Wojtek: That statement alone indicates how far to the right the political spectrum in this country is skewed. By most international standards (e.g. Europe and Canada) Repugs are far to the right - but they pass for moderates here.
David: Are you saying that Europe and Canada represent "most international standards"? I think we ought to take the whole global system into account. But I think you were right, above, to not simply attribute political sympathies to ideologies but rather to materialism-- so, let's put Europe and Canada into the context of the global capitalist system when we look at these problems.
Wojtek: I think that the best hope for progressives is not resuscitation of the ailing Democratic party, but replacing the current system with PR. The current system may persist for a while, thanks mainly to the enormous power of big business which benefits from the status quo, but the Repugs will face the same representation crisis from their various constituencies as well, hence a hope for a change. Although I am a strong institutionalist in my understand of social behavior - I think that the current institutional makeup of US politics is too much of the integument for effective political representation and sooner or later will burst asunder.
David: What is meant by burst asunder? Do you think it is possible, in the context of what you are calling "the juggernaut of corporate power", to replace the electoral college system with proportional representation nationally, without causing serious reactionary measures-- if not all out civil war-- from the bourgeoisie as it bursts asunder?
-- David