And this is how the Democratic party gets pulled ever further rightward.

[mountain grammy]

50. My opinion: It's all about the money. "money makes the world go around,

the world go around, the world go around" from "Cabaret," a very chilling play, reminds me of America. Conservatives have the money, always have, and money controls the masses. FDR, JFK, and a few others were exceptions (and exceptional.) When the people start feeling their power and manage to make some progress, they are eventually crushed. It doesn't matter if it's with pepper spray and lasers or unemployment, the corporations have the power either way. A rich robber baron once said he had enough money to pay half the poor population to kill the other half, and we are headed in that direction. The people elected the politicians who gave away vast chunks of American wealth to the top 1% at the expense of the 99% and we're still electing them because it's the only choice we have.
In my lifetime, I've witnesses and been involved in two large uprisings that succeeded, but not without unbelievable amounts of courage and sacrifice. The first was the Civil Rights movement, and the second, the anti Vietnam War movement. They were tied together by extraordinary leaders and reported by journalists who had not yet completely sold out to the corps. I still have hope for another great leader to rise up and lead us to the Promised Land. In the meantime, we will continue to take two steps forward and one step back and make progress ever so slowly. Much too slow for this old, raging socialist. Every time I hear someone call President Obama a socialist, I think, Obamacare?