I have been in the battling-the-rich-and-powerful-on-behalf-of-the-poor-and-middle- income business for a very long time now (almost 30 years), and it can get pretty discouraging at times. For one thing, in some news that I am sure will be shattering to you, the rich and powerful have a lot more money. And they have seemed to have a lot more political friends over that era than do the poor and the middle income folks combined.
But hope rises anew from time to time, and there are encouraging signs. The most obvious one, of course, is that we have a President and both houses of Congress led by center-left politicians who will be with the poor and middle income quite a bit more than their predecessors in the Bush White House and the Republican led Congress - not always, of course, but more than the last set of politicians. But my hopes are rising for a lot less visible reasons than that.
More on what those reasons on in the extended entry.
The first is a palpable new anger at the injustices done by the unrestrained powerful and greedy in these last few years. Elites are dismissive and disdainful of this anger, but when the wealthy and powerful trample everyone else, righteous anger is a very good thing. It is a really positive thing that politicians are looking over their shoulder at an electorate that is upset about what has gone down, are anxious for real change.
Second, and just as important, there is a new leadership rising out of this economic crisis that is emerging as a counterforce to the pro-big corporation establishment. It's a diverse crew of economists, business leaders, bloggers, organizations, and grassroots activists, but they are starting to add up to something bigger than the sum of their parts. They include:
Economists like former IMF chief economist Simon Johnson, former Chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisors and World Bank Chief Economist Joseph Stiglitz, and former Senate Banking Committee Chief of Staff Rob Johnson. Along with higher profile economic writers like Paul Krugman, they have spoken truth to power, sharply questioned the establishment conventional wisdom, and given us clear guidance on what we need to be doing to take on Wall Street.
Business leaders like George Soros and Leo Hindery who have fearlessly waded in where others fear to tread, and challenged the orthodoxy on issues like financial regulation and trade and especially the jobless recovery which is confronting us. Soros is better known to the general public, but Leo's been doing some great writing in The Nation and other places, and was recently talked about at length in Les Leopold's post on AlterNet
New coalitions like the new Americans for Financial Reform Coalition just announced last week, and the Health Care for American Now coalition that has been driving the health care reform debate.
Bloggers like Arianna Huffington and Jane Hamsher (and of course the folks here at OpenLeft and so many others), who have kept banging away on financial issues, health care, and other economic issues, and have kept those issues in the spotlight. New media models and new political organizing strategies are being literally invented in front of our eyes by the leadership of the netroots.
The Congressional Progressive Caucus, which in the past has never flexed much of a muscle, is starting to take steps (still small, admittedly), toward toughening up their negotiating stance on key issues. Most encouraging example so far: demanding a public option on health care reform.
And you know what's really exciting? As soon as this post goes up, I will be getting emails from people about all the new leaders and organizing efforts I missed mentioning in this article, because I know I am barely scratching the surface.
I have written repeatedly about the power of the big/corporate interests - Wall Street, the insurance industry, big oil - and this emerging movement has a long ways to go before we catch up to them in power. But a counterforce is coming together, and showing more signs of strength, depth, and leadership than I've seen in my time in politics. Put that movement together with the righteous anger of the people at what Wall Street, the insurance industry, and big oil have done to them, and we might yet make the mighty tremble.
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