Eric Alterman To Bill Moyers: I Fear I've Written the Eulogy For Economic-Based Liberalism

[kpete]

Writer and historian Eric Alterman appeared on the April 20 edition of “Moyers and Company” to discuss his new book The Cause: The Fight for American Liberalism from Franklin Roosevelt to Barack Obama.

In a wide-ranging and thoughtful discussion, Alterman makes the case to Bill Moyers that while social liberalism is flourishing, economic liberalism has fallen on hard times. The majority of people in the United States believe that racism is wrong. Acceptance of the idea of same-sex marriage has charged ahead with surprising speed. And yet, only a tiny minority of people in the country self-identify as “liberal.”

Alterman believes that liberals in the U.S. have “overpromised and underperformed,” and ultimately become victims of their own belief in the rectitude of their ideas. Of course racism is wrong, says Alterman, but what are we going to do if the dismantling of a racist system doesn’t go as planned?

He believes that liberals need to go on the offensive and learn to be cannier and more flexible in selling their message and implementing their ideas. Just because it’s right, he maintains, that doesn’t mean it’s going to work.

http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/eric-alterman-i-fear-ive-written-eulo
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/04/21/writer-eric-alterman-tells-moyers-liberals-need-to-regain-fighting-spirit/

[bvar22]

1. I fully agree with Alterman & Moyers, with one caveat:

Economic Justice (Fairness) IS the biggest "Social" Issue.
At some level, all the "Social" Issues are a subset of the Umbrella Issue "Economic Justice for ALL".

"
In our day these economic truths have become accepted as self-evident. We have accepted, so to speak, a second Bill of Rights under which a new basis of security and prosperity can be [font size=3]established for all—regardless of station, race, or creed.[/font]

Among these are:

*The right to a useful and remunerative job in the industries or shops or farms or mines of the nation;

*The right to earn enough to provide adequate food and clothing and recreation;

*The right of every farmer to raise and sell his products at a return which will give him and his family a decent living;

*The right of every businessman, large and small, to trade in an atmosphere of freedom from unfair competition and domination by monopolies at home or abroad;

*The right of every family to a decent home;

*The right to adequate medical care and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health;

*The right to adequate protection from the economic fears of old age, sickness, accident, and unemployment;

*The right to a good education.

All of these rights spell security. And after this war is won we must be prepared to move forward, in the implementation of these rights, to new goals of human happiness and well-being.

America's own rightful place in the world depends in large part upon how fully these and similar rights have been carried into practice [font size=3]for all our citizens.[/font]---FDR, SOTU, 1944

At one time, not so long ago, the above RIGHTS were official Democratic Party Policy.
Voting FOR The Democrats was voting FOR the above Traditional Democratic Party Values.
Sadly, that is no longer true.

Please note that the above values were listed by the leadership of the Democratic Party
as Basic Human RIGHTS to be protected by our Government of the People,
and NOT Commodities to be sold to Americans by Private, For Profit Corporations.



You will know them by their WORKS,
not by their excuses.
[font size=5 color=green]Solidarity99![/font][font size=2 color=green]
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[jwirr]

2. You are correct but I think the problem is that corporations that have no national borders do not

care about America unless it effects their bottom line.

[Jim__]

3. A great interview - I didn't know Alterman had a new book out.

I don't think the headline captures the thrust of the interview. One thing he says is that liberalism is about the right thing to do for the greatest number. I'm not sure that's a strong enough description of what we have to fight for.

He does raise a number of interesting issues. The Civil Rights movement, and particularly affirmative action and the integration of neighborhoods and schools, split the liberal movement. I'm not sure what the alternative might have been. The interview seems to indicate that a successful liberal movement would have improved the lot of the various underprivileged people - but, I'm not sure if that is sufficient if these people remain underprivileged.

He raised good points about the complexity of the issues. I'm not sure I would agree with what he might propose as answers, but I think the issues need to be discussed.

[JDPriestly]

4. The confusion is understandable.

There are two facts that are hard to reconcile if you look at things intuitively.

Generally, in statistical analyses of economic statistics, the distribution of wealth and poverty, joblessness, etc., a larger percentage of African-Americans are doing badly.

At the same time, a far larger number of white people are living in poverty, and white people make up the largest portion of the people living in poverty in the country.

The reason for this is, of course, that African-Americans are numerical minority compared to the overall population of the country.

So, poor white people perceive that they are treated unjustly by programs that, the white people believe, give African-Americans an advantage in the economy.

This is the problem for liberals. I don't know how this can be dealt with. If you are poor and white, you do not have the advantage of equal opportunity programs in the workplace. Of course, those programs do not really give advantages to African-Americans, but they can prove disadvantageous to individual poor white people who then perceive that African-Americans get ahead at the cost of the poor white people.

How do you deal with this misperception?

[saras]

5. Simple. You stop using poverty and suffering as a goad to punish people.

As long as we create a hell, people are going to fight to get out of it, by any dirty means accessible to them. Including racism.

In the bigger picture, we admit that we created our entire economy. It didn't happen to us, it didn't grow, it doesn't follow any sort of evolutionary principles, it's just our laws and our structures.

Once we do that, we can maybe talk about changing the important parts.