Once again, Bill Moyers has hit the mark with an incisive and insightful program. I took special note of the interview with author Thomas Frank of What's the Matter with Kansas? fame. My ears pricked up when I heard Frank say he can see the possibility of a right-wing resurgence in America, playing on Americans' dissatisfaction with the economy and its attendant hopelessness. This less than a year after the inauguration of a new Democratic President. Let the complacent be forewarned!
People are indeed disappointed. They do in fact see the powerful becoming more powerful -- and at their expense. While so-called liberal Democrats see this as an occasion for the government to come to the aid of the citizenry, right-wing Republicans see a violation of their heart-felt passion for a small government.
What Frank makes clear is the Republicans don't so much want small government as weak and ineffective government. Republican strategists and apologists have actually said they want second- and third-rate people to run the government, so the beloved free market can operate without encumbrance.
We must remember it was this philosophy which got us into so much trouble during the last decade. Frank documents the evidence.
(I can say speedily I am no promoter of incompetent governance. But as Frank points out, many governments around the world can and do work very well.)
The interview is well worth watching and can be seen at the following link or by first clicking on the blog title above.
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/01152010/profile.html
History in the Making
Founding Fathers and the Declaration of Independence
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