The Decline and Fall of Post War Liberalism and the Rise of the Right (Reprint: the Reagan Legacy) | Ian Welsh:
Overall I agree with this post but I'm not really all that pessimistic about the future.
I think the lost memory of the tough times of the Great Depression, along with the noted failures of liberalism gave rise to the current right, the Reagan, government-is-the-problem, free-markets-rule era. However, I think we're at the cusp of the reverse, the early stages of its death and a resurgence of the left.
The people that came of age in the Reagan Era, saw it's successes, made their fortunes, etc are old and starting to die off. They're still mostly in power and are still fighting but their time is running out. They are old and their younger leaders are mostly bomb-thrower types who prey on the prejudices of their group. The Tea-Party was one of their last gasps. They will still be around for a few more years but they will fade.
By contrast, the upcoming generation didn't get to make theirs in the Reagan era. They've been held back by it, robbed by it, they've seen it's failures, and are looking for a better way. They are the people who voted for Obama the first time, saw the hope of a move away from the past 30 years of free-market greed. They won the election but were left disappointed (mostly) when the hope and change of an Obama administration was stopped in it's tracks by the still powerful Reagan generation. They were stopped this time but they will eventually come to power.
The recent Republican move away from the Tea party is an attempt to move them (the Republicans) into the eye of the coming generation but it's unlikely to work. They're just too old, too mean. There will be other attempts too, maybe another religious/evangelical push but I can't see it working. The young are less religious and just more liberal on most social issues. The Reagan era will die and be replaced, hopefully, with a more liberal regime.
.... at least until that generation screw's things up in their own way.
a note.... I guess power doesn't always change hands easily so the Reagan era people could fuck things up so bad trying to cling to power that we don't get a smooth transition to the next generation and end up with a revolution on our hands? I hope not.
Anyway, a few more charts on the last 30 years....
And one for the Democrat Leadership to ponder.
You have to get it right because the voters only have one other choice.
'via Blog this'
No comments:
Post a Comment