The rumblings a True Populist Movement are being felt in the Country as *long shot* candidates on each side of the current political divide receive dedicated support from the People seeking change.
The average citizen is waking up to the fact that we lack representation in Our own government. We watch year by year, bill by bill, Our interests being sold to the wealthiest corporations. We suffer through the suppression of information that could empower Us. We listen to Our politicians spoon fed Us sugar-coated campaign slogans that, in the end do little.
We are hungry for honesty and true representation. We are ready to take Our government back. The People will get the power back, as the force strengthens.
Whether it will come through the current Democratic Party or a new Populist Party is largely up to the Democrats.
The time is ripe for representation of the People. That is why so many love Kucinich, and so many fear him.----We all know he is right.
Notice that every post praising Kucinich is answered immediately by a Clinton supporter. If he was as irrelevant as so many like to claim, why the need to consistently, predictably take shots at him and his message?
The idea of Kucinich and Paul running together is mostly the effort of their respective supporter seeking to join forces. It would, however, be a schizophrenic ticket impossible to define itself because of the drastic differences in ideology. It is the difference in Progressive Populism in Kucinich and Regressive Populism in Paul. Many of the Ron Paul supporters appreciate his Populist message, but fail to realize how Regressive he is. Many of these would join Kucinich if allowed to hear his message.
Russ Feingold defined these differences in 1996, and the appeal for Progressive Populism has only grown.
Progressive populism offers optimism and reform. A bedrock progressive belief is that people have the capacity to make change.
They would reject the concept that economic hardships or social ills are immutable conditions of a world that is incurably unfair. Ideas like an eight-hour workday, a minimum wage, pure food laws, workers' compensation, direct elections and improved public education were widely disseminated through the progressive vision.
The essential difference between progressive populism and the alternative offered by some on the Right is, I think, the difference between optimism and pessimism. What you might call regressive populists work the furrows of fear and anger. Their message is one of alarm, a cry that the barbarians are at the gates, come to steal jobs, property, money, a way of life. The progressive populist, on the other hand, presents a positive vision of a just society that is ours to create. It is inclusive, compassionate and practical.
Let me outline some of the elements I believe are fundamental to a modern progressive political agenda:
Fiscal reform - We need to trim government spending responsibly, without exempting a single department, as was done with the Defense Department this year. We must also review and reform our system of tax loopholes, which amount to a $400 billion annual expenditure. I am a co-sponsor of bipartisan legislation to do just that and to modify or eliminate a dozen forms of corporate welfare.
Health care reform - We must push for comprehensive reform. The goal should be universal coverage. I personally favor a single-payer system. My immediate priority is reform of our long-term care system and reduction of Medicaid costs by establishing consumer-oriented and consumer-directed services that allow those needing care to remain in their own homes and communities with their families and friends.
Government reform - We must promote democracy and make government accountable to the American people. We should curb the special access and influence of powerful interests in Washington. We enacted some reforms last year to curb the influence of gift-giving lobbyists, and now, a bipartisan group of Senators, of which I am a member, is pressing for reform of our system of funding Congressional campaigns.
Promotion of economic justice - We must defend the right of workers to organize and bargain collectively. We must raise the minimum wage. We must insist that the workplace be safe and free of discrimination.
Promotion of social justice - We must battle racism, bigotry, poverty, hunger, homelessness and ignorance. We should promote protection of the environment, support for education and the maintenance of programs that help those in need while not being bound to a particular method of achieving those goals.
Populism has both bright and dark sides. People can be stirred to seek justice or merely revenge. It is the responsibility of progressives to take the initiative by offering hope, not through mere promises but through practical action.
We should be mindful of an observation Bobby Kennedy made during the 1968 presidential campaign. "We all share each other's fortunes,'' he said. "Where one of us prospers, all of us prosper; and where one of us falters, so do we all. The task of any new leadership will be to rally the diverse forces within America to the common effort all of us require.''
Right now, Kucinich, and Paul, speak for and to the People. And only Kucinich is promoting Progressive Populism. They are on the crest of a wave, a movement. When the wave of Populism breaks, it cannot be suppressed by money, media or force.
America is catching on.
edit to add link:
http://www.populist.com/4.96.Feingold.html
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
