Historians will long debate why the 2008 financial collapse produced a right-wing populist movement

[pampango]

and not a left-wing one.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/08/01/tea-party-debt-deal-win-due-to-left-wing-void-end-of-war-on-terror.html

Since the economy collapsed in 2008, only one grassroots movement has emerged in response, and it’s been a movement of the right. Compare that with what happened during the Depression. In 1933, Franklin Roosevelt assumed the presidency and launched the hodgepodge of domestic programs that historians call the first New Deal. By 1935, however, he was looking warily over his left shoulder at Huey Long, whose “Share our Wealth” movement demanded that incomes be capped at $1 million and every family be guaranteed an income no less than one third the national average.

At the same time, the Townsend plan to guarantee generous pensions to every elderly American had organizers in every state in the Union. To be sure, FDR had vehement opponents on his right, but he was at least as concerned about the populist left, which helps explain why he enacted the more ambitious “second New Deal,” which included Social Security, the massive public jobs program called the Works Progress Administration, and the Wagner Act, which for the first time in American history put Washington on the side of labor unions.

Obama, like FDR, had a reasonably successful first two years: a stimulus package that, while too small for the circumstances, was still large by historical standards,, and a health-care bill that while subpar in myriad ways, still far exceeded the efforts of other recent Democratic presidents.

And then, unlike FDR, he ran into a grassroots movement of the right. Historians will long debate why the financial collapse of 2008 produced a right-wing populist movement and not a left-wing one. Perhaps it’s because Obama didn’t take on Wall Street; perhaps it’s because with labor unions so weak there’s just not the organizational muscle to create such a movement; perhaps it’s because trust in government is so low that pro-government populism is almost impossible.

[Lindsay]

1. Well, it's pretty debatable

as to whether or not you can honestly call a corporately mega-funded movement "grassroots," too.

[KittyWampus]

2. The Teaparty is a bought and paid for astroturf group given credibility by a corrupt media.

It's that simple.

And Obama and the Dem led Congress went as far as they could given the circumstances.

[Strelnikov_]

5. What you said n/t

[drm604]

3. The so-called right-wing populist movement is astroturf.

It was started, encouraged, and funded by corporate interests.

Anyone saying that there has been no left-wing populist movement is ignoring Wisconsin.

[Strelnikov_]

6. . . . And you too

If there is one thing the Reich Oligarchs know it is how to message.

Which is made even easier when they control the media outlets.

[CanonRay]

4. The rich corporate elites were smart enough to co-opt the "grassroots" before it took root.

[Motown_Johnny]

7. It didn't. The election of a man who wasn't lily white caused a bigot backlash

masquerading as a populist movement with (R)s so desperate for support that they played along.

[Tempest]

8. The reason is really quite simple

When it comes to politics Americans are fucking stupid and are easily led by the right wing groups with the most money to spend to manipulate public opinion.

[onehandle]

9. Black President. I think people underestimate how motivating racism is.

They hate Obama more than we dislike their policies.

[LeftishBrit]

14. Good point, sadly.

I think that having a president who is both black and a Democrat brings out more overlap between the racists and the economic Right than might otherwise be the case.

[judgegblue]

Bigots united with oligarchs

The election of a black president enraged open and latent bigots. The right wing and their corporate sponsors seized the opportunity to form a coalition with these rackets who would readily vote against their own economic interests. Throw in the religious wing nuts for good measure since they are bigots of a different type. The libertarian anti-government rhetoric is merely a facade to cover the true nature of the alliance.

[judgegblue]

16. Bigots united with oligarchs

The election of a black president enraged open and latent bigots. The right wing and their corporate sponsors seized the opportunity to form a coalition with these rackets who would readily vote against their own economic interests. Throw in the religious wing nuts for good measure since they are bigots of a different type. The libertarian anti-government rhetoric is merely a facade to cover the true nature of the alliance.

[judgegblue]

17. Bigots united with oligarchs

The election of a black president enraged open and latent bigots. The right wing and their corporate sponsors seized the opportunity to form a coalition with these rackets who would readily vote against their own economic interests. Throw in the religious wing nuts for good measure since they are bigots of a different type. The libertarian anti-government rhetoric is merely a facade to cover the true nature of the alliance.

[BumRushDaShow]

10. Agree with the "Bigot Backlash" and add that there was no TeeVee in the 30s

with a Fux Snooze spewing crap 24/7 to mindless zombies. They took a page out of Goebbels' book and applied it to the mass media of today.

[Jackpine Radical]

12. Yes. The corporate newspapers were always there, but

radio as a political tool was in its infancy & FDR did a pretty good job of getting his message out before the Rs figured out what hit them.

[LeftishBrit]

11. Interesting article...

but didn't FDR also face right-wing populism as well as standard Republicanism? E.g. the Coughlinites?

In these days of TV and the Internet and social networking it is difficult to define the distinction between mainstream and populist politics; but certainly there are left-wing grassroots movements. In Britain and Europe and most strikingly the Middle East there have been mass demonstrations and marches and strikes and petitions against cuts and 'austerity' policies. By contrast, the Tea Party may be 'populist' in some sense, but it's certainly being organized and manipulated by wealthy people and groups.

[riverbendviewgal]

13. Two books come to my mind on the explanation.

Joe Bageant's DEER HUNTING WITH JESUS
and
Naomi Klein's SHOCK DOCTRINE.....


Mix in the Koch Brothers and Rupert Murdoch and you got your answer.

[rug]

15. All they have to do is look at the 1932 German election.

[Johonny]

18. there is no grassroots movement on the right

it is a hugely paid for, highly tuned movement brought about by the big money interests that want to return to the gilded age. They use their own media corporations and third party advocates to champion their right wing cause and give it the illusion of popularity and power. The only change from previous right wing power structure is for a long time these people worked from behind the GOP. After the GOP became too unpopular a product, they simply rebranded themselves and moved to new "grassroot" organizations that in turn give them more direct power as they no longer have to worry about the conservative GOP power structure. If that power structure doesn't do what they want, their candidates do have to worry as much because they know funding will still be coming to them from the "grassroots" organizations. They can even out spend the GOP and replace the parties hand pick candidates with ones more in line with the fake "grassroots" movement. The only real question historians will have is why America pretended the totally store bought candidates were given such an illusion of being "Grassroots" candidates, particularly since so many of them were long time corporate bought hacks long before the fake "Grassroots" movement started.

Meanwhile the huge grassroots movement that got Obama elected has been totally ignored for 2.5 years now.

[AndyTiedye]

19. Something Resembling a Left-Wing Populist Movement is Happening in Wisconsin

Of course, the only media coverage of it has been on Al Jazeera.