"America's anti-liberal myth"

[Thunderbird is the word]

http://www.salon.com/2015/03/14/americas_anti_liberal_myth_why_dems_learned_the_wrong_lesson_from_1984/

Thought this was an interesting article and historical analysis about the role of centrist Wall Street Democrats and how they deliberately misrepresent history.

[bobloblaw]

The left always think they are the majority being blocked my a small moneyed minority in some conspiracy.

[Thunderbird is the word]

The left always think they are the majority being blocked my a small moneyed minority in some conspiracy.

Read the article, there's more to it then just that and it's backed with data.

[bobloblaw]

The left always think they are the majority being blocked my a small moneyed minority in some conspiracy.

Read the article, there's more to it then just that and it's backed with data.

statistics and liars

[Sumner 1868]

The left always think they are the majority being blocked my a small moneyed minority in some conspiracy.

Read the article, there's more to it then just that and it's backed with data.

statistics and liars

Like St. Ronald and his drug-runners?

[Brewer]

The left always think they are the majority being blocked my a small moneyed minority in some conspiracy.

Read the article, there's more to it then just that and it's backed with data.

statistics and liars

Wow, excellent insight. Your input is greatly valued!

[Citizen (The) Doctor]

The political green-lanternism in the comments is quite amusing.

[Sumner 1868]

I personally think that 1972 was the real shift, with 1984 merely an echo.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

If only Gary Hart hadn't had his indiscretion and dropped out in 1988. A non third-way Democrat beating Bush would be awesome. No President Bush. No other President Bush. Probably no President Clinton. And Hart would have been a decent President.

Hart is not a fan of Hillary.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/with-liberals-pining-for-a-clinton-challenger-ambitious-democrats-get-in-position/2014/07/18/b2892f80-0e1b-11e4-b8e5-d0de80767fc2_story.html

[Sumner 1868]

If only Gary Hart hadn't had his indiscretion and dropped out in 1988. A non third-way Democrat beating Bush would be awesome. No President Bush. No other President Bush. Probably no President Clinton. And Hart would have been a decent President.

Hart was considered Third Way in 1984, though he was moving somewhat leftward in 1987.

[Ban my account ffs!]

America ended its 10 year malaise in 1983.  News of the economy rebounding came in early 84 as the campaigns kicked up.  Reagan got credit for a change in national mood that was quite widespread. 

He captured the moment further with morning in america and nobody...gary hart or anyone...would've won against Reagan.

Oil from Europe saved Reagan's economy and his good acting did the rest.

[Mr. Reactionary]

Lolz. Salondotcom pseudo-history is always hilarious. "In reality, the Democrats would clearly win all teh electionz if they were just more liberal. Walter Mondale was really an icky rightwing conservative bluedog. Stagflation was a wonderful thing for teh peeplz and icky rightwing conservative Paul Volcker stopped this wonderful inflation. Clearly being more liberal is the answer because muh minimum wage ballot initiatives!"

[Sumner 1868]

Lolz. Salondotcom pseudo-history is always hilarious. "In reality, the Democrats would clearly win all teh electionz if they were just more liberal. Walter Mondale was really an icky rightwing conservative bluedog. Stagflation was a wonderful thing for teh peeplz and icky rightwing conservative Paul Volcker stopped this wonderful inflation. Clearly being more liberal is the answer because muh minimum wage ballot initiatives!"

Wow.

[Mr. Reactionary]

Lolz. Salondotcom pseudo-history is always hilarious. "In reality, the Democrats would clearly win all teh electionz if they were just more liberal. Walter Mondale was really an icky rightwing conservative bluedog. Stagflation was a wonderful thing for teh peeplz and icky rightwing conservative Paul Volcker stopped this wonderful inflation. Clearly being more liberal is the answer because muh minimum wage ballot initiatives!"

Wow.

Don't worry, I condemn the illegal drug-running of Ronaldus Magnus as well.

[Maxwell]

LOL taking credit for both of Clinton's victories.

[The Mikado]

It's always hilarious when people can't come to terms with how the left is dead and buried along with all the other relics of the 20th century.

[Zioneer]

It's always hilarious when people can't come to terms with how the left is dead and buried along with all the other relics of the 20th century.

So you're saying that the right has won, now and forever? That there's no point in trying liberal campaigns?

[The Mikado]

It's always hilarious when people can't come to terms with how the left is dead and buried along with all the other relics of the 20th century.

So you're saying that the right has won, now and forever? That there's no point in trying liberal campaigns?

No, I'm saying that the traditional ideas of the left are dead and buried. I'm not ruling out a new ideology rising up as a competitive challenge to the current intellectual hegemony of neoliberal economics (besides the nihilism of the vulgar right, which the last few years have proven is not a majority voice), but I have no idea what that new ideology will be.

EDIT: To clarify, deindustrialization from the 1970s to today has utterly eviscerated the ideological podium on which the old Left stood.

EDIT 2: If it makes more sense, mass unionization and politics based on the interests of industrial workers, miners, etc. coming back will happen about the same time as disco and bell bottoms.

[pbrower2a]

The left always think they are the majority being blocked my a small moneyed minority in some conspiracy.

Someone needs to stand in the way of the moneyed minority when that minority would turn work into peonage, give everything valuable to rapacious profiteers for nearly nothing, make a moonscape of our environment, and initiate lucrative-but-unjust-and-murderous wars for profit.

[RFayette]

Please liberals, take the advice and nominate Sanders or Warren. 

And say hello to President Walker.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Please liberals, take the advice and nominate Sanders or Warren. 

And say hello to President Walker.

Right, the conservative Democrat always wins. Mark Pryor didn't just lose by 17 points. Got it.

[Citizen Hats]

The basic situation is that the public actually like what *both* parties have to say.  As a whole, Americans are ideological Republicans and practical Democrats.  From that lens , 'big government hands of my medicare' actually starts to make sense

[Comrade Funk]

It's always hilarious when people can't come to terms with how the left is dead and buried along with all the other relics of the 20th century.

So you're saying that the right has won, now and forever? That there's no point in trying liberal campaigns?

No, I'm saying that the traditional ideas of the left are dead and buried. I'm not ruling out a new ideology rising up as a competitive challenge to the current intellectual hegemony of neoliberal economics (besides the nihilism of the vulgar right, which the last few years have proven is not a majority voice), but I have no idea what that new ideology will be.

EDIT: To clarify, deindustrialization from the 1970s to today has utterly eviscerated the ideological podium on which the old Left stood.

EDIT 2: If it makes more sense, mass unionization and politics based on the interests of industrial workers, miners, etc. coming back will happen about the same time as disco and bell bottoms.

Disco coming back is probably more likely. At least we'd all be high on cocaine to even give a crap about our neo-liberal dystopia.

[Beet]

I think the 20th century left died when Khruschev's Secret Speech where he admitted that Stalin really was a HP leaked to the Israelis. As recently as 1938, respectable people had been saying the Soviet Union was a progressive state that would never sign a pact with Hitler. Even Sputnik 18 months later couldn't make up for that.

[Sumner 1868]

I think the 20th century left died when Khruschev's Secret Speech where he admitted that Stalin really was a HP leaked to the Israelis. As recently as 1938, respectable people had been saying the Soviet Union was a progressive state that would never sign a pact with Hitler. Even Sputnik 18 months later couldn't make up for that.

I don't agree, given the events of the 1960s.