This article, by a liberal progressive attorney, talks about why the conservative movement has been so successful at skewing the judiciary and legal system to favor their political objectives. The...
This article, by a liberal progressive attorney, talks about why the conservative movement has been so successful at skewing the judiciary and legal system to favor their political objectives.
The summary of it is that the Conservative movement viewed their social policies as being shared with the the economic goals. They made different promises to different groups and used their wins in one area to reinforce and advance goals in others. They viewed their power in both social and economic policy as unitary.
The contrast to the liberal side was that the liberal and mainstream legal establishment viewed each of these issues, like labor organizing, reproductive rights, civil rights, etc. as distinct causes and they all operated separately.
Thomas Frank has been writing about this dynamic for decades. A precious few people I've met actually read What's the Matter with Kansas, but if they had they would know that it wasn't just about...
Thomas Frank has been writing about this dynamic for decades. A precious few people I've met actually read What's the Matter with Kansas, but if they had they would know that it wasn't just about how movement "conservatives" harnessed the culture wars to advance their economic agenda of destroying workers' rights and cutting taxes for their rich friends -- it was also about how Clinton and his DLC Democrats joined the conservatives in throwing workers under the bus and attempted to focus their election strategy solely on identity politics issues (and they did a piss-poor job even at that -- we can see how well that turned out).
Now that the economic war against working Americans has been effectively won for the time being, the money boys are fine with letting their christo-fascist base have their wins, something the Democrats have never even considered for their lefty base.
What's the Matter with Kansas is a brilliant, ground breaking book. I also recommend Dignity: Seeking Respect in Back Row America by Chris Arnade. (Get the physical book, there are photographs)
What's the Matter with Kansas is a brilliant, ground breaking book. I also recommend Dignity: Seeking Respect in Back Row America by Chris Arnade. (Get the physical book, there are photographs)
This article, by a liberal progressive attorney, talks about why the conservative movement has been so successful at skewing the judiciary and legal system to favor their political objectives.
The summary of it is that the Conservative movement viewed their social policies as being shared with the the economic goals. They made different promises to different groups and used their wins in one area to reinforce and advance goals in others. They viewed their power in both social and economic policy as unitary.
The contrast to the liberal side was that the liberal and mainstream legal establishment viewed each of these issues, like labor organizing, reproductive rights, civil rights, etc. as distinct causes and they all operated separately.
Thomas Frank has been writing about this dynamic for decades. A precious few people I've met actually read What's the Matter with Kansas, but if they had they would know that it wasn't just about how movement "conservatives" harnessed the culture wars to advance their economic agenda of destroying workers' rights and cutting taxes for their rich friends -- it was also about how Clinton and his DLC Democrats joined the conservatives in throwing workers under the bus and attempted to focus their election strategy solely on identity politics issues (and they did a piss-poor job even at that -- we can see how well that turned out).
Now that the economic war against working Americans has been effectively won for the time being, the money boys are fine with letting their christo-fascist base have their wins, something the Democrats have never even considered for their lefty base.
What's the Matter with Kansas is a brilliant, ground breaking book. I also recommend Dignity: Seeking Respect in Back Row America by Chris Arnade. (Get the physical book, there are photographs)