspective on the plate tectonics underlying American politics, but I don't agree with him in this case. The biggest threat to progressive populism is conservative populism. This town ain't big enough for two populist movements. If right-wing populists like Trump and Cruz succeed in taking over the GOP, progressive populists will splinter. Some will go over to the dark side, preferring a right-wing populist to a progressive centrist. Others will defensively back the Democratic establishment to stop right-wing extremism--which is what is already happening this year.

The hope for progressive populists is that Trump's failure emboldens than the Chamber of Commerce GOP establishment to smash the populist insurgency on the right. If that happens, liberal populists will have room to maneuver and more potential working-class recruits.

by Michael Wolraich on Mon, 08/15/2016 - 9:30pm

Only in a country where political understanding generally is at a 2nd grade level could the electorate so efficiently propose to insert with equal cheerfulness eiither Fascist or Progressive policies under an overarchinng "populist" umbrella.

That said, I suppose that under MW's scenario, the rercent return private life of Tim Huelskamp, erstwhile teabagger extraordinaire, courteasy of the C of C, should give us hope that the populist agenda will be a left wing agenda.

That said, I blame Trump for Clinton, much as does Frank. But for the Lovecraftian horror that is Trump, we could have gone after Clinton harder (wouldn't have mattered, but we would feel better...)

by jollyroger on Thu, 08/18/2016 - 10:11am

servemalfunction

by jollyroger on Thu, 08/18/2016 - 10:12am

In the News

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submitted by PeraclesPlease 9 months ago

The intra-Palestinian meeting in Moscow has precedent

Russia's hosted such meetings in the past, most recently Feb 2019

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— Hanna Notte (@HannaNotte) February 29, 2024

Read the article at https://twitter.com/HannaNotte/status/1763116222256701787

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Mother Jones is Reaching out to Alternative Party Voters
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submitted by HSG 10 months ago

Here's what I told them: https://halginsberg.com/vote-for-jill-stein-again/

Read the article at https://halginsberg.com/vote-for-jill-stein-again/

2 comments

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submitted by artappraiser 11 months ago

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Read the article at https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/dec/28/brazil-law-indigenous-land-rights-claim-time-marker?CMP=share_btn_tw

1 comment

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submitted by artappraiser 12 months ago

Location: U.S. Embassy and residential compounds

Events: Heavy gunfire is occuring around the area of the U.S. Embassy and residential compounds adjacent to the Trutier area of Tabarre. All Embassy personnel have been instructed to remain indoors and shelter-in-place until further notice. All others should avoid the area.

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Read the article at https://ht.usembassy.gov/security-alert-u-s-embassy-port-au-prince-haiti-december-25-2023/

3 comments

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submitted by artappraiser 1 year ago

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submitted by artappraiser 1 year ago

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Read the article at https://x.com/_hudsonc/status/1732891968709992511?s=20

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submitted by PeraclesPlease 1 year ago

Read the article at

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submitted by artappraiser 1 year ago

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submitted by artappraiser 1 year ago

[Chapter I news is HERE, Oct. 7 til today]

You don’t get it.
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Read the article at https://x.com/GeorgeDeek/status/1731020551328579863?s=20

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submitted by artappraiser 1 year ago

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submitted by artappraiser 1 year ago

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submitted by artappraiser 1 year ago

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submitted by artappraiser 1 year ago

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submitted by artappraiser 1 year ago

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