Originally published at: How Inequality Caused America’s Affordability Crisis - TPM – Talking Points Memo
This post is a part of TPM Cafe, TPM’s home for opinion and news analysis. A version of it first appeared on Project Syndicate. Following Democrats’ dramatic sweep in state and local elections in the United States last November, a narrative emerged: affordability had become voters’ dominant concern. Elected officials in both parties quickly responded…
Not a cat.
This a thoughtful, detailed political and economic discussion and I see only one other comment from “Not a cat.” This says something about American politics: Bidenesque whitepapers, Leftish manifestos don’t get much traction with the general public. What is needed is Foxish, mass subversion where the public gets fed the message in 60 second bite-size nuggets or better yet, getting the message subliminally from a hip cat.
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Perhaps you haven’t noticed, but this isn’t the general public here. Folks tend to stay with the Morning Memo thread until it looks like a chew toy for a couple of pit bull pups. I don’t disagree with your thesis, but it’s important to recall that outside of this pack of (largely) cranky retirees, people with jobs, kids, and a host of other distractions have limited bandwidth for the torrent of malfeasance and bullshit that passes for “politics” these days. Some of them (hopefully) will start to pay attention after Labor Day.
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The point is that the “message” needs to get to people who are not paying attention. The message deeds to be delivered in a full spectrum of media 24/7/365. The message needs to be subtle, oblique, under the radar, stealth, when the psychological guards are down. This is old serpent wisdom.
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Recall, if you will, the words of Will Rogers: '“I’m not a member of any organized political party. I’m a Democrat.” And that was over ninety years ago.
Americans don’t do subtle very well.
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I appreciate your take on the TPM audience vs. younger, still working folk. Our grandkids from Texas were with us for a week. The great grandkids, 3 years, and 9 months, receive all the attention they can muster. We are thrilled with their parenting. He’s a firefighter-paramedic; she has her own pet sitting business. Closest I came to a political discussion was telling him, were I his age, I’d consider moving to Canada. I know he informed her of our talk, as she texted me about how beautiful Canada is. I texted her back that they’d have to learn to say, “Eh?” instead of “Y’all.”
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I’m on board with getting the message out. Amen!‘’ We have six months until election day, time enough to hone, refine, sharpen our message to decent American voters. Old folks like me are sorting out ideas together. Wisdom comes from thinking together, old and young in civic communion.
Almost sounds sexy. And way too sophisticated for the uninformed (and proud of it).
Republicans put your game plan in place going back to Ronnie Railgun’s days. For me anyway.
Lived the American Dream till then. And it worked well, for most.
when the psychological guards are down. This is old serpent wisdom.
It is, but there’s no letting one’s psychological guard down now. Went to a barbeque recently. About 20 people, and except for the host/hostess, the rest were scrolling on their phones.
My sons used to roll their eyes when they were dating and I would tell them “you gotta go belly-to-belly”
Smartass Disciple: "Master, I want to eradicate all corruptions in this world.
Master of Stupidity: "Let it be a bit! Otherwise you’ll make us jobless for good.”
― Toba Beta
The “general public” may not comment here, but that doesn’t mean we don’t read and digest the information. Please don’t conflate lack of verbiage with lack of interest.
Perish the thought! My use of “the general public” was in reference to those folks outside of the highly engaged group here - people who’ve never heard of TPM, and would be unlikely to participate even if given a free subscription. I was a lurker for years myself, and even after subscribing, rarely participated in the discussions. I would love to know that there is a large group of people out there who use TPM as a source of news above and beyond the mainstream media outlets. I suspect, however, that it isn’t all that large.
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when 40mm go to bed hungry discussions of affordability of nice neighborhoods and private education is nonsense. However, this article points at the only solution: increase taxes on the rich. However, for the millionth time, “income” is not a thing when you are a billionaire. They own assets and borrow against them to fund their lavish lives and then pass things on with a stepped up basis to their kids. There are thousands of other loopholes (e.g., 1031 exhcnages). The issue is whether we, the unwashed masses, can force congress to pass law that plug these ridiculous loopholes. Period.
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I just don’t see it as subtle. For forty years the very richest have gotten richer and richer, while the rest of us are worse and worse off. We need to change this by taxing the richest heavily, and using that revenue to improve our lives–better, much cheaper health care, better education that’s free through college, improved infrastructure, better retirement insurance aka social security.
Shorter version: over the last 40 years the very richest Americans have stolen the government from the rest of us. We need to take it back.
That’s basically it. It can and should be elaborated in many ways that will specify its appeal. But “you need more money so elect me and you’ll have more money” is not very subtle.