On Feb 6, 2008, at 11:43 AM, Jerry Monaco wrote:
> But my question is not to argue specifically for or against one
> view or
> another but simply to ask:
>
> How do we know?
>
> I mean, seriously, how do we know that people in the 1890s or 1930s
> or 1947
> were not in favor of massive redistribution of wealth or of massive
> expropriation of the rich. How do we know one way or another? The
> fact
> that it didn't happen is not proof in itself. A lot of things that
> didn't
> happen were popular.
Well there was the election of 1896, which came after years of populist agitation and organization. McKinley got 51% of the popular vote, and Bryan, 47%. McKinley apparently won large majorities among not only the professional middle class, but among skilled workers and larger farmers. And after that election, populism kinda fell apart.
Doug