Here’s an interesting example of the dynamic discussed in the previous post; that is, the possible coming together of ideological “opposites” in the name of change and progress. This example comes from Britain, following the curious merger of the Tories (conservative party) and the Liberal Democrats. As Greenwald neatly puts it in his essay: “how citizens of vastly divergent political philosophies can align.”
Glenn Greenwald takes a look at the disgruntled mood of the electorate this year: “Why Do Voters Hate Incumbents?”
This desire for change from the citizenry is good, and certainly called for, but in order to usher in truly healthy change and growth, it must have some footing in reality. There must be a modicum of understanding and intelligence behind it. We don’t want to throw the bums out, only to replace them with something worse.
I think the challenge in this country right now is to combine the revolutionary energy of the right with the progressive intelligence of the left. It’s time for the people of this country to come together against the wealthy and powerful elite. We’ve got to put the old Party divisions behind us (along with the psuedo ideologies that have powered them). It really is time for something new.
David Michael Green approaches the subject from a different angle in “Fear Comes of Age“; and Robert Scheer makes an attempt to close the circle with “Who’s Afraid of Rand Paul.”
The buzzword of the day is “unwind.”
Strategic deployment of this term can bestow economic sagacity. Example: “Look at that Euro unwind!”
Note: although “unwind” has become widespread, is being overutilized well, and shows signs of longevity, it is not expected to threaten “deploy” for Buzzword of the Decade.
Matt Taibbi has some fun with Sarah Palin.
David Swanson gets all crazy on foreign policy.
And Joe Bageant hits it out of the park with “Lost on the Fearless Plain.”
David Sirota has written a fine piece, “Blowback: Why They Try to Bomb Us,” on the essence of what is holding America back. Until an active majority of Americans can really understand and relate to this message — which is essentially “treat thy neighbor as thyself” — things will not be improving on the “terrorism” front.