Taxes, And Cuts, And Drones: Obama’s Imperialism Of The Peasants

[4588686]

An excellent article by an excellent scholar:

 

http://coreyrobin.com/2012/12/17/taxes-and-cuts-and-drones-obamas-imperialism-of-the-peasants/

[Era Might]

I don't know if "peasants" are the right analogy for the American situation. I haven't read up much on the French Revolution, but in the Russian Revolution the peasants really were peasants, and the creation of the Soviets was largely ignored because the peasants already had their own independent way of doing things. It was mainly the younger peasants who were influenced by the industrial working classes that were more open to the governmental reforms. Once the Marxists started taking peasant grain by force, the peasants either stopped producing surplus or tried to hide it. The peasants didn't care about the Russian empire, they just wanted to be left alone. Liberalism is a child of the working classes and State reformers. The White Movement in the Russian civil war failed to win over the peasants, who stuck with the Marxists just because the Whites represented the Czar in their minds. The Marxists didn't really win over the peasants either, but they had the working class.

 

The American situation rests on a long 20th century middle class history and the selling of the "American dream." The peasant analogy seems to fail because the peasants were facing a new order and a disruption of their traditional lives, whereas Americans today are reacting to a perceived regression from the new order that was once enjoyed. Conservatives blame it on too much government, liberals on too little, but both are essentially operating on democratic premises.

 

Maybe, if the peasant analogy holds up, it's with the Occupy Wall Street crowd and the other "second generationers" who are trying to find some identity and place in the liberal narrative. But they aren't really "peasants" just as the younger peasants in Russia felt stifled in traditional peasant life and were trying to write themselves into the revolution. But I think if anything the working class dynamic is more relevant to the current American situation...people were sold an American dream and want to collect.

 

IDK. Thoughts?

Edited December 26, 2012 by Era Might

[Winchester]

Less violence it not the answer! More violence is the answer! Of course.

 

[4588686]

Less violence it not the answer! More violence is the answer! Of course.

 

I guess if you have an incredibly broad use of the term 'violence' when this is applied to the state and an incredibly narrow use of the term 'violence' when applied to private actors then that conclusion would follow.  

[Winchester]

I guess if you have an incredibly broad use of the term 'violence' when this is applied to the state and an incredibly narrow use of the term 'violence' when applied to private actors then that conclusion would follow.  

 

I apply the same standard to all people. Even when they have fancy titles or precious little costumes.

[Ash Wednesday]

stranglehold of the Tea Party on American politics

 

Really?  :huh:

[Ash Wednesday]

DUBBEL POAST PHAIL

Edited December 27, 2012 by Ash Wednesday

[4588686]

Really?  :huh:

 

Really.  Have you not been following the fiscal cliff negotiations?  

[Winchester]

Really.  Have you not been following the fiscal cliff negotiations?  

 

hahahahahahahaha...the ridiculously miniscule differences. Political theater.

[Ash Wednesday]

Really.  Have you not been following the fiscal cliff negotiations?  

 

Much of the news and discussion I get is on the other side of the pond, the Tea Party is often painted as an irrelevant group with diminishing clout. IDK!

[Winchester]

The Tea Party is a laughable bunch of confused statists. The cool kids are all anarchists.

[4588686]

hahahahahahahaha...the ridiculously miniscule differences. Political theater.

 

 

 

 

The differences between the tea party and Obama are minuscule?   

The Tea Party is a laughable bunch of confused statists. The cool kids are all anarchists.

 

 

 

Anarchocapitalism isn't real anarchism.  

Much of the news and discussion I get is on the other side of the pond, the Tea Party is often painted as an irrelevant group with diminishing clout. IDK!

 

They are not a faction that can copy a majority position in the government but they have managed to effectively veto almost any substantive action and shift the parameters of the debate to the far right.  They aren't likely to diminish really since they are largely from districts where shifts from the far right would result in strong primary challenge.  

[KnightofChrist]

Much of the news and discussion I get is on the other side of the pond, the Tea Party is often painted as an irrelevant group with diminishing clout. IDK!

The Tea Party is proclaimed dead until the RINOs and liberal Democrats needa scapegoat to blame for not being able to grow the size of government fast enough.

[4588686]

The Tea Party is proclaimed dead until the RINOs and liberal Democrats needa scapegoat to blame for not being able to grow the size of government fast enough.

 

This is anti-Democrat bigotry.  

[Winchester]

The differences between the tea party and Obama are minuscule?   


 
 
 
Anarchocapitalism isn't real anarchism.  

 

No--the differences between the budget proposals.

 

You only say that because you're not a real leftist.