That is a direct quote from Chris Matthews last evening.
This election was clearly about a lot of things. It was a referendum on Bush’s failed policies. It was about choosing somebody different because people don’t like the direction the country is headed. And it was about a brilliant black candidate who somehow inspired the silent and apathetic progressive majority to show up and vote.
To me, it was definitely about all that stuff. More than anything else, though, this election to me was about economics. It was about people finally deciding that Reaganomics hasn’t worked for them in the least. Looking back at the 20th century, progressivism undeniably brought us most of what is great about this country. It brought us civil rights, worker rights, women’s rights, a vibrant middle class, secure retirement, a strong moral standing in the world, and a relatively fair balance between the interests of people and the interests of corporations. On the other hand, the Reagan revolution has brought us erosion of all of those things plus all-powerful corporations and powerless workers. It has brought us insecure retirement, rampant corporate scandals, and an economic system that systematically funnels wealth upward. The genius of Reagan is that he was able to inspire generations of conservatives to rally for policies that are clearly against their own- and the vast majority of human being’s- best economic interests.
I know I’m just a wacky leftist, but I’m thinking this election was about people finally realizing that true democracy and unregulated capitalism are incompatible. They always have been. Unregulated capitalism by definition leads to wealth concentration and a dwindling middle class. At the end of the day, when votes are more evenly disbursed than wealth you will eventually and inevitably see a backlash; Electing Obama is the personification of that backlash. You can take away the middle class’ wealth but they haven’t figured out how to take away their vote yet. And that is exactly what Chris Matthews was talking about.
This election was clearly about a lot of things. It was a referendum on Bush’s failed policies. It was about choosing somebody different because people don’t like the direction the country is headed. And it was about a brilliant black candidate who somehow inspired the silent and apathetic progressive majority to show up and vote.
To me, it was definitely about all that stuff. More than anything else, though, this election to me was about economics. It was about people finally deciding that Reaganomics hasn’t worked for them in the least. Looking back at the 20th century, progressivism undeniably brought us most of what is great about this country. It brought us civil rights, worker rights, women’s rights, a vibrant middle class, secure retirement, a strong moral standing in the world, and a relatively fair balance between the interests of people and the interests of corporations. On the other hand, the Reagan revolution has brought us erosion of all of those things plus all-powerful corporations and powerless workers. It has brought us insecure retirement, rampant corporate scandals, and an economic system that systematically funnels wealth upward. The genius of Reagan is that he was able to inspire generations of conservatives to rally for policies that are clearly against their own- and the vast majority of human being’s- best economic interests.
I know I’m just a wacky leftist, but I’m thinking this election was about people finally realizing that true democracy and unregulated capitalism are incompatible. They always have been. Unregulated capitalism by definition leads to wealth concentration and a dwindling middle class. At the end of the day, when votes are more evenly disbursed than wealth you will eventually and inevitably see a backlash; Electing Obama is the personification of that backlash. You can take away the middle class’ wealth but they haven’t figured out how to take away their vote yet. And that is exactly what Chris Matthews was talking about.
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