tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8820814198873126054.post8307749766473837016..comments2023-10-20T05:51:51.625-04:00Comments on The THINK 3 INSTITUTE: Anti-Anti-PopulismSamuel Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00934870299522899944noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8820814198873126054.post-79573078380295299932010-03-17T15:27:35.194-04:002010-03-17T15:27:35.194-04:00One of the major theories currently as to why the ...One of the major theories currently as to why the stock market crash of 1929 led to the great depression is because the government refused to bail out key banks on Wall Street. My guess is that those who were in favor of the bail out were felt that way because they subscribe to that particular theory and wanted to avoid another "Great Depression" at all costs. I guess the question in that case is: Which would be more expensive and harmful to the country in the long run - the bail-out or another depression?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8820814198873126054.post-29745715346874029742010-03-17T14:46:53.251-04:002010-03-17T14:46:53.251-04:00There were people speaking out against the bailout...There were people speaking out against the bailouts on both the left and right all along, no question. But the elite consensus was, in some cases perhaps grudgingly, uniformly in favor.d.erishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09186054212519025557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8820814198873126054.post-59379741894763403102010-03-17T00:59:41.826-04:002010-03-17T00:59:41.826-04:00btw d, as Uncle Sam can testify, I did actively fi...btw d, as Uncle Sam can testify, I did actively fight against the bailouts. I called and emailed my representatives at both the state and federal levels. I am aware of at least a couple of others who did likewise. Not because I feel people ought to have to sink or swim, but because those banks and institutions failed because they were greedy. If they had been allowed to fail and the economy collapsed (ala 1929), the general populace would have demanded blood and those CEOs responsible would have been held to account.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8820814198873126054.post-85920382602357807572010-03-17T00:56:43.395-04:002010-03-17T00:56:43.395-04:001) The minute I hear the word "Socialism"...1) The minute I hear the word "Socialism" drift from their lips, I know there's no point in listening to them because Obama has yet to even infer any truly socialist program. <br />2) The minute I hear them whine about "second amendment rights" I know there's no point in listening further. No one in government that I'm aware of has yet indicated they want to make gun ownership unconstitutional. Regulation is a whole different matter. And considering the problems in most big cities (and even small towns these days) with random shooters wiping out people, anyone who whines about gun rights is obviously putting their wants over society's needs. Such a person does not bear listening to.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8820814198873126054.post-73411249818643846592010-03-16T16:48:53.796-04:002010-03-16T16:48:53.796-04:00Sam, yes, many did oppose the bailouts but not act...Sam, yes, many did oppose the bailouts but not actively; and after the election and throughout last year most of them simply fell in line behind the Obama administration and Democratic congress because they falsely believed it represented something other than the continuation of the corporatist bipoligarchy.d.erishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09186054212519025557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8820814198873126054.post-34177810018751182642010-03-16T11:51:06.811-04:002010-03-16T11:51:06.811-04:00d: Many leftists did oppose the bailouts, as I rec...d: Many leftists did oppose the bailouts, as I recall, but their opposition may have been tempered by a desire to shield ordinary people from any adversity caused by the failure of those "too big to fail." The typical Tea Partier, I suspect, thinks that adversity builds character, expects people to rebuild after the perhaps-necessary crash, and may not really care if some don't make it through the process.<br /><br />Crhymethinc: The issue may not be whether leftists join forces with "tea baggers" but whether they're willing to listen to <i>any</i> of the TPs' concerns rather than dismiss them as generic right-wingers. No doubt many TPs have given leftists cause to dismiss them as birthers, gun nuts, etc., but we should be careful before assuming that, since we don't like their attitude, that they have no cause to complain about the state of the country.Samuel Wilsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00934870299522899944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8820814198873126054.post-58747449311096695752010-03-15T22:45:12.381-04:002010-03-15T22:45:12.381-04:00Any chance of the left joining the tea bagger move...Any chance of the left joining the tea bagger movement went out the window the minute they started showing up at public meetings armed. Veiled threats and outright thuggery is quite the opposite of what "democracy" is supposed to be. The only way you'll have a true union of left and right is to keep the militia-types out of the deal. The last thing we need is a bunch of armed neo-nazis having any say in the government of a civilized nation.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8820814198873126054.post-34139824374694565992010-03-15T16:15:08.769-04:002010-03-15T16:15:08.769-04:00Over the past few months I've noticed a more w...Over the past few months I've noticed a more wide-spread recognition among progressives and leftists that many of the the grievances of tea party activists are legitimate. In blogs (Polizeros comes to mind), in academia (Chomsky recently said something along those lines) and now the press, Cockburn for instance. One wonders how different things would be now if more progressives and leftists had joined tea party activists in their opposition to the bailouts etc. from the very beginning. Instead, we have the duplication of the bipolar form in the tea and coffee parties.d.erishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09186054212519025557noreply@blogger.com