Do you think the US could ever become essentially a left wing power?

Do you think that people power rather than money power could ever drive the US? Is the average American up to it?

Only if the progressives would write, call, etc like the wingnuts do...until then, no.

even back in the late 60s, when anti war protests heated up, the word was that it would be far more likely that the US would become a fascist state before it ever became even a socialist one. Prediction has, sadly, come true.

none exist in the United States.

We are far too cynical and apocalyptic here.

Conservatism is just about out of fuel, and Liberalism is undergoing a major renovation. Given fifty years of even semi-intelligent governance, America can re-emerge as the main engine of social progress.

We will look back on these days fondly, when Barak, Hillary and John took our hand and started us down this road.

--p!

... your optimism is sooooo attractive.

until there is an educated electorate, left-wing policies and principles don't stand a chance.

for instance- as it is right now, most schools don't even offer civics- it used to be a requirement.

Look at every other major social change in American history -- most of the visible shift took place in less than ten years. And some of us have been active in progressive politics since the late 1970s.

I'm not just talking about the 1960s -- I also mean the 1770s, the 1820s, the post-Civil-War Reconstruction era, and the 1920s. These seismic political changes happen about twice a century and take less than a decade to occur.

The education of the electorate is in process right now, and you are taking part in it. It starts with these ten characters: http://www

We might as well try. The worst that can happen is ... nothing.

--p!

to move people to the opposite end of the political spectrum, you have to change their whole way of thinking- something that is generally passed down from parents, etc...

you also have to fight the corproate-controlled media, which would be fighting the change, and swaying people the other way as much as possible- that's something, a BIG something that hasn't been around for previous political/social upheavals.

Crumbling empires can get very messy.

They get more money. It's all money power. How do you pay for Social Security? Education? Roads? With people? We the people are a means to an end.

The show was all about the happiest country in the world, the happiest cities in the world and the angriest. The happiet country was Denmark. They are very left wing. They do pay about 63% of their income in taxes, but they have free heath care (cradel to grave), free college educations, if you get a group of people together to build a common project, the gov't will pay for it. The examply they used was a group of people got together to build an outdoor model railroad (the G scale type). Most people make similar salaries so the garbage collector can afford to live in a middle class neighborhood. The people are not self worth oriented and simply aren't interested in "shopping" as a passtime. They are very intent on friends and neighborhoods. Almost every other shop in the market is a coffee shop or book store where people can just get together and enjoy each other's company. The 20/20 reporters interviwed a lot of people there and asked, on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the happies, how happy are you? More than 90% of the responses were 8 or 9! They admit they have a mommy government, but they like it that way.

I simply cannot imagine American liking that! Oh sure, they'd like the idea of everybody being happy, but I can't see them, as a majorit, giving up their shopping, desire for big houses, and lots of money.

If you're interested, 20/20 as links on their web site. Check out the Great Danes: The happiness of Geography. The links above that one are also very good.

http://abcnews.go.com/2020/?CMP=google_branded&partner=google&gclid=CM23qYuy8ZACFQ0bgQodWSdAvw

America is about the pursuit of happiness, no? Why not just copy Denmark?

Religion is too pervasive in the American way of life and politics for it to ever become a Global Left Wing Power. The American Left is considered to be right wing when comapred to the rest of the world.

what is deemed "left wing" in 2008, is barely over the center-left of the 1980s.

Sure