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Michelle Goldberg Explains Populist Political Influence

by Karoli on January 17, 2012 · 0 comments

Dedicated to the lefties out there who think not voting is somehow the answer to making the Democratic Party more “left”, via The Daily Beast.

Paying attention to Republicans is a good thing, too. There’s a battle royale right now in the ranks of the Republican party and it’s pushing them farther right with each passing day. Despite their soaring rhetoric over personal responsibility, low taxes, etc, most Americans disagree with the fundamental planks of the far-right platform, particularly with regard to social conservativism and the social safety net. That’s not stopping them from forging ahead.

Ultimately it will not serve the Republican party well. Already the ideologues are driving approval for Congress to record low levels. Watch this video to see Sally Kohn, a strong, reasonable liberal play out what Congress looks like on national television.

Goldberg’s analysis is spot-on. If you want to change political direction, you don’t exit the system. You play inside it.

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In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King….

by Karoli on January 16, 2012 · 2 comments

Then-Senator Barack Obama’s historic speech on race. Since his election, we’ve seen racism on both sides of the political spectrum. The far right views him as the antiChrist; the far left has projected expectations unlike any projected on any American president, at least in my lifetime.

And yet, he keeps on. One small step to the next. He keeps on. To say that Dr. King would disapprove of him is to see him through one’s own simplistic lens. He keeps on, and he keeps going, because Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement laid the foundation to enable him to do so.

After watching the speech, go over to Angry Black Lady’s blog and read this post. Thought-provoking.

Full text after the jump.
[click to continue…]

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