In the late 1990s, Newt Gingrich exposed the technological changes that were to spur the 21st century. His strategy was to make technological change itself the priority and push government aside. “We do have an economic game plan,” said the House Republicans in their post Contract with America manifesto, Restoring the Dream, “and its central theme is to get bureaucratic government off America’s back and out of the way.” All the constructive changes in the next era will take place in the private sector. Thus, as Restoring the Dream puts it, the way to create a “first rate, globally competitive” economy is to free it from the iron shackles” of “taxation, regulation and litigation.”
E. J. Dionne, They Only Look Dead
THE DEVIL MAY CRY, WITH SHEER HYSTERICAL JOY
When I put myself in the boots of those who consider themselves immutable because of their riches and imagine that I don’t have a human soul, I realize how the Occupy College Green Park movement in Iowa City was a pimple or a wart at best. And the Occupy Wall Street movement has now become an oddly colored mole that might need further inspection. If the wart becomes more conspicuous I might use something like Freeze Away© (Iowa winter). If the benign mole becomes more active I might use something like cosmetic surgery (baton charge, water cannon, tear gas, rubber bullets, etc.). I know I can buy a solution to such irritations.
Alternatively, if I retain my perspective as a contemporary human being whose conscience is still awake, I see how these movements are undeniably triggered by long-term exposure to societal carcinogens. Carcinogens such as deep-seated denial, oppression of workers’ unions, media blackout, injustice, lack of quality education, price fixing and political debauchery through cronyism and nepotism have brought our society to its current state. Our state is actually similar to that of a chronic cancer patient with numerous organs failing along with a diminished immune system. Surgery, radiation or chemo-therapy would most probably kill the patient or leave her or him in a devastated condition without the power to perform basic human functions. The last days of such a patient might be better served in being able to walk up to people and educate them about cancer and carcinogens.
The analogous condition in our society is the government (therapist) choosing brutality, covert operations, and propaganda to blast every awakened conscience (infected cell). Of course, if the government does nothing, the movements just might become embroiled in senseless violence as the carcinogens produce truly ignorant fanatics. The movements would simply cannibalize themselves.
I believe it would be worthwhile for us to make a tactical retreat during the winter and regroup to make a concerted effort guided through moral sobriety. While most government workers strive to support our cause, there are enough opportunistic officials working to solely promote their personal gains. We cannot give them an excuse to use brutality and justify their bullying as they have in Oakland Park.
Driven to an abyss, ever so bleak.
Sameer Khan, University of Iowa graduate student
2 Timothy 3:1-7
ON POINT RADIO
The Newt Gingrich Moment
Newt is now leader of the pack in GOP polls. We’ll look again at Newt Gingrich and his come-from-behind campaign for the presidential nomination.
Republican presidential candidate former House Speaker Newt Gingrich speaks to supporters Monday, Nov. 28, 2011, in Charleston, S.C. (AP)
With the latest report of a longtime extra-marital affair in Atlanta, Herman Cain is stumbling badly in polls of Republican voters. And the man who’s gaining from that stumble? Not Mitt Romney, but Newt Gingrich. Newt Gingrich, the man who brought the Republican Revolution to Congress in the ‘90s, then was rejected by his own party.
This hour, On Point: Newt now. In the GOP race, candidate Gingrich takes the lead.
-Tom Ashbrook
Guests
Todd Purdum, national editor for Vanity Fair
Highlights
National Review “Romney was fine, although he wasn’t quite as fluid as usual and faded into the background more than in other debates. He won the exchanges with Huntsman on Afghanistan and Paul on defense spending, although not in a slam-dunk fashion. Overall, he didn’t hurt himself.”
THE GREENING OF AMERICA BY OPPOSING THE SYSTEM
There are two seminal books that have important relevance for the elections of 2012: Charles A. Reich’s Opposing The System (1995); and The Greening of America: How the Youth Revolution Is Trying to Make America Livable (1970). These books show a roadmap to success for Progressives that reads as though they were both written today.
Charles A. Reich
The Greening of America is not about biofuels, and I have already written so much about Opposing the System. Greening is about how to change the System and it seems to have anticipated the Occupy Movement: America is dealing death, not only to people in other lands, but to its own people. So say the most thoughtful and passionate of our youth, from California to Connecticut. This realization is not limited to the new generation. Talk to a retired school teacher in Mendocino, a judge in Washington, D.C., a housewife in Belmont, Massachusetts, a dude rancher in the Washington Cascades. We think of ourselves as an incredibly rich country, but we are beginning to realize that we are also a desperately poor country—poor in most of the things that throughout the history of mankind have been cherished as riches. (13)
There is a revolution coming. It will not be like revolutions of the past. It will originate with the individual and with culture, and it will change the political structure only as its final act. It will not require violence to succeed, and it cannot be successfully resisted by violence. It is now spreading with amazing rapidity, and already our laws, institutions and social structure are changing in consequence. It promises a higher reason, a more human community, and a new and liberated individual. Its ultimate creation will be a new and enduring wholeness and beauty—a renewed relationship of man to himself, to other men, to society, to nature, and to the land. (13-14)
The logic and necessity of the new generation—and what they are so furiously opposed to—must be seen against a background of what has gone wrong in America. It must be understood in light of the betrayal and loss of the American dream, the rise of the Corporate State of the 1960s, and the way in which that State dominates, exploits, and ultimately destroys both nature and man.
Its rationality must be measured against the insanity of existing “reason”—reason that makes impoverishment, dehumanization, and even war appear to be logical and necessary. Its logic must be read from the fact that the Americans have lost control of the machinery of their society, and only new values and a new culture can restore control. Its emotions and spirit can be comprehended only by seeing contemporary America through the eyes of the new generation. (14)
At the heart of everything is what we shall call a change of consciousness. This means a “new head”—a new way of living—a new man. This is what the new generation has been searching for, and what it has started achieving. Industrialism produced a new man [and woman], too—one adapted to the demands of the machine. In contrast, to today’s emerging consciousness seeks a new knowledge of what it means to be human, in order that the machine, having been built, may now be turned to human ends; in order that man once more can become a creative force, renewing and creating his own life and thus giving life back to his society.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00lt5pr#synopsis
Mohammed El Erian
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Last broadcast today, 16:05 on BBC World Service (see all broadcasts).
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Synopsis
The world's developed economies are already in deep trouble, but here's the really frightening thing, it could get much, much worse.
If the Eurozone unravels, no country will be insulated from the consequences.
Even if it doesn't, we may be in the midst of a decade long depression.
Hardtalk’s Stephen Sackur speaks to one of America's most influential economic analysts and investors.
Mohamed El-Erian is CEO of PIMCO, which manages more than a trillion dollars of other people's money.
What's the best way out of the mess we're in?
Related Links
Scores Of British Workers Protest Austerity Measures
November 30, 2011
More than 2 million public sector workers in Britain are expected to participate in Wednesday's strike to protest pension cutbacks. Thirty trade unions will join in, hitting public services from health, garbage and tax collection to schools, ports and airports.
THE AMERICAN CRISIS
It is essential to place the American crisis and this change within individuals in a philosophic perspective, showing how we got to where we are, and where we are going. Current events are so overwhelming that we only see from day to day, merely responding to each crisis as it comes, seeing only immediate evils, and seeking inadequate solutions such as merely ending the war, or merely changing our domestic priorities. A longer-range view is necessary.
On Campaign Trail, Which Dark Horse Racing Ahead?
December 2, 2011
GOP presidential hopefuls Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich are battling for the lead as they approach the Iowa caucuses in 2012. But Iowa has historically boosted dark horse candidates. Host Michel Martin discusses the latest political news with former Obama administration staff member Corey Ealons and GOP strategist Ron Christie.
What is the nature of the present American crisis? Most of us see it as a collection of problems, not necessarily related to each other, and, although profoundly troubling, nevertheless within the reach of reason and reform. But if we list these problems, not according to topic, but as elements of larger issues concerning the structure of our society itself, we can see that the present crisis is an organic one, that it arises out of the basic premises by which we live and that no mere reform can touch it. (15)
Obama's Hope: A Younger, More Diverse Electorate
by Mara Liasson
December 1, 2011
The American electorate is getting more diverse, more educated and younger. These demographic trends seem to suggest that voters could, in theory at least, be more Obama-friendly in 2012, especially in some key states. But it's not clear whether these shifts can outweigh the dragging economy and the president's dismal approval ratings.
If we seek to explain the American crisis in terms of obsolete structure, we might find an illustration in the ideal or and machinery of free speech. The ideal or principle is that every opinion must be expressed freely in order that truth be arrived at. But the machinery for carrying out this ideal was designed for a very different society than ours, a society of small villages, town meetings, and face-to-face discussions.
Behind Unemployment Figure, A Nuanced Outlook
December 3, 2011
Listen to Weekend Edition Saturday
http://www.npr.org/2011/12/03/143081606/behind-unemployment-figure-a-nuanced-outlook
The U.S. unemployment rate took a big tumble in November, from 9 percent to 8.6 percent, according to the government's monthly jobs data. Still, it's probably too soon to pop the champagne corks. A combination of forces caused the big drop, some good and some bad.
Getting a big fall in the unemployment rate is always good news in the White House, but President Obama was careful not to gloat at an appearance Friday in Washington.
"This morning we learned that our economy added another 140,000 private sector jobs in November. The unemployment rate went down," he said.
The president didn't make a big deal about the unemployment rate falling sharply — maybe because he's afraid it will go up again. http://www.npr.org/2011/12/03/143081606/behind-unemployment-figure-a-nuanced-outlook
The First Amendment furnishes no workable means for the public to be adequately informed about complex issues. News is cut down into a commodity by the mass media, a staccato piece of show business, and no one who only watches television and reads a typical newspaper could possibly know enough to be an intelligent voter. The vital decisions of the private sector of the economy receive even less adequate coverage and reporting. Moreover, the media systematically deny any fundamentally different or dissenting point of view a chance to be heard at all—it is simply kept off the air and out of the newspapers.
Opportunity in Recession 05 Dec 11
Mon, 5 Dec 11
Duration: 19 mins
Available: 30 days remaining
Do economic downturns create opportunities for business people with vision? Or do we make things worse by talking about how bad things are? Andrew Walker speaks to David Kauders, an investment manager in Britain and John Warillow, an investor and entrepreneur in Canada. And a report on the Zimbabwean clothing industry. Plus a plea from Lucy Kellaway to use numbers before you say "do the math".
LIMITATIONS OF PUBLIC OPINION VS THE FIRST AMENDMENT
The opinion that does get on television is commercially sponsored and thus heavily subsidized by government tax policies; the opinion that is not allowed is sometimes heavily penalized by the same tax laws (thus: the Georgia-Pacific Lumber Company’s advertising is tax deductible; conservation advertising may not be). In short, our machinery for free speech is hopelessly ineffectual in the light of the way society is organized today, and this illustrates the plight of most of our democratic machinery which has not adapted to changing realities.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00ltjyc#synopsis
03/12/2011
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Last broadcast today, 08:05 on BBC World Service.
Synopsis
Live news and current affairs, business and sport from around the world.
Broadcast
Sat 3 Dec 2011
08:05
Reich writes that to explain the American crisis only in the above terms is, however, far from adequate. For one thing, it fails to take account of the whole Marxist analysis of capitalism. Those who analyze society in terms of class interests point out that there are powerful and privileged groups that profit greatly by the status quo. These power elite, and the monopolistic corporations it represents, has long exploited both people and environment. It profits from poverty, inequality, and war; it has a well-founded fear of democracy, liberty, and communal solidarity. The Marxists would argue that our government machinery is not naively obsolete; it has been captured by class interests. The same free speech illustration we used above would also illustrate a Marxist analysis: the media only disseminate the opinions that serve the interests of monopoly capital. (20-1)
POWERLESSNESS OF THE BODY POLITIC OVERCOME THROUGH CONSCIOUSNESS
Unreality is the true source of powerlessness. What we do not understand, we cannot control. And when we cannot comprehend the major forces, structures, and values that pervade our existence, they must inevitably come to dominate us. Thus a true definition of the American crisis would say this: we no longer understand the system under which we live, hence the structure has become obsolete and we have become powerless; in turn, the system has been permitted to assume unchallenged power to dominate our lives, and now rubles along, unguided and therefore indifferent to human ends.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00lt5pn
BRICs at 10 - what next? 02 Dec 11
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Last broadcast today, 11:32 on BBC World Service (see all broadcasts).
Synopsis
It's been ten phenomenal years of growth for the so-called Bric economies.
Since the term was first coined by Jim O'Neill of Goldman Sachs in 2001,
Brazil, Russia, India and China have emerged as industrial powerhouses.
We hear from Jim O Neill about how the decade has transformed the global economic map.
Can the same trends continue? And are others, like Nigeria, about to join the new world order?
We have an exclusive discussion between the finance ministers of Nigeria and South Africa, Ngosi Okonjo-Iweala and Pravin Gordhan, on their thoughts about Bric membership.
They also speak out about the damaging effect of the European debt crisis on the global economy.
(Image Credit: Getty Images)
In graphics: Why do the Brics matter?
A look at the rapid economic growth and rise in political influence of four emerging economies: Brazil, Russia, India and China
Read more on the BBC News website
What is this “understanding” that holds such a key place in our contemporary situation? To describe what we are talking about, we propose to use the term “consciousness.” It is a term that already has several meanings, including an important one in Marx, a medical one, a psychoanalytic one, a literary or artistic one, and one given us by users of hallucinogenic drugs. Our use of the term “consciousness” will not be exactly like any of these, but it gains meaning from all of them, and is consistent with all of them.
Consciousness, as we are using the term, is not a set of opinions, information, or values, but a total configuration in any given individual, which makes up his whole perception of reality, his whole world view. It is a common observation that once one has ascertained a man or woman’s beliefs on one subject, one is likely to be able to predict a whole range of views and reactions.
Included within the idea of consciousness is a person’s back ground, education politics, insight, values, emotions, and philosophy, but consciousness is more than these or even the sum of them. It is the whole man/woman; his/her “head”; his/her way of life. It is that by which he creates his/her own life and thus creates the society in which he/she lives. (22-3)
Gingrich's Popularity: A Winning Boost?
by Kathy Lohr
December 3, 2011
Newt Gingrich is now the focus of the race to become the GOP presidential nominee — and with that comes the heat. His main opposition, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney went on the attack Friday, but Gingrich insists he'll stay positive. The big question is whether the former House speaker can sustain his surge in the polls.
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Comments
When Ole Newt came out last week against the poor, not one commentator I saw in the mainstream caught it. He rose to fame fighting Clinton over the welfare cheats and was appealing to his constituency.
This election will not be one or lost because of him. It's up to whether liberals are going to vote for their only logical choice, and if the past is a guide they won't.
Mark my words, if the new generations of protestors follow in their progenitors footsteps and withdraw from the electoral process its all over, and far to few realize it.