Left and Right converge on Economic Nationalism

Doug Henwood dhenwood at panix.com
Mon Jun 21 10:03:39 PDT 1999


Henry C.K. Liu wrote:


>BTW, your observation about "Buchanan constantly uses "Goldman Sachs" as his
>synecdoche for Wall Street," is curious. He mentioned only Bob Rubin who
>together
>with Greenspan have personified US globalization.

He mentions Goldman Sachs in speeches and columns all the time. Just like he asked a crowd of hecklers a year or two ago if they were "from Brandeis."


>If you mean to suggest that as
>an example of Buchanan racism, it is a weak case (not becasue Buchanan is
>not a
>racist, more visible in his stand on immigration). Buchanan's support for
>Isreal
>is of long standing and unwavering.

There are plenty of anti-Semites who have no problem with Israel - keeps the Jews over there and not next door. Kind of like the German greens who chanted "Germany for the Germans, Turkey for the Turks" during the Gulf War. Shows how leftish localism can morph into rightish localism. Not always, for sure, but enough to worry about.


>And American Jewish support for him is not
>non-existent. The ethnic distinction between GS, Merrill or MS has
>stopped being
>operative some years ago.

Oh for sure, but the names are still resonant, and "the Jew" is still a favored symbol of those who hate rootless cosmopolitan capitals or people.

Doug



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