>>> dhenwood at panix.com 10/04/00 04:10PM >>>
Well, they've got two political parties, though Nathan assures us that the Dems are wonderfully responsive to their grassroots base. And they've got newspapers and other organs of opinion formation. Academics and pundits who do their thinking for them. Portions of the elite gather from time to time at Jackson Hole and Davos, including our very own Brad De Long, to reflect, plan, and inflate each other's egos. But the process of class formation and consensus formation is really complicated: how what's "obvious" or "unreasonable" come to be defined as such - the production of ideology - well you could devote a lifetime to figuring all that out.
((((((((((((((((((((
CB: This fills in the picture more, but the parties, media, academe seem to me second tier on the organizational chart. For example, we here, even those who might urge a "vote Dem" tactic, are all pretty much open to the idea that the Dems and Reps are Tweedle Dee/Tweedle Dum or parties of big biz. This is DemRep institution not just left to spontaneity. I infer the existence of a supra-party entity that has the permanent task of making sure the Reps and Dems stay close within certain limits.
I'm hypothesizing that there is more complexity on the surface of consensus formation than in the process among the real players.
But so what ? I'm thinking exposing the simplicity of ruling class unity, establishing it as working class common sense, is , well, an important link in working class consciousness, knowing what we are truly up against. It is not the entirety of working class consciousness.
It would help in dispelling notions about false "conspiracy theories" , such as the United Nations or Jewish bankers.