As the world watches its 40-year experiment with neoliberalism collapse, Republicans in the US and Putin in Russia are facing a crisis they once thought would be an opportunity
“Whenever 'A' attempts by law to impose his moral standards upon 'B', 'A' is most likely a scoundrel.” - H.L. Mencken, writer, editor, and critic (12 Sep 1880-1956)
Oh, that's great. Is it real? Lately I have been (mildly, thank goodness) called on the carpet for suckering for a fake quote. (YouTube: ersatz Mark Twain) What a world!
The problem with running your country like it's a business is that it can be RUN out of business. That's what we did to Russia during the Cold War with the arms-race, and the people in the Kremlin are remembering why they lost that war.
So pop some corn and stay tuned on what Putin's fate is. According to recent research on psychopaths, it is not that they are fearless and keep fighting, it's that their brain doesn't "see it coming" before they are stopped. That is a big ditto for Trump and his crime family.
Putin is a war criminal. Now, he has gambled everything Russia has, and for what? His sick sorry ego? Even the Kremlin can see that's no way to run a business.
Just became a paid subscriber. I have learned a great deal from these posts. Much appreciated.
Agree that Clinton and Obama were bad for America, If the Dems think that two more senators will solve everything they are kidding themselves. Or that the House will pass progressive legislation if the Dems hold it. There are far too many "moderate" (corporate) Democrats in Congress. And the DNC will fight any attempts to change that. Unless there is a totally BLUE wave, America will continue to not have nice things.
I think us liberals need to realize that the biggest protector of Neoliberal Economic Policy is in fact the leaders of the Democratic party. From Clinton and Biden to Pelosi and Schumer Democrats stopped Medicare For All under Obama, not Republicans. Democrats under Binden are not reversing Trumps ridiculous tax cuts to the rich and stopping share buy backs that drive all of the downsizing and wage compression that companies CEO's must do to keep their jobs.
Had Trump won in 2020 this country would be in chaos in my view. However, as we saw when he tried to hold up arms shipments to Ukraine the Military Oligarchs get what they want. So i think it highly dubious to claim or think that the US would not be doing exactly what they are doing today in Ukraine had Trump won.
Bottom line is that the oligarchs control the Dems and GOP. They controlled the Dems and GOP in 1900 and the the 1920's far more than they do today. We have had these battles before. Voters can chose to elect leaders that are controlled by the oligarchs are we can chose not to elect those leaders.
Personally, i contribute money to every candidate that runs against Schumer and Pelosi in their primary races. And if Americans stoped letting oligarch supporters like Schumer and Pelosi win their primaries we would be in far better shape
We are singing from the same song sheet on oligarch controlled politicians. Disagree about Trump. There are many anti anti-Putin types in the GOP that would have much more power. It would also reinforce totalitarian governments around the world. I'm much happier with Biden even though he drags his feet in support of Ukraine in terms of the kind of equipment that would allow Ukraine to take the war to the Russians in Russia. And please don't give me the nuclear war excuse. Wont happen.
Neoliberalism will be our downfall if we don't have a populous uprising to battle it.
But we can't have an uprising if we ignore who the enemy is. The Clinton and Obama administration did as much to strengthen Neoliberalism as Reagan and Bush.
"We have met the enemy, and he is us" Liberals need to focus on cleaning our own house before we think conservatives will care at all about what we are saying.
We do have a populous uprising in the form of the progressive movement. Unfortunately, the closer the movement comes to gaining real traction, the more the neoliberal offensive team spends to destroy it. The progressive movement our Obi-Wan-Kenobi.
I don't think its neoliberals anymore. I think its people cowed that somebody is going to call them radical commies, whatever. And then they might lose a vote because, you know: "socialism!" It is a dilemma, but party leadership might take a chance to lead, instead of looking for the nearest rock to dive under.
I appreciate the acknowledgement of neoliberalism's widening of the wealth gap leading to instablility and fascism, which is why since I don't have a show that needs to attract eyes and ears I focus less on Trump and more on the root cause of his rise to power. While there is certainly a recognition of the tools used to persuade Americans to make the wrong choices, the ease with which Americans (in this case today's liberals) can be convinced to celebrate the scraps being thrown to them by the Biden administration during a campaign cycle while that same administration makes deals to expand fossil fuel exploration in a bill counteracting the effects of climate change does not give me cause for optimism.
Hello. It's 2022. Wake up, Rip v. Winkle. Neither Clinton nor Obama is president. Thankful in my book too, some. But what are you wanting going forward?
I believe Thom's point is the pendulum has been swinging towards neoliberalism since Reagan regardless of political party, and certainly the policies of former presidents have major impacts upon the world today. Perhaps you are ascribing to Obama's "not looking back" when he ignored the torture and lies of George W Bush and Dick Cheney and refused to hold them accountable for war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan. Going forward I am looking for representatives who do not take corporate PAC money and who have far better judgment than the Clintons and Obamas. And leaders who aren't as motivated by becoming hundred millionaires or billionaires.
I think you are way out of touch about "today's liberals." Please come out about your preferred next vote. Meanwhile, I share sentiments: Clinton's triangulation is notorious, and he will burn in Hell in the same barracks as McConnell and Trump. Obama's economic advisors? Goldman Sachs Geithner and Goldman Sachs Summers. No joy in our Mudville day of that announcement. But I think you are harsh about "scraps." Come on out, Doc. You want the end of Social Security? You think there's no middle ground for transition in energy? Tell us what you really think are "wrong choices."
I think today's liberals don't vote. I understand why they don't vote in the general election. Can't blame them. But they need to vote in the Primaries. Every single time they should be voting against the COROPORATIST law makers that the Dems try to ram down our throat
Progressives are conscious of this distinction, liberals vote blue no matter who and get excited when their fearless leader enacts some half-assed, means-tested, donor-approved public policy that doesn't work as planned.
Sure, as Hillary Clinton said when Bernie Sanders answered that he would ban fracking altogether, fracking is a "bridge" to clean energy right? That type of incrementalism, implementing clean energy programs while making it easier to expand drilling and fracking, is just what the doctor (and the planet) ordered.
Pick up on a companion piece to this map of the path we've been on. Sally Goerner wrote
"An Oligarchy on the Brink of a Civilization-Threatening Collapse” https://suespeaks.org/?s=sally++oligarchy, for John Fullerton's Capital Institute. I'm all for alliances and you three would be good together.
What can be done to flip humanity into the positive way forward before we flip ourselves back to the Stone Age? That question should be our focus.
Thanks Suzanne. First reasonable comment, imo. We MUST move forward or we will end up back in some version of the Stone Age. The answer is here in front of us, not behind us. If we get stuck in another form of oligarch led neoliberalism, we’re doomed. Improve education first. And ban the book-banners - that’s always the first fascist step. If more people won’t read books and soon, we’ll be done sooner than we thought
There was a temporary shift to the left with workers rights to organize and bargain as a collective after many decades of being declared anarchists and communists and men like Andrew Carnegie using Pinkerton thugs to machine gun striking workers at his factories. The elites wanted a return to business as usual after FDR and so the party bosses pushed out three term VP Henry A. Wallace and replaced him with the naive Harry Truman in 1944. Three months after the election when FDR died as expected, Truman became the president and a very weak one. Starting with the Taft-Hartley Act in 1947 the pressure was on to destroy the unions which were the only political force able to oppose the bosses of both parties.
It is interesting to note that Hitler came to power with the support of the 25 wealthiest men in Germany by promising to outlaw unions which he did. He also needed the support of the Vatican which he got with the secret agreement with the pope. That Hitler wanted to eliminate all Jews was a bonus as the Vatican was primarily concerned about losing properties and revenues as it had when the Soviets came to power in Russia. Now it is men like the Kohn brothers and the right wing evangelical extremists that are putting Trump and Manchin in control.
The Neoliberals in the US are in full charge of all of the power in this country. The majority of Americans have no clue what the differences is between Neoliberal economic Policy and New Deal Economic policy..
Today we can debate the merrits of NeoLiberal policy vs New Deal Economic policy. When the revolution comes the debate will be over whether or not we even keep capitalism. Better to have the debate now than when the pitchforks come out.
“Whenever 'A' attempts by law to impose his moral standards upon 'B', 'A' is most likely a scoundrel.” - H.L. Mencken, writer, editor, and critic (12 Sep 1880-1956)
Oh, that's great. Is it real? Lately I have been (mildly, thank goodness) called on the carpet for suckering for a fake quote. (YouTube: ersatz Mark Twain) What a world!
The problem with running your country like it's a business is that it can be RUN out of business. That's what we did to Russia during the Cold War with the arms-race, and the people in the Kremlin are remembering why they lost that war.
So pop some corn and stay tuned on what Putin's fate is. According to recent research on psychopaths, it is not that they are fearless and keep fighting, it's that their brain doesn't "see it coming" before they are stopped. That is a big ditto for Trump and his crime family.
Putin is a war criminal. Now, he has gambled everything Russia has, and for what? His sick sorry ego? Even the Kremlin can see that's no way to run a business.
Our Constitution is not a business plan.
Just became a paid subscriber. I have learned a great deal from these posts. Much appreciated.
Agree that Clinton and Obama were bad for America, If the Dems think that two more senators will solve everything they are kidding themselves. Or that the House will pass progressive legislation if the Dems hold it. There are far too many "moderate" (corporate) Democrats in Congress. And the DNC will fight any attempts to change that. Unless there is a totally BLUE wave, America will continue to not have nice things.
Well put Allen,
I think us liberals need to realize that the biggest protector of Neoliberal Economic Policy is in fact the leaders of the Democratic party. From Clinton and Biden to Pelosi and Schumer Democrats stopped Medicare For All under Obama, not Republicans. Democrats under Binden are not reversing Trumps ridiculous tax cuts to the rich and stopping share buy backs that drive all of the downsizing and wage compression that companies CEO's must do to keep their jobs.
We have seen the enemy and it is us.
I wish you luck. At least in Ukraine we know who the enemy is and we can shoot them
America, what a country! He he he...
AH
What does Ukraine have to do with Neoliberal Ideology destroying democracy in America????
So glad you asked. Had Trump won in 2020 Ukraine would now be under Russian brothels.
The American neoliberal oligarchy would be quite happy if that happened. They support a man who loves dictators and hates democracy
AH
Had Trump won in 2020 this country would be in chaos in my view. However, as we saw when he tried to hold up arms shipments to Ukraine the Military Oligarchs get what they want. So i think it highly dubious to claim or think that the US would not be doing exactly what they are doing today in Ukraine had Trump won.
Bottom line is that the oligarchs control the Dems and GOP. They controlled the Dems and GOP in 1900 and the the 1920's far more than they do today. We have had these battles before. Voters can chose to elect leaders that are controlled by the oligarchs are we can chose not to elect those leaders.
Personally, i contribute money to every candidate that runs against Schumer and Pelosi in their primary races. And if Americans stoped letting oligarch supporters like Schumer and Pelosi win their primaries we would be in far better shape
We are singing from the same song sheet on oligarch controlled politicians. Disagree about Trump. There are many anti anti-Putin types in the GOP that would have much more power. It would also reinforce totalitarian governments around the world. I'm much happier with Biden even though he drags his feet in support of Ukraine in terms of the kind of equipment that would allow Ukraine to take the war to the Russians in Russia. And please don't give me the nuclear war excuse. Wont happen.
Democrats do not have 60 senators. Shame on them!
Spot on. Voters prefer progressives. But Democratic leaders put forth Corporate controlled stooges and then wonder why they don't get more votes
Neoliberalism will be our downfall if we don't have a populous uprising to battle it.
But we can't have an uprising if we ignore who the enemy is. The Clinton and Obama administration did as much to strengthen Neoliberalism as Reagan and Bush.
"We have met the enemy, and he is us" Liberals need to focus on cleaning our own house before we think conservatives will care at all about what we are saying.
We do have a populous uprising in the form of the progressive movement. Unfortunately, the closer the movement comes to gaining real traction, the more the neoliberal offensive team spends to destroy it. The progressive movement our Obi-Wan-Kenobi.
I don't think its neoliberals anymore. I think its people cowed that somebody is going to call them radical commies, whatever. And then they might lose a vote because, you know: "socialism!" It is a dilemma, but party leadership might take a chance to lead, instead of looking for the nearest rock to dive under.
I appreciate the acknowledgement of neoliberalism's widening of the wealth gap leading to instablility and fascism, which is why since I don't have a show that needs to attract eyes and ears I focus less on Trump and more on the root cause of his rise to power. While there is certainly a recognition of the tools used to persuade Americans to make the wrong choices, the ease with which Americans (in this case today's liberals) can be convinced to celebrate the scraps being thrown to them by the Biden administration during a campaign cycle while that same administration makes deals to expand fossil fuel exploration in a bill counteracting the effects of climate change does not give me cause for optimism.
Barry
You are spot on. The neoliberal agenda has been embraced by the left in the form of Clinton and Obama every bit as much as Reagan and Bush.
Hello. It's 2022. Wake up, Rip v. Winkle. Neither Clinton nor Obama is president. Thankful in my book too, some. But what are you wanting going forward?
I believe Thom's point is the pendulum has been swinging towards neoliberalism since Reagan regardless of political party, and certainly the policies of former presidents have major impacts upon the world today. Perhaps you are ascribing to Obama's "not looking back" when he ignored the torture and lies of George W Bush and Dick Cheney and refused to hold them accountable for war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan. Going forward I am looking for representatives who do not take corporate PAC money and who have far better judgment than the Clintons and Obamas. And leaders who aren't as motivated by becoming hundred millionaires or billionaires.
MM
If you don't know the mistakes you made in the past you are goin to repeat them.
Voters need to remember that Democratic leaders follow Neoliberal policy ideas and those ideas are economically devastating the poor and middle class.
Absolutely the case. And Democrats do not appear to be seeing the light: https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/dnc-debate-ban-dark-money/
I think you are way out of touch about "today's liberals." Please come out about your preferred next vote. Meanwhile, I share sentiments: Clinton's triangulation is notorious, and he will burn in Hell in the same barracks as McConnell and Trump. Obama's economic advisors? Goldman Sachs Geithner and Goldman Sachs Summers. No joy in our Mudville day of that announcement. But I think you are harsh about "scraps." Come on out, Doc. You want the end of Social Security? You think there's no middle ground for transition in energy? Tell us what you really think are "wrong choices."
I think today's liberals don't vote. I understand why they don't vote in the general election. Can't blame them. But they need to vote in the Primaries. Every single time they should be voting against the COROPORATIST law makers that the Dems try to ram down our throat
Progressives are conscious of this distinction, liberals vote blue no matter who and get excited when their fearless leader enacts some half-assed, means-tested, donor-approved public policy that doesn't work as planned.
Yup... that is what most CNN/MSNBC network news watching Democrats do. They are not different than MAGA Republicans. Mind washed and they don't care.
There is a reason 50% of voters don't even bother. And you just nailed it.
Sure, as Hillary Clinton said when Bernie Sanders answered that he would ban fracking altogether, fracking is a "bridge" to clean energy right? That type of incrementalism, implementing clean energy programs while making it easier to expand drilling and fracking, is just what the doctor (and the planet) ordered.
Is this what they euphemized as 'trickle down economy'?
Yes, exactly.
Pick up on a companion piece to this map of the path we've been on. Sally Goerner wrote
"An Oligarchy on the Brink of a Civilization-Threatening Collapse” https://suespeaks.org/?s=sally++oligarchy, for John Fullerton's Capital Institute. I'm all for alliances and you three would be good together.
What can be done to flip humanity into the positive way forward before we flip ourselves back to the Stone Age? That question should be our focus.
Thanks Suzanne. First reasonable comment, imo. We MUST move forward or we will end up back in some version of the Stone Age. The answer is here in front of us, not behind us. If we get stuck in another form of oligarch led neoliberalism, we’re doomed. Improve education first. And ban the book-banners - that’s always the first fascist step. If more people won’t read books and soon, we’ll be done sooner than we thought
There was a temporary shift to the left with workers rights to organize and bargain as a collective after many decades of being declared anarchists and communists and men like Andrew Carnegie using Pinkerton thugs to machine gun striking workers at his factories. The elites wanted a return to business as usual after FDR and so the party bosses pushed out three term VP Henry A. Wallace and replaced him with the naive Harry Truman in 1944. Three months after the election when FDR died as expected, Truman became the president and a very weak one. Starting with the Taft-Hartley Act in 1947 the pressure was on to destroy the unions which were the only political force able to oppose the bosses of both parties.
It is interesting to note that Hitler came to power with the support of the 25 wealthiest men in Germany by promising to outlaw unions which he did. He also needed the support of the Vatican which he got with the secret agreement with the pope. That Hitler wanted to eliminate all Jews was a bonus as the Vatican was primarily concerned about losing properties and revenues as it had when the Soviets came to power in Russia. Now it is men like the Kohn brothers and the right wing evangelical extremists that are putting Trump and Manchin in control.
The Neoliberals in the US are in full charge of all of the power in this country. The majority of Americans have no clue what the differences is between Neoliberal economic Policy and New Deal Economic policy..
Today we can debate the merrits of NeoLiberal policy vs New Deal Economic policy. When the revolution comes the debate will be over whether or not we even keep capitalism. Better to have the debate now than when the pitchforks come out.