The Rise of the Regressive Right and the Reawakening of America

[RandomGuy]

Interesting column by a guy who can see through a lot of the fog thrown up around issues.

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A fundamental war has been waged in this nation since its founding, between progressive forces pushing us forward and regressive forces pulling us backward.

We are going to battle once again.


Progressives believe in openness, equal opportunity, and tolerance. Progressives assume we’re all in it together: We all benefit from public investments in schools and health care and infrastructure. And we all do better with strong safety nets, reasonable constraints on Wall Street and big business, and a truly progressive tax system. Progressives worry when the rich and privileged become powerful enough to undermine democracy.

Regressives take the opposite positions.

Eric Cantor, Paul Ryan, Rick Perry, Michele Bachmann and the other tribunes of today’s Republican right aren’t really conservatives. Their goal isn’t to conserve what we have. It’s to take us backwards.

They’d like to return to the 1920s — before Social Security, unemployment insurance, labor laws, the minimum wage, Medicare and Medicaid, worker safety laws, the Environmental Protection Act, the Glass-Steagall Act, the Securities and Exchange Act, and the Voting Rights Act.

In the 1920s Wall Street was unfettered, the rich grew far richer and everyone else went deep into debt, and the nation closed its doors to immigrants.

Rather than conserve the economy, these regressives want to resurrect the classical economics of the 1920s — the view that economic downturns are best addressed by doing nothing until the “rot” is purged out of the system (as Andrew Mellon, Herbert Hoover’s Treasury Secretary, so decorously put it).

In truth, if they had their way we’d be back in the late nineteenth century — before the federal income tax, antitrust laws, the pure food and drug act, and the Federal Reserve. A time when robber barons — railroad, financial, and oil titans — ran the country. A time of wrenching squalor for the many and mind-numbing wealth for the few.

Listen carefully to today’s Republican right and you hear the same Social Darwinism Americans were fed more than a century ago to justify the brazen inequality of the Gilded Age: Survival of the fittest. Don’t help the poor or unemployed or anyone who’s fallen on bad times, they say, because this only encourages laziness. America will be strong only if we reward the rich and punish the needy.

The regressive right has slowly consolidated power over the last three decades as income and wealth have concentrated at the top. In the late 1970s the richest 1 percent of Americans received 9 percent of total income and held 18 percent of the nation’s wealth; by 2007, they had more than 23 percent of total income and 35 percent of America’s wealth. CEOs of the 1970s were paid 40 times the average worker’s wage; now CEOs receive 300 times the typical workers’ wage.

This concentration of income and wealth has generated the political heft to deregulate Wall Street and halve top tax rates. It has bankrolled the so-called Tea Party movement, and captured the House of Representatives and many state governments. Through a sequence of presidential appointments it has also overtaken the Supreme Court.

Scalia, Alito, Thomas, and Roberts (and, all too often, Kennedy) claim they’re conservative jurists. But they’re judicial activists bent on overturning seventy-five years of jurisprudence by resurrecting states’ rights, treating the 2nd Amendment as if America still relied on local militias, narrowing the Commerce Clause, and calling money speech and corporations people.

Yet the great arc of American history reveals an unmistakable pattern. Whenever privilege and power conspire to pull us backward, the nation eventually rallies and moves forward. Sometimes it takes an economic shock like the bursting of a giant speculative bubble; sometimes we just reach a tipping point where the frustrations of average Americans turn into action.

Look at the Progressive reforms between 1900 and 1916; the New Deal of the 1930s; the Civil Rights struggle of the 1950s and 1960s; the widening opportunities for women, minorities, people with disabilities, and gays; and the environmental reforms of the 1970s.

In each of these eras, regressive forces reignited the progressive ideals on which America is built. The result was fundamental reform.

Perhaps this is what’s beginning to happen again across America.

--Robert Reich

[DUNCANownsKOBE]

They're dominionists. They want America to be just like Saudi Arabia only Christian instead of Muslim.

[mavs>spurs]

You've all been duped, neither side really stands for anything it's all designed to keep us bickering with eachother not paying attention while they slowly take away rights, engineer a global economic collapse, and finally attempt to instill world government.

[admiralsnackbar]

You've all been duped, neither side really stands for anything it's all designed to keep us bickering with eachother not paying attention while they slowly take away rights, engineer a global economic collapse, and finally attempt to instill world government.You were making so much sense till the end there.

[101A]

You were making so much sense till the end there.

Yeah, he was.

[101A]

Progressives believe in openness, equal opportunity, and tolerance. Progressives assume we’re all in it together: We all benefit from public investments in schools and health care and infrastructure. And we all do better with strong safety nets, reasonable constraints on Wall Street and big business, and a truly progressive tax system. Progressives worry when the rich and privileged become powerful enough to undermine democracy.

Wow, I believe in every one of those things!

I must be a progressive!

Robert Reich, on the other hand, is the definition of a Wal Street/Washington Insider. He is most definitely, the 1% (and I don't mean on just the growth charts).

[101A]

Wasn't Reich secretary whan Glass Steigal was repealed?

[DarrinS]

Step 1. Demonize your opponent

[DUNCANownsKOBE]

Demonize your opponent
http://www.clevelandleader.com/files/222068904.png

[101A]

http://www.clevelandleader.com/files/222068904.png

I would agree that the Gun Control Bogey man is certainly one of the ways the left hand keeps us all occupied while the right hand takes advantage of the distraction. Abortion (irony), Gay Marriage, Flag burning in the past, and numerous other blue vs. red, good vs evil, liberal vs. conservative topics have been trumpeted, debated, kept on the front page for us to hate each other over, while all the while, the parties agree on the REALLY big stuff.

[DarrinS]

http://www.clevelandleader.com/files/222068904.png

How is that demonization? That's a metaphor, but I'm sure you already knew that.

[boutons_deux]

Wasn't Reich secretary whan Glass Steigal was repealed?

poor attempt at slander

"In 1996, between Clinton's re-election and second inauguration, Reich decided to leave the department to spend more time with his sons, then in their teen years"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Reich

[101A]

poor attempt at slander

"In 1996, between Clinton's re-election and second inauguration, Reich decided to leave the department to spend more time with his sons, then in their teen years"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Reich

I couldn't remember when Reich was there; too lazy to look it up; honest mistake; regardless a "progressive" administration was in charge when it happened. That administration also, it should be added, reduced welfare benefits more than any other has.

[DUNCANownsKOBE]

How is that demonization? That's a metaphor, but I'm sure you already knew that.
It's a metaphor that demonizes Democratic politicians.

[DarrinS]

It's a metaphor that demonizes Democratic politicians.

It's a metaphor that means: defeat your opponent.

[ElNono]

When it's the red team, it means "defeat", when it's the blue team, it means "demonize"

[DarrinS]

When it's the red team, it means "defeat", when it's the blue team, it means "demonize"

Should we get rid of terms like "campaign" and "battleground states"?

[DarrinS]

THIS is demonizing your opponent :


Progressives believe in openness, equal opportunity, and tolerance. Progressives assume we’re all in it together: We all benefit from public investments in schools and health care and infrastructure. And we all do better with strong safety nets, reasonable constraints on Wall Street and big business, and a truly progressive tax system. Progressives worry when the rich and privileged become powerful enough to undermine democracy.

Regressives take the opposite positions.

[RandomGuy]

Step 1. Demonize your opponent

You mean like implying climate change scientists are like Nazis?

[DarrinS]

You mean like implying climate change scientists are like Nazis?

Did I do that?

[ElNono]

Should we get rid of terms like "campaign" and "battleground states"?

We could start by getting rid of "surveyor marks" (wink, wink)

[Halberto]

"Seeing through the fog" or simply generalizing current situations? Don't get me wrong, I agree with a lot he has said, but his choice of words seem too strong.

[DarrinS]

You mean like implying climate change scientists are like Nazis?

And, are the climate scientists or climate change scientists? If they are the latter, sounds like they already had their minds made up.

[ElNono]

He's definitely pandering to a certain audience. Not that both teams don't do that.

[boutons_deux]

I couldn't remember when Reich was there; too lazy to look it up; honest mistake; regardless a "progressive" administration was in charge when it happened. That administration also, it should be added, reduced welfare benefits more than any other has.

What did Clinton do that was that horrible sin called being progressive?

His environmental progress was extremely popular, but the UCA sees that as regressive, not progressive.

[101A]

What did Clinton do that was that horrible sin called being progressive?

His environmental progress was extremely popular, but the UCA sees that as regressive, not progressive.

I put the word in quotes; conventional wisdom. Blue team (Reich) = Progressive; Red Team = "Regressive" (in the op).

In all I can't complain about the Clinton Presidency, and any honest conservative would probably agree with me.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

I put the word in quotes; conventional wisdom. Blue team (Reich) = Progressive; Red Team = "Regressive" (in the op).

In all I can't complain about the Clinton Presidency, and any honest conservative would probably agree with me.

Clinton and Gramm's ciricle jerk led directly to the gutting of the Glass-Steagall and the Securities and Exchange Act.

As a person who thinks for myself i have huge issues with Clinton.

[101A]

Clinton and Gramm's ciricle jerk led directly to the gutting of the Glass-Steagall and the Securities and Exchange Act.

As a person who thinks for myself i have huge issues with Clinton.

I should have said "Glass Steagal" not withstanding.

[Wild Cobra]

Wow, I believe in every one of those things!

I must be a progressive!

Robert Reich, on the other hand, is the definition of a Wal Street/Washington Insider. He is most definitely, the 1% (and I don't mean on just the growth charts).
Damn...

I didn't know I was a progressive either.

[CosmicCowboy]

The original article was a total crock of shit.

[boutons_deux]

crock of shit.

hit close to home, huh?

[CosmicCowboy]

crock of shit.

hit close to home, huh?

Nope. Just sucked almost as bad as you do.

[DUNCANownsKOBE]

I'm liberal as hell but there were plenty of things Clinton did that I think fucked America up (no getting his dick wet wasn't one of them)

[boutons_deux]

Clinton got Wall St stars in his eyes and on his staff. Rubin convinced him Wall St could be trusted after Glass-Steagall was killed and that derivatives being unregulated and invisible would be no problem.

[ElNono]

I like how he didn't get in the way of the economy at the time, while it was booming, and how he was able to work with a GOP Congress to get shit done, including balancing the budget.

But there's no doubt that there we downsides to his government too.

[DUNCANownsKOBE]

Clinton got Wall St stars in his eyes and on his staff. Rubin convinced him Wall St could be trusted after Glass-Steagall was killed and that derivatives being unregulated and invisible would be no problem.
Not to mention NAFTA and the abortion that's become

[ElNono]

Not to mention NAFTA and the abortion that's become

But we love those "Assembled in Mexico" cheap TVs! :lol

[Parker2112]

We were a hugely progressive experiment. A shiny new republic which bound the power of government out of suspicion for man's tendency toward a love of money and power..one which favored the individuals rights.

From that we have regressed backward, removing these controls on govt, eventually allowing criminals to steer our country completely opposite to the will of the electorate.

As a country, we wish for an altruistic dictator to solve all our problems and make our lives a heaven on earth. In reality our tendency to turn over the reigns to government plays right into the hands of big business who steer policy and legislation in their favor. Worse, our civil liberties disappear as fast as the restraints.

Wake up and think for yourself.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

We were a hugely progressive experiment. A shiny new republic which bound the power of government out of suspicion for man's tendency toward a love of money and power..one which favored the individuals rights.

From that we have regressed backward, removing these controls on govt, eventually allowing criminals to steer our country completely opposite to the will of the electorate.

As a country, we wish for an altruistic dictator to solve all our problems and make our lives a heaven on earth. In reality our tendency to turn over the reigns to government plays right into the hands of big business who steer policy and legislation in their favor. Worse, our civil liberties disappear as fast as the restraints.

Wake up and think for yourself.

Guys like Madison and Hamilton were not there from the very beginning.

[Th'Pusher]

Clinton's primary issue IMO was that, in an effort to secure campaign funding, he was too eager to convince Wall St that Democrats were as convinced of the need for deregulation as Republicans.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Clinton's primary issue IMO was that, in an effort to secure campaign funding, he was too eager to convince Wall St that Democrats were as convinced of the need for deregulation as Republicans.

He did the circle jerk with Gramm after he was reelected.

[boutons_deux]

The original article was a total crock of shit.

crock of shit for brains, how about refuting each his statements?

[RandomGuy]

Wow, I believe in every one of those things!

I must be a progressive!

Robert Reich, on the other hand, is the definition of a Wal Street/Washington Insider. He is most definitely, the 1% (and I don't mean on just the growth charts).

Compared with the rabid right that seems to be in the drivers seat in conservative politics, you are a downright pinko commie. That is kinda his point.

[RandomGuy]

The original article was a total crock of shit.

You have him in the crushing grip of reason, sir. Well played.

[DarrinS]

Compared with the rabid right that seems to be in the drivers seat in conservative politics, you are a downright pinko commie. That is kinda his point.

The aren't just wrong, they're "rabid". Seriously? Hey, I don't like any of the current GOP candidates either, but I wouldn't say they are rabid.

[RandomGuy]

The aren't just wrong, they're "rabid". Seriously? Hey, I don't like any of the current GOP candidates either, but I wouldn't say they are rabid.

Bachman is quite there, as are the groups requiring the various "pledges".

That you don't find many of them to be extremist is merely another harbringer of long-term Republican decline, because most independents and moderates do.

Partisan hacks like yourself can't see this because of the ideological blinders you wear as badges of honor.

Its a bit like the drunk at the party who thinks he is being totally charming, despite the vomit soaked shirt he is stumbling around in. Everyone else sees it far more clearly.

I doubt the GOP will sober up in time to remain relevant, given the echo chamber effect of Fox "news" et al. It may actually finally lead to a third party.

[boutons_deux]

how about the mad dogs who signed onto the pledges of rabies?

[RandomGuy]

I put the word in quotes; conventional wisdom. Blue team (Reich) = Progressive; Red Team = "Regressive" (in the op).

In all I can't complain about the Clinton Presidency, and any honest conservative would probably agree with me.

Honest conservatives seem to be sadly few and far between these days.

I still remember all the endless bitching about Clinton.

[RandomGuy]

We were a hugely progressive experiment. A shiny new republic which bound the power of government out of suspicion for man's tendency toward a love of money and power..one which favored the individuals rights.

From that we have regressed backward, removing these controls on govt, eventually allowing criminals to steer our country completely opposite to the will of the electorate.

As a country, we wish for an altruistic dictator to solve all our problems and make our lives a heaven on earth. In reality our tendency to turn over the reigns to government plays right into the hands of big business who steer policy and legislation in their favor. Worse, our civil liberties disappear as fast as the restraints.

Wake up and think for yourself.


In truth, if they had their way we’d be back in the late nineteenth century — before the federal income tax, antitrust laws, the pure food and drug act, and the Federal Reserve. A time when robber barons — railroad, financial, and oil titans — ran the country. A time of wrenching squalor for the many and mind-numbing wealth for the few.

Welcome to the regressive right, dumbass.

[DarrinS]

Partisan hacks like yourself can't see this because of the ideological blinders you wear as badges of honor.

Its a bit like the drunk at the party who thinks he is being totally charming, despite the vomit soaked shirt he is stumbling around in. Everyone else sees it far more clearly.



http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51fN%2BUTdB0L._SL500_AA300_.jpg

[RandomGuy]

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51fN%2BUTdB0L._SL500_AA300_.jpg

I realize you want to drag everybody else down to your level, as if anyone who has the balls to disagree with you and your moronic worldview is the same kind of blind sock puppet that you are, but shockingly enough, some of us can actually think for ourselves.



The Dunning–Kruger effect is a cognitive bias in which unskilled people make poor decisions and reach erroneous conclusions, but their incompetence denies them the metacognitive ability to recognize their mistakes.[1] The unskilled therefore suffer from illusory superiority, rating their ability as above average, much higher than it actually is, while the highly skilled underrate their own abilities, suffering from illusory inferiority.

Please stop trying to equate me to your lying sack of shit ass.

There is a vast gulf between being a bit cheesed and having an opinion and going out of your way to lie about how much better that opinion is than anyone else's.

[DarrinS]

I realize you want to drag everybody else down to your level, as if anyone who has the balls to disagree with you and your moronic worldview is the same kind of blind sock puppet that you are, but shockingly enough, some of us can actually think for ourselves.




Please stop trying to equate me to your lying sack of shit ass.

There is a vast gulf between being a bit cheesed and having an opinion and going out of your way to lie about how much better that opinion is than anyone else's.


http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rRFMexiNIyo/TEqJF_3RhEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/GtpNEn3w9tY/s1600/pot_kettle_black.jpg

[RandomGuy]

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rRFMexiNIyo/TEqJF_3RhEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/GtpNEn3w9tY/s1600/pot_kettle_black.jpg



The Dunning–Kruger effect is a cognitive bias in which unskilled people make poor decisions and reach erroneous conclusions, but their incompetence denies them the metacognitive ability to recognize their mistakes.[1] The unskilled therefore suffer from illusory superiority, rating their ability as above average, much higher than it actually is, while the highly skilled underrate their own abilities, suffering from illusory inferiority.


In a series of studies, they examined the subjects' self-assessment of logical reasoning skills, grammatical skills, and humor. After being shown their test scores, the subjects were again asked to estimate their own rank, whereupon the competent group accurately estimated their rank, while the incompetent group still overestimated their own rank. As Dunning and Kruger noted,

Across four studies, the authors found that participants scoring in the bottom quartile on tests of humor, grammar, and logic grossly overestimated their test performance and ability. Although test scores put them in the 12th percentile, they estimated themselves to be in the 62nd.


Dunning, Kruger, and coauthors' latest paper on this subject comes to qualitatively similar conclusions to their original work, after making some attempt to test alternative explanations. They conclude that the root cause is that, in contrast to high performers, "poor performers do not learn from feedback suggesting a need to improve."[4]



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect

Given this information, what does it say about your thinking when others consistantly point out the flawed logic and dishonesty?

Do you really believe you are in the 62nd percentile of critical thinking ability Darrin?

[DarrinS]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect

Given this information, what does it say about your thinking when others consistantly point out the flawed logic and dishonesty?

Do you really believe you are in the 62nd percentile of critical thinking ability Darrin?

http://www.worldwidehippies.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Sticks-and-Stones.jpg

[RandomGuy]

http://www.worldwidehippies.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Sticks-and-Stones.jpg

Allright, point taken. I have been a bit mean. I think I am done being angry.

You are an idiot, but it is obvious you can't help it, anymore than Cosmored can. That is to be pitied more than anything else.

[101A]

Oh. Holy. Shit.

I really don't think you wanted to reply with that response considering the charges being leveled, D.

[Drachen]

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rRFMexiNIyo/TEqJF_3RhEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/GtpNEn3w9tY/s1600/pot_kettle_black.jpg

isn't this backwards?

[DarrinS]

isn't this backwards?

Yes. :lol

Good catch