What’s the Matter with the Democratic Party?
Franklin Delano Roosevelt must be flipping in his grave as many of his cherished New Deal programs have come under assault from not just Republicans, but from his own Democratic Party. Democrats in the 1990s picked up and adopted Ronald Reagan’s right-wing agenda of deregulation, tax cuts for the rich, so-called free trade deals, crime bills, mass incarceration and cutting programs for the poor. Democrats abandoned the working class and in particular turned its back on unions. They
cuddled up and embraced hedge fund managers and celebrities in their mansions in Malibu and the Hamptons. They watched as wages went flat, people lost their homes and inequality mushroomed to obscene levels. Campaign rhetoric aside, Hillary Clinton will most likely continue with business as usual unless she is pushed hard to adopt a truly progressive agenda.
Interview by David Barsamian.
Speaker
Thomas Frank
Thomas Frank is a prominent political commentator and the founding editor of The Baffler magazine. He is the author of many books including One Market Under God, What’s the Matter with Kansas? The Wrecking Crew, Pity the Billionaire and Listen, Liberal.
Harvey Lloyd –
As the son of poor immigrant chidden from Ukraine, America has enabled me to travel to over one hundred countries as a travel journalist and artist. Nader from his comfortable pulpit trashes America that gave him fame and fortune. This is the season for demagogues from Sanders to Trump and Nader is busy trashing Hillary and the democratic party, Any effect he will have helps Trump, a madman. The Green and other independent parties are equally arrogant and pretend they can win an election. They cannot and only aid the bizarre liar Trump. Nowhere in the world is there the opportunities found here. We here and in the world cannot destroy the planet. There is no real evidence that global warming exists as proof would need hundreds of years. Consensus is not scence. In short, Nader is a warn out arrogant prophet filled with hubris. Let’s hear rebuttals instead of flak. One side only is fascism. Nader and his followers are irrational and filled with hubris, defiance of the gods. Those whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad. Nader, Chomsky, Sanders, and a long list. America is the hope of humanity and the only true democracy on the planet.
Jim Pirko –
This brutally real criticism of the Democratic Party’s systematic failures is told with wit and knowledgeable insights.
Barbara Miller –
I listened to this interview on the Taos public radio station today. I thought that Frank presented a good view of the failure of the Democratic Party to safeguard the New Deal protections established by FDR. I was especially depressed by his quoting an early Bill Clinton observation that Progressive Democrats have no alternative but to vote for Democratic candidates who continue to support legislation that contributes to the increasing erosion of the middle class. He stated what I already knew and didn’t want to admit. Frank is an engaging speaker who laughs a lot in all the right places.
How can we get the candidates (like Bernie) who will answer to the people rather than to Big Business, the NRA, and the 1%?
RDJ –
What an obnoxious speaker/interviewee. (And I’m a Democrat). He sounds as if he’s on speed, with so many uses of “Look” and “You know” and “Right?!” Same when I heard a lecture by him —
A condescending, self-absorbed, know-it-all.
(My humble opinion . . .)