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Those tactics work in part because they are allied with the elite, and yet market their pro-elite stances in joe-sixpack-friendly clothing. Tort reform, clear skies act, Medicare drug 'benefit' (no negotiation), etc. These all cut costs for corporations, and the argument is that once costs are cut, corporations will say 'Oh, now we have enough money, and it is time to build our communities and shower jobs on the poor people.' All of these initiatives assume rich people need more money, and once they have it they will distribute it to poor people. Which is nonsense, since CEO to worker pay has gone from 40 to 1 to 541 to 1 in the past twenty years.
So this alliance with the elite, the foundation-funded think tanks and policy groups, AND the media bias come together in a unique way to allow for the kind of tactics Republicans use. They won't WORK for us, they will work for them.
We need out own tactics, playing to our own strengths--our strength is in the lower classes. Otherwise we may as well just become Republicans, because we will never be able to challenge them in grabbing the elite unless we give up what made us liberals in the first place.
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