Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Marx/Gramsci conflation
Republicans love to describe liberals as Marxists, when in fact both parties are Gramscians.
Good example on an interview with Bachmann heard just now.
Host: Well, if the libs don't follow the Constitution, if they don't follow capitalism, what do they follow?
Bachmann: They follow their own ideology, redistribution of wealth. Cap-n-trade, Obamacare, quantitative easing: all examples of redistribution.
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Yes, but all of those are UPWARD redistribution of wealth. All of those programs take money from individuals and small businesses, and pay it upward to already rich investors and insurance companies.
All are Gramscian. Marx and old-fashioned socialists like FDR would instantly oppose all of these programs.
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Bit later, an encouraging poll that shows the brand-R assholes aren't fooling anyone who isn't already fooled.
Not that it matters... by definition the ruling class no longer has or needs the consent of the governed. Still, I'm glad we're drowning with our eyes open. ¶ 2:48 AM
Good example on an interview with Bachmann heard just now.
Host: Well, if the libs don't follow the Constitution, if they don't follow capitalism, what do they follow?
Bachmann: They follow their own ideology, redistribution of wealth. Cap-n-trade, Obamacare, quantitative easing: all examples of redistribution.
= = = = =
Yes, but all of those are UPWARD redistribution of wealth. All of those programs take money from individuals and small businesses, and pay it upward to already rich investors and insurance companies.
All are Gramscian. Marx and old-fashioned socialists like FDR would instantly oppose all of these programs.
= = = = =
Bit later, an encouraging poll that shows the brand-R assholes aren't fooling anyone who isn't already fooled.
Two in three - including nearly half of Republicans - say the rich benefit most from the federal government's policies. More than seven in ten say special interest groups and large corporations have too much influence on American life.
Similarly, Americans have long felt they have little say in government. But the trends are troubling: While 58 percent said they have little say in what government does in 1990, that figure has risen to 69 percent today. In the new survey, 85 percent say that people like them had too little influence on American life.
Not that it matters... by definition the ruling class no longer has or needs the consent of the governed. Still, I'm glad we're drowning with our eyes open. ¶ 2:48 AM
