I was at the DNC convention when John Allen delivered that neo-liberal, war-hawk speech. Half of the people chanted "No More War!", while the other half chanted "U.S.A.". That's the moment I joined the Green Party. #DemExit #DemExodus #GreenEnter #ProgressiveSolidarity
Consider This They tell The Truth sometimes .I was Glad Trump Ended TPP OMG it was The Worse Trade Deal Ever .It would have lost 500 to 780,000 .Trump is Better with Unions Than Democrats and I'm Not Joking .I left the Democrat Party Voted Trump I'm a Independent now.
Hey dumbo, he "ended" TPP and then started sneaking the TPP provisions into NAFTA... He did it as a publicity stunt to fulfill his "promises" to his clueless base that don't research what he actually is doing.
The important difference between TPP and NAFTA, even if provisions are identical: the countries (outsourcing opportunities) in the trade bloc. Nobody's outsourcing to Canada, where worker protections and pay are higher.
Violent crime also peaked in the 1970's. At least we're as safe in the streets as we were in the 50's now, we got that going for us. You wouldn't know it, because ours is a culture of rampant hysteria. Other than that, I think you might be right.
I have to say, I am very impressed with the way Paul Jay keeps bringing it back to Capitalism. This is correct. Even the lowly democrats are merely responding to the contradictions which are inherent in the Capitalist mode of production.
History dealt Obama four aces. Yet he drew three cards anyway. Seemed purposeful to me, notwithstanding the flashing of pearly whites when signing us down the river.
This is one of the best talks on this topic that I have seen or heard anywhere. They certainly don't talk about it much in the mainstream media. Thank you for posting this.
I love TRN for its objective, non-partisan political analysis and commentary. This piece is exemplary. I am also astonished/frustrated/ saddened by most of the comments that are replete with shallow, partisan, non-thinking opinions. And on both sides of the American political spectrum.
At 12:50 the phrase FDR used Thomas Frank tried to remember when he talked about the "money changers in the temple" is Economic Royalists: "These Economic Royalists hate me and I welcome their hatred!" -- FDR
Well, let's not lump everyone together, There are members of the upper middle class by birth who are also truly egalitarian in practice as well as in principle. But yes, in general the complacency, snobbery, and hypocrisy is abysmal.
Stop calling them "liberal" then - if they don't care about inequality", then they're not liberals, they're conservatives. Christ - what is it with liberals and attacking their own side?
Problem is, THEY call themselves liberals or progressives. Hillary is about as progressive as Reagan!! It is ridiculous! They've colluded with the media to Derby Bernie airtime when he got the biggest crowds! They gave Trump billions of dollars of free airtime & actually showed Trump's empty podium above
Nick Taylor.... and when you hear the term, for example--neoliberal; it's referring to economic liberalism, totally different thing from the other liberal.
Isn't it also about how our schools are funded. If the schools are funded by the Federal Gov. instead of by local property taxes, think about how that would change things!!!
There is one point I'd like to raise. If these people rose up the ranks, and for a moment assuming America is a meritocracy. Why then make it harder for others to do the same via the policies they are implementing. I mean come on. Only rich people can goto College these days. Am I missing something here?
In Ireland we patted ourselves on the back for wasting millions on a referendum for gay marriage, or marriage equality as it was spun. Civil partnership was already in place with little take-up. At the same time wage disparity widened and we have a housing crisis, with growing numbers sleeping on the streets, in parks, along canals, and now in city cemeteries. Of course uncontrolled immigration, driving down wages, hasn't helped housing. Those with the equality complex are now trying to liberalise abortion laws. No talk of income equality, housing equality, health equality, education equality, and so on. Housing, the right to shelter. Fundamental! Essential! Gay marriage? Fringe! Vanity project. Over the past two decades we've had the big corporations like Apple, Google, Pfizer, etc., locate here and subvert labour laws.
"We believe in equality, and we need to help poor African Americans. -This is why we pushed policies that insure jobs go to cheap Chinese and Indian laborers."
the next reality asserts itself needs to have Rania Khalek, Mnar of mint press, Paul street superb historian who writes for Counter Punch (the topic should be on Bernie Sanders being part of the problem and controlled opposition), Yves Engler on Canada, Mark Curtis British historian on the UK, John Pilger, and Media Lens and Mark Ames on anything Russia and Going Postal.
I love how people became so politically aware during and after obama, but the same people praise Reagan and won't utter a peep when it comes to Bush lol. . Duhh
Right! No dam alternative to the right wing, people turn to God, and so many were already born again in the 80's added more to the religious mix. With nothing but negative choices to escape the misery of working class life and the separation of the elite from society the vote for Trump was a cry for help despite how ugly or proudly it was expressed. The vote for Trump are the hidden injuries of class coming together in someone powerful enough to challenge them. They can only hope he will challenge the elites and make working class lives better. That their vote was not wasted on the quintessential moment that could have turned things around for them, The moment the Tea party stole for the republicans and the democrats were too blind to see. They (We, Us) can only hope the vote was not wasted on a man the republicans and democrats do not steel or is defeated as so many before had been cut down from them. Religion heels and brings back a fundamental yearning for stability in working class family's lives. Lives totally disjointed by social instability is always fertile ground for a rise of movements of any persuasion. What accounts for the blindness in democrats is class distinction. What accounts for the blindness of the working class is oppression. What accounts for the power of capital is labor. At this historical juncture, this particular generation of workers, are not at the point of realizing their strength is in their numbers, nor have they come to a realization that the antidote to a corrupt civil society is not religion or free markets but in their own class awakening. Economics is the big thing! Social and political economics in particular that the next generation will use to accompany its collective strength as they react to working class strangulation by the financial machinery of Wall Street.
While one would agree with all those points that have been made in this program about the two main parties in the US, but at the same time, one has to understand and realise that all that is part and parcel of corporate capitalism. if you change this uncivilised political system, which its sole goal is capital and not human being then you will be free of all those problems that you are suffering from.
Lyndon Johnson didn't want to look weak on the Vietnam war, but worse is Kennedy who almost brought the World to an end during the October missile crisis with basically the same rationale.
Frank is absolutely correct. But he has to stop laughing at these tragedies. It just makes him look like a dick, finding humor in the death of a nation, and the suffering of hundreds of millions. It's not funny. It's enraging. That's the only appropriate response.
Aubrey Dana ... People laugh at tragedy all the time. Not because they find it particularly humorous, but because the only other option is to give in to despair.
Exactly what I was thinking. Frank makes some good points but his tone is all wrong. Its like he wants to join the late night talk show circuit as a guest.
I don't want to down vote this but I can't give it a thumbs up either. Not because of the topic or erudition of inteviewer and guest. However, Thomas Frank PLEASE learn to take a breath and let your interviewer get a complete thought out. Do NOT talk over him. Paul Jay is an excellent inteviewer. You can trust him to let you get your message out there. But when you constantly talk over him not only is it annoying but I can't absorb everything you're trying to say. Isn't the point to allow the audience to hear and understand your message? I don't know whether it was nerves or you were just perpetually out of conversational sync but PLEASE try to allow the interview to be more of a back and forth rather and running right over the interviewer. Because at the end of the day I REALLY want to hear what you have to say. But you're geting in your own way.
Sorry, this is not about class. This is about religion. Conservatism offers up a simplistic view of the world. Without education, without being exposed to differing views and taught to think independently, you're going to gravitate towards what you understand. The abortion issue works so well for the right because it's not a simple issue. It's simple to say life begins at conception. It doesn't fit on a bumper sticker though to say that there is a chain of events that begins with a sperm cell or an egg cell and that this gradually becomes a human being with no point where you can say, there, that's a human being. Same thing with evolution. A dog is a dog; a wolf is a wolf, and at no point can one say, this is where a wolf became a cocker spaniel. It's gradual and it goes against our tendency for essentialism. It's not social class that prevents someone from seeing through conservative dogma. The anti -abortion movement, like all right-wing causes is well funded by conservative elites. This is not a ground up movement by lower socioeconomic classes. This is the lower socioeconomic class being manipulated by conservative elites. Abortion is a good example of a manipulated issue. Kansas was pro-choice prior to Roe v. Wade, as were most protestants. Abortion, like birth control, was considered a Catholic issue. The issue was manipulated by ultra-conservative right-wing televangelists and Nixon White House staff like Pat Buchanan. It was created as a culture issue by wealthy elites.
Thomas frank is nauseating ... guy talks Clinton achievements and says nothing of the children's health insurance program.. talks about the crime bill bashing Clinton but does he bash sanders for doing the same??? of course not
