by supporting the 1935 Social Security Act you would be selling out the working class and capitulating to right-wing special interests who wrote half the bill? Didn't see that one coming, didja? To get Social Security passed, progressives had to agree to exclude nearly one-half of the working class, including two-thirds of all African Americans and more than one-half of all women. Yep, that's the deal you would have had to make in 1935 to pass what we know now is one of the most progressive and successful governmental programs of all time. But in 1935, it didn't look that way when progressives had to accept the deal racist, reactionary Southern Democrats laid down in exchange for their votes. These backward elements held power over key committees that could have scuttled Social Security and prevented even a vote. Their deal? Exclude all domestic workers, agricultural labor, state and local government employees, and many teachers, nurses, hospital workers, librarians and social workers. Their special interest? Keeping power by keeping intact the American-style apartheid system they presided over. So what do we do? Kill the bill and try to come back later or take what you can get now?
Didn't see that one coming, didja?
To get Social Security passed, progressives had to agree to exclude nearly one-half of the working class, including two-thirds of all African Americans and more than one-half of all women.
Yep, that's the deal you would have had to make in 1935 to pass what we know now is one of the most progressive and successful governmental programs of all time. But in 1935, it didn't look that way when progressives had to accept the deal racist, reactionary Southern Democrats laid down in exchange for their votes.
These backward elements held power over key committees that could have scuttled Social Security and prevented even a vote. Their deal? Exclude all domestic workers, agricultural labor, state and local government employees, and many teachers, nurses, hospital workers, librarians and social workers. Their special interest? Keeping power by keeping intact the American-style apartheid system they presided over.
So what do we do? Kill the bill and try to come back later or take what you can get now?
Like Izzy said, we're still at the front end of the new political cycle. It took the GOPers decades to get into a position to ram through their agenda, and they still didn't get the elements that were most important to the various factions (overturning Roe, privatizing Social Security, flat taxes, etc).
Just keep winning and pushing, and we'll fix it. I think we're going to do some good with this. But there's a lotta work to do. Conservatives want live babies so they can raise them to be dead soldiers. - George Carlin
I'll focus on the fight day after tomorrow - I'm gonna enjoy the glow for a day.
Merry Christmas, everyone! Maybe we can eventually make language a complete impediment to understanding. -Hobbes
then later I'll record shakespeare in love for tomorrow morning.
And booze lowers the threshold of what's watchable anyway. keep to the Fen Causeway
The Democratic Party depends on the Left/Progressive movements to volunteer for staff and campaign positions.
As far as I'm concerned they can get their BFF in the FIRE industries to do those jobs in 2010.
