Agree completely. Health care was about the most divisive major issue they could've picked, and one of the easiest to argue against (polemically). But inequality wasn't a buzzword in 2006/2007 when Obama's team was putting together its longterm policy plan (and according to Ron Suskind that process was a joke anyway). Inequality would've made a great platform-builder because it has tons of expert support and a lot of very obvious effects on a huge voting bloc's everyday lives. That's not to say the Democrats really had a "grand opportunity" ... they had the House, the Senate and the White House but that doesn't mean nearly as much as it used to. (cf. Dodd-Frank, which they managed to pass only nominally.) As far as tax policy, I'm not sure you can really create a debate about tax policy when, unfortunately, no one gives a shit (or if they do it's in the wrong direction).
Huh! Who the hell doesn't give a shit about Tax Policy!!!! Every other week when I see how much the government is taking out of my pay I am infuriated by tax policy and their reckless misallocation of resources. I don't know what you are saying the wrong direction is here. Let me just be straightforward and say that taxes should be lower. . . . . . . . way lower.....As far as tax policy, I'm not sure you can really create a debate about tax policy when, unfortunately, no one gives a shit (or if they do it's in the wrong direction).
Yes, but it's difficult to address inequality with a serious debate on marginal rates, inheritance tax, and capital gains. Dry as it may be, the public would greatly benefit from a strong lesson in government finance. In it's absence we get sound bites like "American people are tightening their belts, so why shouldn't the government?" And people eat it up.As far as tax policy, I'm not sure you can really create a debate about tax policy when, unfortunately, no one gives a shit (or if they do it's in the wrong direction).
Do you really believe that tax policy is the main driver of inequality in this country? It is the culture of learned powerlessness. You want people to give a shit about tax policy when they can't ask for a raise for fear of being fired. The reality is that work, jobs, employment is highly contingent for most people because they have no protections in an at-will world. The same world where the petty tyranny of the employer is legally and illegally sacrosanct. The people don't care about tax policy because they may not be paying taxes tomorrow, because they're going to be out on their ass. The ones who gobble up the trite talking points, are the Baby Boomers, you know, the generation that actually has some wealth lying around.
Yes.... So stupid....... I guess I'll get meta again. How do we combine the collective intellectual power of our constituents to make the right long term decisions that is in the best interest of the people. I'm thinking something like quora/hubski/twitter for representatives.... and I've been thinking about this for a long time."American people are tightening their belts, so why shouldn't the government?"
You should be thinking of something like ACORN, or the civil rights era NAACP. Social media is a tool for organizing and education. Organizing real people for direct action campaigns targeted at those in power is the only way to change things. And this requires years of effort, possibly even multi-generational. Rosa Parks didn't just decide one day to not go to the back of the bus. She was trained to do it. She wanted to do it. And when she did it, there was a plan in place to make the bus boycott successful and to keep people getting to their jobs (which was aided by the availability of automobiles). The internet is revolutionary, but it isn't the revolution.