So, some people ask me, "Hey, Tom! What's the most influential book you've read about politics?"*
Thanks for asking. Well, in recent years, the book that has impacted me the most has been The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein, a well-credentialed and award-winning journalist, columnist, and author.
The Shock Doctrine's premise is that many on the right, including politicians, the super-wealthy, and major corporations, use the cover of crisis to further their own agendas.
Katrina was used as an excuse to impose free-market solutions on New Orleans, privatizing public functions, such as schools and utilities. The same thing happened at a larger scale in Iraq.
Disasters also make perfect opportunities for legislation to improve the lot of those already in charge. You can see that in the legislation bailing out the banks and major corporations during the 2008 economic collapse. Less successful were efforts to rein in the same players who caused the crisis. What feeble attempts to check them has been whittled away and reduced to white noise by successive Republican Congresses and the current Republican White House.
Democrats are often participants in this power grab for concentrated wealth, either willingly or unwillingly. Democrats have their donors that they have to keep happy, so many are nowhere near as progressive as they should be. Democrats also believe that action is better than inaction, so they more quickly compromise for crumbs, just to get Republicans to do something.
You can see that in current legislation around the pandemic. Republicans get 90% of what they want - a massive slush fund to major corporations - a $500 billion slush fund, complemented by up to $4.5 trillion in support by the Federal Reserve. Meanwhile, the backbone of America, small businesses, have to scramble for PPP funds while competing against larger businesses, many of whom have the inside track on bank relationships and lawyers/accountants who can barrel through the paperwork. Individuals are handled a mere pittance, a one time shot of funds barely able to cover food or rent for a month. State governors play an end-around the slightly extra unemployment benefits by prematurely opening their states and eliminating unemployment for those unwilling to put themselves and their loved ones at risk.
The working poor aren't warriors. They're cannon fodder to protect the wealthy interests that exploit them and the stock market that doesn't benefit them.
The Democrats stand in line, let McConnell dictate things, thinking that NOW it is their turn, with the House coming up with a bill that does more to shore up individuals and local/state governments, and the Senate Republicans will refuse to even consider it.
The condition to even consider a bill? McConnell wants employers protected from lawsuits by employees who get sick because the employer has not put in adequate protection measures. It's Shock Doctrine essentials - improve the lot of the wealthy and powerful at the expense of everyone else.
There has been a lot of whining by Republicans that the House legislation is an excuse to put in Progressive wish list items that go beyond the current crisis.
You know what I say to that?
Well, no s---, Sherlock. 'Bout fricking time!
Pot. Kettle. Black.
Naomi Klein realizes this, and an excellent follow-up book of essays lays out the case for an aggressive Green New Deal. It would transform this country FOR THE BETTER. Because we cannot continue to have authoritarian capitalism centered only around the interests of the exploiters at the top, and socialism only when it benefits the most advantaged. Capitalize gains, socialize losses - this is a motto we can no longer afford.
I won't go into the Green New Deal here. I don't want to write forever (people stop reading after a while - heck, probably only 10% of you got this far), and I hope to move on to another Story Time with Mr. Tom (shameless plug). Still, I do have other blog posts that discuss it, and I do highly recommend her book pictured above. It is an important example of why Progressives need to start using the Shock doctrine themselves.
It's not enough to just check the Republicans. It's not enough to take a few crumbs while they stomp off with the bulk of legislation. It's time we stood up firmly for the radical change that is going to be necessary to truly save the country and the planet.
*no one asks me this. No one really asks me anything, except maybe, "What's wrong with you? Why aren't you smiling?" Thank god we wear masks now. Maybe I won't get asked that so much.
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