When I wrote Uncle Noam one time about this, he told me that, in his experience, when you actually enunciate the issues, it's "pushing an open door" towards traditionally "left" goals.
Maybe that's overly optimistic in today's Glenn-Beck-at-the-Lincoln-Memorial/weird climate. But I still do think that - even though history is NOT AT ALL cyclical -- there are parallels between now and the 1930s -- namely, that (CIO/IWW-type) agitators are NOT reaching the working class now (but could), whereas Father Coughlin-type reactionaries are reaching them. That's a failing of the "left," not a sign the US public is inherently/ingrained into a reactionary mindset.
Rick Scott, the former Columbia-HCA CEO who was deposed due to bilking/defrauding Medicare of tens or hundreds of millions of dollars as CEO -- is the ANTI-ESTABLISHMENT (!!!) GOP gubernatorial candidate in Florida now?? How could activists be HANDED establishment types more delicious than this for the picking?
-B.
Chuck Munson wrote:
"I've always thought that Chomsky is right about this and my experience with the current zetigeist has me even more convinced.