By Owen Paine on Thursday November 23, 2006 12:22 PM
Greet my neologism:
"prog-pop"
(we've had enough of neos).
"Populist revival" was rejected
because it captures one dimension,
but loses the other:
populism with out prog think
is like the Scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz.
Here's an unknowing exemplar from Max "Factor" Sawicky:
http://www.tpmcafe.com/blog/coffeehouse/2006/nov/20/what_is_a_populist
and here's his prog-pop platform :
- A foreign policy that rejected bloated military spending and routine interference in the affairs of others;
- Fighting the Federal Reserve and the banking industry for the sake of tight, inflation-risky labor markets that would spur wage growth;
- A strong system of social insurance to protect workers in retirement, disability, unemployment, injury, and ill health;
- Rejection of the dogma of free trade.
- Counteracting the domination of corporate interests by the construction of cooperative institutions in civil society, especially trade unions, and a revitalized, professional, high-quality civil service;
- The broadest possible tax base, to include capital gains, dividends, stock options, the site value of land, rents from resource extraction, financial transactions, and great wealth; a serious attack on tax evasion.
Comments (4)
Note that the "effectiveness" gambit gets played in the comments. Sure sign of technocratic blindness -- and a little foolish from anyone who has backed anti-populists, tacked to the right and still lost.
Posted by J. Alva Scruggs | November 23, 2006 1:08 PM
Posted on November 23, 2006 13:08
TPM is a veritable rat's nest of soft-fingered do-nothing spineless democrat pwoggie-bloggies pretending to be revolutionary thinkers. I suppose it's a necessary illusion for them to maintain so they can stomach servicing their party masters, but it's really pathetic how seriously they take their self-important maunderings. Especially when abso-tootly-ootly no one in the dem party power structure takes them seriously.
Posted by AlanSmithee | November 23, 2006 2:07 PM
Posted on November 23, 2006 14:07
my godness feed em to" the Smithee "
"servicing their party masters"
its a stretch this blanket you throw over em all
this "they be smurf serfs all "
but... i love it
even ole max clawed and ripped to shreds
you terrible tiger you
god bless you AS .... as is
alva ....always after the groupie think
i agree their chorus reveals the context and the impact
of a max solo
as they tractor beam
his message
into the soft party sink and stink hole
Posted by js paine | November 24, 2006 7:50 AM
Posted on November 24, 2006 07:50
Was I being a bit, well, harsh? Naaaaw. Nobody respects a whore - snd TPM is a veritable democratic party bordello. As long as the pwoggie-bloggies turn out the votes and send in the checks, nobody really cares what they say.
Posted by AlanSmithee | November 24, 2006 8:56 AM
Posted on November 24, 2006 08:56