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Real Politics Web Research
The Massive Power of Rhetoric 6/17/2009 (215) David Michael Green - Article: Words are deeds, they make a difference, and Barack Obama knows how to talk, his content is more important than his style. But will he follow-through? Democrats Failing to Govern with Real Change 6/9/2009 (223) William Greider - Article: The American people want real change in economic and social policy, but Democrats so far are timid and uncertain. Here is what to do: organize against usury! Conservative Intellectual Incoherence 2/25/2009 (291) Paul Krugman - Article: Bobby Jindal had a tough time following Barack Obama, but it's what he actually said that was the biggest problem for Republicans. Taking Charge of the Public Agenda 2/24/2009 (312) Ed Knudson - Article: Barack Obama's speech to Congress and the American people on his budget is a remarkable event demonstrating real competence and confidence. Massive Civil Unrest Possible Due to Economic Crisis 2/22/2009 (486) Chris Hedges - Article: The new director of national intelligence, Dennis Blair, warns extremism of the 20s and 30s may threaten social stability and national security. Politics and Struggle in the New Era of Obama 2/15/2009 (275) Article: The election of Barack Obama constitutes a sea-change in popular consciousness according to voices from the left. Unpopular Rush Limbaugh Now Leads Republican Party 2/7/2009 (4229) Max Blumenthal - Article: Congressional Republicans have turned to Rush Limbaugh to lead the battle against Obama. One problem: A poll says he's less popular than Jeremiah Wright. Karl Rove in Sweden 12/10/2008 (459) Amy Goodman - Article: This is about the Nobel prizes and how Karl Rove is helping Sweden’s prime minister, Fredrik Reinfeldt. The Civil War Is Finally Over with this Election 11/8/2008 (315) Ed Knudson - Article : The cultural wars of the past decades fought by religious conservatives were really a continuation of the civil war. With this election a new solidarity is possible. The Real Truth: Our Democracy is in Peril 10/13/2008 (336) Chris Hedges - Article: The economic crisis could bring on a political crisis also, pointing to the analysis of Karl Polanyi. Race and Regionalism in a Turning-Point Election 10/8/2008 (220) Chalmers Johnson - Article: The 2008 election is a possible realignment of American politics, depending on race and regionalism as well as the economy. Lesson for Political Candidates: Control of the Narrative 9/9/2008 (380) Ed Knudson - Article: Politics is a contest over which story is true. It 'reveals' who a candidate is, who the voters are, where they have been and where they are going. Kill the Prophet 8/28/2008 (232) Ed Knudson - Article: A true political preacher like Barack Obama is a rare thing, and dangerous for the opposition in power. That's why prophets must be killed. McCain Ad Cynically Encourages Religious, Hysterical Hatred of Obama 8/4/2008 (248) Ed Knudson - Article: Political advertising has reached a new low in an John McCain ad about Obama as 'The One'. The Southern Dominance of Real Politics 7/30/2008 (232) Ed Knudson - Article: To understand politics for the past few decades it is necessary to realize the South wants to culturally dominate the country. Strategy on Jeremiah Wright 3/25/2008 (225) Ed Knudson - Article: How to respond to the Jeremiah Wright issue and what the Obama campaign should do. Keeping the Democratic Faith 2/15/2005 (458) Ed Knudson - Article: Post-election 2006 analysis has lots of people talking about how Democrats can address issues of faith and politics: Michael Lind, Peter Dreier, George Lakoff, John B. Judis, Ruy Teixeira, etc. Ike on Current Republican Initiatives 2/1/2005 (117) Comment: Eisenhower calls current Republican policy initiatives stupid. Democrats Must Give Voters a Real Choice 1/31/2005 (158) Sam Smith - Article: Some facts of Democratic history to show why Democrats should stop echoing Republican policies. Gingrich and Family Values 1/26/2005 (180) Article: Brian Blomquist tells how Newt Gingrich divorces wives when they get sick. The Great Backlash 1/19/2005 (125) Comment: Thomas Frank talks about political culture since the 1960s. About Shirley Chisholm 1/7/2005 (355) Byron Williams - Article: Presidential candidate, seven-term congresswoman forged her own moral compass By Byron Williams Political Ads in 1968: The South against the North 1/2/2005 (1347) Ed Knudson - Article: Forty years later if Obama is elected this nation can finally move beyond the conservative politics of division, Nixon versus Hubert Humphrey. Bush Threatened by Social Conservatives 12/26/2004 (149) Comment: Paul M. Weyrich says Bush had better support abortion and other issues of the religious right. Dissent: Placing Country above Party 12/6/2004 (197) Byron Williams - Article: Byron Williams asserts that preservation of democracy requires Republicans and Democrats to foster opposition. It's Time to Reconfigure the United States 11/22/2004 (180) Article: Twelve liberal states should be expelled from the union: California, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Maryland, and Delaware. The Political Fundamentalism of the Bush Administration 11/22/2004 (268) David Domke - Article: David Domke of the University of Washington has researched statements by and news coverage of the Bush administration. It's Not Your Father's Republican Party Anymore 10/6/2004 (276) Ed Knudson - Article: Clyde Prestowitz worked in the Reagan administration but as a conservative is alarmed with the current direction of the country. The South has Dominated Politics in this Country for Too Long 10/1/2004 (233) Ed Knudson - Article: The worst elements in the South have come to power nationally with George W. Bush, according to a book by Anthony Dunbar. Retro vs. Metro: New Democratic Strategy for Electoral Success 9/30/2004 (237) Comment: The Great Divide, a book promoted by John Sperling and written by economists, provides a conceptual framework for emerging victory for Democratic politics. Republican Dirty Campaign Tricks are Now Commonplace 9/8/2004 (276) Ed Knudson - Article : A new book by Kitty Kelly accuses Bush of taking drugs. But it's Karl Rove and Republicans that have put character assassination at the center of politics. The Truth about Ronald Reagan 6/11/2004 (387) Sam Smith - Article : Sam Smith puts together several responses to the death of Mr. Reagan. On Ronald Reagan, the Movie Star President 6/10/2004 (288) Marcus Raskin - Article : Ronald Reagan's film background influenced his presidency. Ronald Reagan is Dead Now 6/7/2004 (282) William Rivers Pitt - Article : Reagan and the media, image over reality. His family will miss him but some truth must be told. Most of today's problems start with Reagan. Ronald Reagan, Cultural Warrior, is Dead 6/5/2004 (274) Ed Knudson - Article : Reagan died at 93 on Saturday, June 5, 2004. Destroy the New Deal 3/8/2004 (286) Yoshi Tsurumi - Comment : Even most Republicans don't realize how radical are the views of George W. Bush. Cynical Exploitation of Human Suffering 9/15/2003 (381) Article : Paul Krugman makes clear the degree to which the Bush administration has used the 9/11 attack to promote its right wing agenda. Racism in Republican Politics 8/20/2003 (1140) Article : Karl Rove and Tom Delay seek to redraw congressional district lines in Texas. Boycott Backlash 3/26/2003 (275) Comment : Calls not to buy American are being heard around the world. Reckless Administration May Reap Disastrous Consequences 3/24/2003 (258) Reprint : US Senator Robert Byrd - Senate Floor Speech - Wednesday, February 12, 2003 . Outrageous Agenda Manipulation: Congress Passes Big Tax Cuts 3/22/2003 (416) Article : It is hard to believe that the Bush package of huge tax cuts causing massive deficits has been passed in the middle of a war. The Bush program asks our children to pay for what we are doing now. Making a Killing: The Business of War 11/13/2002 (274) Comment : International Consortium of Investigative Journalists publishes an eleven part series. Henry Kissinger: War Criminal 11/13/2002 (388) Comment : Harper's Magazine presents a panel discussion on the making of a war criminal. Outstanding Senator Dies 10/25/2002 (272) Comment : Paul Wellstone, Senator from Minnesota, dies in plane crash. Business as Usual 10/23/2002 (271) Comment : Serial Snipers and the War with Iraq are in the headlines, so we hear little about the corporate scandals. Faces of Fraud 7/9/2002 (319) Comment : Melvin Dick, Bernard J. Ebbers, Scott D. Sullivan, |
Real Politics Section
"Real politics" refers to actual power relations, who has actual power over whom. It is not just what people believe about politics, or what principles politicians say they stand for, but who actually gets what they want from politics and who loses. Over the past four decades there have been a few wealthy winners and a whole lot of losers. There is now a vast inequality in the wealth distribution in the United States. A person's political consciousness is determined by how he or she interprets history. Historical interpretation consists of what has actually happened, who won and lost the debates of the past, what has actually been "real". Politics can best be defined as contests over differing interpretations of history. It is therefore generational. Each generation remakes the world a bit different than it was previously. So the next generation experiences a world different than the previous one. How these changes are interpreted, as good or bad, right or wrong, are key to the meanings carried in the language used in politics. The politics of the past four or five decades has been defined by three major events, the Vietnam war, the civil rights movements of the 1960s, and the 9/11 attack. Much of the conservative dominance during this period can best be understood as a strong backlash against the failure in Vietnam and success of blacks and women in changing social practices. This era is now coming to an end, especially with the election of Barack Obama.
Elections in majority-based democracies tend to focus everything on particular leaders, such as the presidential candidate. Even though Barack Obama has won the presidency, the Democratic Party lacks adequate capacity to inspire new, competent candidates at other levels of government and to create the conditions for formulation of realistic policy proposals for the future. This website wants to make a contribution in both these dimensions. During the period of Republican dominance Democratic leaders could not break out of the conservative interpretation of history. Even Democratic leaders like Bill Clinton mentally functioned from within the conservative narrative, as indicated by his reliance on the political consultant Dick Morris. Only through and formation of an alternative interpretation of history can the Democractic Party and Democratic candidates not only be elected but govern on the basis of practical policies and programs to create what we call here a "free society" which has always been the goal of the people who have come to this land over the centuries. Conservatives were in power when the events of September 11, 2001, fundamentally changed the public context. How people "see" what is happening around them determines how they think and feel, how they decide what is right and wrong, good and bad. So, "reading" the public context and making sense of it is fundamental to interpretation. Unforunately, the conservative interpretation simply substituted Islamic extremists for the old enemy, the godless Communists. One of the most important tasks of New Social Democrats is to creative a different narrative, a more truthful interpretation, of the past role of the United States around the world and the prospects for a sustainable peace in the future. To keep the old Cold War going under a different guise can only produce more disaster for everyone. Many of the articles and discussions on this website will be aimed to fulfill that purpose. The term "politics", then, refers to contests among persons, political parties, media, think tanks, and multiple other organizations to define the best and most appropriate beliefs, ideas, strategies and policies which should prevail in the public context. Our time is still characterized by "cultural wars" where differing beliefs and values and the persons who hold them are referred to as good or evil. The terms liberal and conservative have become labels for these cultural wars, but the actual meanings of these terms are often less than useful for clear understandings of the issues facing the country and the world. At this website we want to enter the debate but we want to do so with careful use of political terms. We seek to speak in ways that reflect what is truly right, real, and good. We want to contribute to defining what it means to be a Social Democrat in today's political culture in the United States of America. We want to promote good and helpful political discussion. Please see the Study Circle Section for information on how to set up your own study and action group. |