tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5888314760091661875.post1098938367062347058..comments2023-11-03T03:52:37.873-05:00Comments on Cognitive Dissidence: Of Teapublicans And RepublicratsSomebody DO Something!http://www.blogger.com/profile/08717747685928127724noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5888314760091661875.post-73191389796877441982014-06-13T16:14:50.686-05:002014-06-13T16:14:50.686-05:00I fear this trend will continue unless steps to re...I fear this trend will continue unless steps to reduce the influence of money on elections and legislation are enacted into law and enforced. Both parties are heading rightward, pushed by the Tea Party within the Republicans and the within the Democrats by the former Democratic Leadership Council and the current Third Way group. The DLC was identified by many as being "corporatist." Here's a 2005 article by John Nichols that helps explain what they were up to:<br />http://archive.today/gdEuS<br />Besides being funded by loads of corporations, a lot like ALEC, the DLC also received Koch funding. The DLC was closed a few years ago.<br />These groups formed as the American economy began to take a "neoliberal" direction when Reagan adopted Thatcherism circa 1980.<br />The Kochs have promoted these neoliberal ideas since the 1970s, paying for think tanks and like-minded academics, much like what the Powell Memo described.<br />Naomi Klein's "The Shock Doctrine" seems to tell the neoliberal story well, especially on how crisis environments have been used to impose neoliberal economics upon States and governments, a la Scott Walker "dropping bombs."<br />As our Democratic Party leadership buys more into all<br />this, more of the base is disenfranchised. This is something to consider when wondering about low voter turnout.<br /> Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5888314760091661875.post-87350734170609559652014-06-12T07:24:51.930-05:002014-06-12T07:24:51.930-05:00The astroturf teaparty is undermining democracy by...The astroturf teaparty is undermining democracy by fraudulently moving the repugs to the extreme right in 2 ways:<br /><br />1. Corporatist democrats say we need to compromise with the right wing terrorists who gerrymander districts, disenfranchise & suppress legitimate voters, and outright steal elections. This shifts the entire political dialog to the right even thought the majority of Americans do not support the right-wing agenda.<br /><br />2. The media falsely proclams that "both sides do it" and that we need to disregard the extremes of both parties, further marginalizing progressives that increasingly represent the majority of Americans on key issues -- dems, repugs, libertarieans (too embarrassed to admit they are repugs) and independents.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com