[lbo-talk] of actors and politicians

[Marvin Gandall]

Wojtek writes:
> The bottom line is, however, that the US Right has mastered the art of
> manipulating populism, and it is going to play that card to its advantage
> in the foreseable future. They do not need mobilize huge masses that way -
> only enough people to get 50% + 1 vote. Their opponents - progressives,
> liberals, and Democrats in general - must either play the same game or
> kiss goodbye to their chances of seeing the inside of the White House and
> other halls of power in this country.This is why Amerikan politics looks
> like putting lipstick on the pig of populism (which tends to be
> reactionary,) and it will likely be that way in the foreseable future,
> economic misfortunes notwithstanding.
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Yet the election is trending towards the Democrats, with a black candidate
and in a climate of rapidly rising economic insecurity, both factors which
are presumed to contribute to the growth of right-wing populist sentiment.
The early indications are that most viewers weren't taken by Palin, who
represents the conservative segment of the US working class, which is
substantial but not a majority. How do these results square with your
persistent foreboding about the direction of US politics?