Let us be realistic, ladies and gentlemen. Suppose Romney wore a Swaztika to a rally TOMORROW

[Zalatix]

18. The party has shifted to the right, and declared the Left a bunch of loonies, alarmists, what-have-u

How we managed to rationalize a difference between working class issues and civil rights, I don't know.

MLK Jr. was assassinated because he was turning toward fighting for workers' rights. Hell, the African American community sits on the ready to mobilize if the Democratic Party were to go back to war for workers' rights. My family is black and Latino and I know the LATINO community is ready to mobilize, too. We just need a party that will totally stand up for the working class.

Your analysis is really spot-on, in my opinion. Are we in this mess because both parties have abandoned the working class? You could argue that. I certainly don't see how we could NOT benefit by taking a hardline stance for policies that mandate livable wages and better working conditions, not to mention a complete renegotiation of ALL trade policies and agreements.

First, though, we have to define populism. Populism comes in many forms, not all of which are good.