I think part of that seeming calm here is that Americans have been led to believe that we are not a class-based society. In short, if you're not doing well right now, that can change and you can become a millionaire someday. So the "system" is permitted to remain in place without major reforms. If you point out the fact that the middle-class has not moved up economically since the 1970s, and that the wealthy have only grown geometrically more wealthy and less interested in helping those below them, you are lambasted as preaching "class warfare," which is held to be a bad thing. (You're not supposed to notice that protecting the status quo is "class warfare" against the great majority of Americans.)
Your instinct is correct: There is not a viable, united, effective Left in the United States these days. The culture over the past few decades has been shifted ever rightward. Indeed, what used to be the Right is now the Center. Thanks to incitement by right-wing commentators and media outlets, it's risky to be a liberal -- or, God forbid! -- a progressive in many places in the U.S.
But there are some signs that the tectonic political plates may be shifting. What has led to this potential shift are the reckless, extremist policies of far-right Republicans. The 2010 election brought those types into power in so many states (and, of course, into the majority in the House of Representatives in D.C.), and the extremist governors and legislators decided to push the envelope way beyond the traditional political parameters. They are going after unions, workers (including firefighters, nurses, teachers, police), they openly are attacking the gains from the New Deal and Great Society (Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid), even the government itself, cutting off all sorts of social services and benefits.
If the Republicans had continued to do this in increments over the years on the low-down, probably nobody would have been too riled up. But the extreme conservatives are so greedy for money and power, they felt this was their best chance in generations to go for it all, in the open. And this has led to a significant liberal backlash as ordinary citizens, openly attacked by the GOP, decided to fight back to protect their unions, their jobs, their rights -- in Wisconsin, Ohio, Michigan and so on. Whether this fledgling movement will coalesce into an active, effective national Left is not clear, but at least the building blocks are there.
5. LOONY TUNES & DEMAGOGUES
Who are the most popular, dangerous rightwing fear&hate-mongers in the U.S. today? Are their ranks growing or shrinking?
Three who are certifiable: Pamela Geller, MIchael Savage, and Glenn Beck -- unadulterated, frothing loons. Next tier: Rush Limbaugh, almost anyone on Fox "News," Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly, et al.
Those are among the most obvious candidates -- easy targets for satire and criticism. The more dangerous are those in the Republican mainstream who enable these demagogues by encouraging them and often offering endorsements of their bigoted, hate-filled screeds, folks like Newt Gingrich, Pat Buchanan, Senator James Inhofe, Speaker John Boehner, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, Governor Jan Brewer, Sharron Angle, Rep. Paul Ryan, Michele Bachmann, Sarah Palin, et al. They create the stew of "respectable" cultural parameters; the extremist wackos add the explosive spices.
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