Steve_American wrote:
Sir, I totally agree with you, the Dems are a lost cause.
Beren wrote:How are they a lost cause while shifting to the left and paving the way for social democracy? Political reality is that Obama is the one that can form a viable and potent coalition against rising Fascism in the US. Even Sanders appears to accept that, and what's outside the Obama-Sanders galaxy? The big fucking nothing!
Beren, you missed the tone of my post.
The best way to explain it is to focus on the tense of the verb I used; "are" is present tense.
In the present the Dems are a lost cause.
In the past before 1980, the Dems fought for the workers, the mass of the American people, and their families.
In the future, if the progressives are numerous enough to be powerful, then the Dems can stop being a lost cause.
However, right now, with the Primary season functionally over, the Dems are only useful for replacing Trump and holding the line until the Progressive Wave washes over America.
What America needs is a Newer New Deal. FDR was constrained by the assumptions of his time. The main one being that the gold standard was necessary for the currency (dollars) to have value; and therefore, America would get back onto the gold standard somehow. That meant that the national debt could not be allowed to get "too big". [Another being that Black Americans should not be hired by the CCC, FDR could not over come this idea in congress. Now it will be different.]
. . Now after over 40 years of being totally off the gold standard and after the Repuds ran the US debt up to over $24T, with no inflation**, it is clear that the dollar does NOT need gold to maintain its buying power, and also that the US debt has gotten *too big* to ever see the US get back onto the gold standard, until after a total melt down on the economy (for example, after 90% of Americans have died from a pandemic or ACC).
. . I stand by my position that MMTers have been right for the last 26 years, that reasonable deficits forever are the *best* thing. That a US Gov. surplus is almost always a terrible thing.
That the limit on deficit spending by the US Gov. is its availability to buy *unused* real labor and real resources. It is never financial.
. . MMTers have worked for 26 years to show that their Job Guarantee Program is a better anchor against inflation than many low income unemployed people. The papers, articles, and blog posts are on the internet for all to see, if they look.
In summary, what the US needs now is not a classical Socialist economy. Those who say this are almost always using the new Repud definition of Socialism. I think that we need to keep definitions for 'technical' terms pure. So, what we need is a full bore FDR New Deal, with the gloves off. FDR called for a job guarantee right in the Constitution, I really like that idea. FDR strengthened worker's rights, we need that again. Etc. Etc. Etc.
. ** . Almost every expert
wants inflation to be in the range of 1.5% to 2.5%, therefore I call this "no inflation". Post the GFC/2008 inflation, except in stocks and real estate prices, has been under 1%, IIRC.
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