dagblog - Comments for "Bloomberg targets Warren"

Maybe try and figure out what

cmaukonen — Sun, 29 Jul 2012 19:25:08 +0000

In reply to Ok cmaukonen - I'll answer

Maybe try and figure out what it is that the right is doing "right" and the left is doing "wrong".

Reading Hal's reply (thank

AmericanDreamer — Sun, 29 Jul 2012 19:05:24 +0000

In reply to I really get a kick out of

Reading Hal's reply (thank you, Hal, for jumping in), I interpreted your comment/question, mauk, differently. I took it as most likely a rhetorical question because you set up a strawman caricature of the people you were commenting on. I don't know, nor have I read, anyone, who might self-identify as on "the left" who believes there are any single all-encompassing policy changes that would come close to making everything in our society hunky dory.

When you refer to the "left" in the US, I think of folks like Noam Chomsky or his close friend, the late Howard Zinn. Those folks tend to articulate much more extensive critiques of American society and have known that only the development of powerful social movements could create enough pressure on our political system to make much significant headway in the directions they favor. As between those two, Chomsky definitely has seemed more the glass mostly empty of the critics while Zinn managed to remain more publicly upbeat over the years about the possibilities for progressive changes in this society. I read Chomsky's pamphlet Occupy yesterday and that's about as upbeat as I've seen him. He clearly sees Occupy as a highly promising development, one he participated in from early on.

Based on what I have read of your writings, Mauk, I took you to be poo-poohing citizen investment of time or energy or hope in our badly disfunctional electoral political scene, favoring instead more emphasis on direct action and social movement building. Is that an accurate read on my part, or did I get that wrong?

Although my belief in the necessity of direct action and social movement building as essential to bring about many key progressive changes in our society--on economic, environmental and political reform policies in particular--has only been strengthened by what I have observed in our politics over the past 3 years in particular, I don't view it as an either/or choice citizens face between these types of activities on the one hand, "versus" involvement in electoral politics on the other hand.

I feel that supporting promising new candidates for public office, such as Elizabeth Warren, as well as vulnerable incumbents with strong records including demonstrated willingness to take on tough fights and interests, is also a valuable way to support progressive change in our country. There may be folks around these parts who disagree with that. Maybe you are one of them.

Ok cmaukonen - I'll answer

HSG — Sun, 29 Jul 2012 17:08:37 +0000

In reply to I really get a kick out of

Ok cmaukonen - I'll answer your question. Trying to elect liberals and pass liberal legislation has worked in some cases and not others. Large democratic majorities in both houses of Congress and a populist president in the mid-60s passed civil rights legislation and there have been various other "wins" for America since then but at least when it comes to economic policy, America has lurched dangerously to the right.

Now I have a question for you, what strategy or strategies do you think would be more successful when it comes to defeating the extremists on the right who are deliberately tearing America down?

If your question was

AmericanDreamer — Sun, 29 Jul 2012 04:32:43 +0000

In reply to I really get a kick out of

If your question was rhetorical, really a comment about the left, I disagree. I don't think the left in the US has been optimistic, numerous, confident, or myopic enough to think anything like what you attribute to them for decades now.

I really get a kick out of

cmaukonen — Sun, 29 Jul 2012 03:43:07 +0000

In reply to Bloomberg targets Warren

I really get a kick out of the left in this country. Since the days of JFK the left has been of the opinion that "if only we could this this or that person in office, things would be hunky dory" "if only we could get this or that legislation passed, things would be hunky dory." "if only we could get this or that policy part of the the agenda, things would be hunky dory."

I have a question then. Hows that working for ya ?

Voices in the wilderness are

EmmaZahn — Sat, 28 Jul 2012 18:12:20 +0000

In reply to Bloomberg targets Warren

Voices in the wilderness are always needed and Bernie Sanders is not getting any younger. ;-}