Ian Welsh @ 12

Good article Pach. Also, I agree.

One word you didn’t use, which I think is important:

populism

Check again. Pach referred to the Grassroots Theocrat crowd as a (now failing) populist movement, and to the Grassroots Progressive movement as a new populism.

Touche. I did not read carefully enough and relied on my impression too much, my apologies to Pach – let us then say that he did not put as much emphasis on it I would have. Which should not be taken as an attack, it’s an excellent article, and as I noted, one I largely agree with.

This was simply because it was such a massive failure. Sea change will really only come from these types of situations where there is a massive failure or breakdown… not from a response to a steady erosion of the nation’s soul.

These people simply ovrerplayed their hand… were too impatient to “steal” what they want slowly, incrementally. They made a big bold move which they thought they could get away with.

Yea they got a way with some massive stealing. But they have done so in a way that it is really hurting the people and they are waking up from their trust of the good intentions of the powerful and successful who swarm around and in governemnt.

Soon the whole curtain will drop revealing what a massive rip off the entire military establishment is and has been for almost 6 decades. These guys with the big guns have been bleeding america, taking her sons and daughters and making themselves massively rich and the people of the nation less and less safe with each new bit of adventurism and weapon system.

The flag waving patiriots are turning into marching Cindy Sheehans because of this war. They thought they could erase the blight of Vietnam… but they have only done worse. In the process they have sold the country to China and we are on the fast track to be a third world nation… military junta and all.

The massive amounts of lying and prevarication, hypocrisy and incompetance has become impossible to hide…it is leaking from everywhere in the power elite. The emperor’s clothes are shreading before the eyes of america.

To complete this coup de gras.. the war will have to be a complete and utter failure… with americans running out of Iraq with their tail between their legs. We are not there yet… and that may come in time for the next election cycle. As long as these idiots bkeep throwing more fuel on the fire over there… good money after bad… the inevitable end will come and the Perles and Kristols will seek safe heaven in some nation where they have well greased the palms of the ruling elite to protect them.

The progressive must really purge the nation from these miscreants, take back out airwaves, break up the monopoly bohemoth corporations which own our lives, get money out of politics, completely close the door between government and business and enact strict term limits to rid the people of professional politicians.

If we can put out people to work and generate tax revenue it can be returned as real quality of life benefits to the people.. health care, affordable housing, economic security and quality education.

But none of the good stuff can come untill the beast is really dead, buried and only a bad memory. The purge and change needs to be revolutionary and it will only be a phoenix rising from the completely and utter failure of the corporate military adventurism in Iraq.

Two more years and then all hell breaks loose. Perhaps by 2012 some calm may return… fasten your seat belts we are heading over the falls.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponlin…..Obama.html

“Grassroots Progressives: This new, emerging power center in American politics is making its bid for ascendancy as an alternative to the ruling coalition of the previously described two parties. It seeks to forge an alliance of secularists, pro-pluralist religionists, information elites on the Internet, working people and anyone not among the super-rich (including poor and middle class urbanites, suburbanites and small farmers). It also seeks to include privacy advocates and members of the creative class, including creators of music, software and films.”

Nice. That list includes, at best, maybe 10-20 percent of the population. Meanwhile, the Republicans and Democrats are both in bed with the powers that be (corporations, their lobbyists, etc.). If the Grassroots Progressives can’t find some sort of alliance with the heavy hitters, I don’t hold high hopes for a political turn around.

Don’t get me wrong. I am not a supporter of the “heavy hitters” and I am not against the so-called Grassroots Progressives, but let’s get realistic about the way that power politics works. If you don’t have a constituency to deliver or big bucks, what power do you have to exert?

If election Tuesday turns the ballgame over to the Democrats, I hope for a positive change of strategy and tactics. Those might even include a return to some components of the Bill of Rights. (hooray)… but I don’t think a mere change in the congressional power from GOP to Dems will shift the powers-that-be from the “Military-Industrial Complex” to a camp of political good guys.

I’ll be delighted to be proven wrong, if the new Demo majority manages to undo the Patriot Act, disassemble the HSA, reinstate Habeas Corpus, and reintroduce a solid definition of “torture.” Somehow, I’m not holding my breath.

All of which doesn’t mean that everyone reading this shouldn’t vote Demo. But, let’s be realistic about what we hope will be accomplished.

If anyone hanging onto this thread still has time, energy, money, or hope to spare at this late date, it’s not too late to join the California Nurses Association, and their allies in the League of Women Voters, AARP, Sierra Club, Common Cause, MoveOn and a bunch of progressive labor unions in their uphill battle to bring Clean Money Elections to California with Prop 89!!

We are, of course, being outspent and smeared by Big Oil, Big Pharma, Big Tobacco, the HMOs, and the Insurance Cos. But we’ve got a very *lively* campaign going, with lotsa positive energy, and we’re not giving up, and we’re not going to go away.

If we can win here in California, the movement to dump the DC/K-Street crowd will really pick up momentum. Check out Yes on 89 — Californians for Clean Elections or California Nurses Association to see how you can help . . .

It was the Lewis Powell Letter that brought enormous sums of money into political campaigns. Powell urged business to take a much larger role in politics. Additionally he urged ‘publicity’ campaigns to “change the way the American people think ..” – hence the right-wing “think tanks.”

All that money cascading in from American business, into campaigns and “think tanks” moved the whole political spectrum to the right.

It takes money to get elected. Big money. It’s little wonder that K street plays a prominent role.

Somehow, some way, REAL campaign finance reform has to come about. And there should be some way to cut the blatant lying out of campaigns.

The existence of the Republic hangs in the balance.

While I am in aggreement with what has been said, and truly hope the GRASSROOTS come through on Tuesday, this will only be the opening salvo. The internet will be next, and protection of it is paramount. So when the first battle has been won on Tuesday, we need to deploy full forces on keeping the internet available to ALL CITIZENS – RICH, POOR, MIDDLECLASS. Keep this communication line alive to all, and our efforts will be worth it.

This is very important. Here in Ohio, I’m able to correspond with like-minded people—and we don’t even have to travel to do it. We don’t have to shovel the cars out of the snow, or brave the heat. We have huge email lists and we USE THEM.
POWER TO THE PEOPLE!