I hope that top Democratic leaders read David Ignatius' column, "Jim Webb and the Populist Pitch." I also hope that anyone who thought Jim Webb was a "single-issue candidate," only focused on Iraq, wakes up and realizes that Webb is absolutely passionate about economic fairness and social justice as well. Thank goodness, because not many other politicians these days seem to really care about the struggles of lower- and even middle-class Americans. Nor do most politicians these days seem to really care about the growing gap between rich and poor in this country. Jim Webb does care, on both counts.According to Ignatius' article:
[Webb] worries that "the people at the top of the party don't comprehend the power of that [populist] message" and that as a result the Democrats may miss their best chance in a generation to reconnect with the American middle class."The Democrats need to embrace the fact that the greatest issue in America today is economic fairness," he says. He argues that if the Democrats construct a "fairness agenda" that tilts toward workers and away from corporations and the rich, "they will win big..."
True, we have seen throughout history that populism hs the potential edge over into protectionism and demagoguery. Neither of those would be helpful to working class Americans, or to any Americans for that matter. Fortunately, in Jim Webb, populism has found a leader who can be trusted not to let that happen. In Jim Webb, we have found a leader who wants to do something about this:
...the top one-tenth of 1 percent in America made as much before-tax income as the bottom 28 percent combined. Actual federal tax rates on that top one-tenth have fallen sharply, from 60 percent in 1960 to 34 percent in 2004.
We have also found a leader who understand the difference between "fair trade" and so-called "free trade."
The question is, what about the rest of the Democratic Party. Hopefully, Jim Webb will be "showing them the way." :)
- Supporting repeal of the Estate Tax while refusing to fund or insist on funding subsidized childcare or mental health
- These road abuser fees soak the poor
- Using debt - which is really taxing children - to finance road projects
- Using regional tax authorities that balkanize Virginia's rich and poor sections and the new taxes imposed are going to hit the poor harder than the rich
- Jacking up fees for drivers licenses hits the poor hardest
- Our court appoint attorney's fees, while being increased, are still a total joke
- Our colleges are underfunded, our community colleges which are the primary means of upward mobility for many people need massive investments to handle coming demand (and the money isn't there).
It's time for the rich to pay their fair share both at the federal and at the state level and it's time for the Democratic Party speak with a clear voice so the voters understand what we're about - economic fairness.
We represent all the people, not just the rich.
I think the appropriate fear-mongering that the Democrats might try would be to remind the American public that all the Democrat-delivered, safety-net programs that ensure their livelihood are the ones targeted-for-elimination by the conservatives!!!
Democrats need to continally remind the public that conservatives disapprove of taxes being used to directly helping the poor and the elderly, disapprove of having government protect our environment, disapprove of programs that protect our well-being (Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Veterans Benefits, labor-protections laws, etc.). It's so easy to speak to these family-value issues but for some strange reason the Democrats want to still play in the Republican sandbox: God's on our side; we're strong on defense, etc.
Heavens, one of my neighbors is getting hit really hard with the alternative minimum tax and he's disgusted that the Democrats don't address this very important issue. The AMT was designed to ensure that the very wealthy would pay their fair share of taxes...but now middle class Americans are bearing this burden. And where's their tax money going: to Iraq and its money-milking contractors.
And I don't see the Dems going after the poor and the disenfranchised folks who need to vote to ensure that they too may be part of the American dream!
It's bad enough that the very wealthy don't pay their fair share of taxes, to make things worse, they TAKE those taxes by the millions.
In 2002 44 million was paid out in Virginia in USDA farm disaster relief. Around 25 million went to two companies: Pilgrim and Carghill.
BOTH of those companies are headed up by Bush Pioneers (Pilgrim and Staley).
So they have profited enormously at the expense of the taxpayer.
Let me word that another way:
In 2002 more than half (57%) of farm disaster relief in Virginia was paid out to mega-corporations owned by Bush pioneers.
This is *not* about family farms getting relief. Most if not all farms of any size in my neck of the woods have received disaster subsidies due to drought, etc. at some point in the last decade.
There are segments of Republicans who are all over this - e.g., McCain. Exploiting loopholes is not really a partisan issue.
The songs lyrics in full are there. It is pitch perfect for what I believe Democrats should mold their message around.
Song, song of the south.
Sweet potato pie and I shut my mouth.
Gone, gone with the wind.
There aint nobody looking back again.
Cotton on the roadside, cotton in the ditch.
We all picked the cotton but we never got rich.
Daddy was a veteran, a southern democrat.
They oughta get a rich man to vote like that.
Sing it...
Chorus
Well somebody told us wall street fell
But we were so poor that we couldnt tell.
Cotton was short and the weeds were tall
But mr. roosevelts a gonna save us all.
Well momma got sick and daddy got down.
The county got the farm and they moved to town.
Pappa got a job with the TVA
He bought a washing machine and then a chevrolet.
Can't remember the title, but I used to sing it. There's a good Ry Cooder version.