Angry Americans

Americans want change and it’s not just about Iraq. A strong revival of economic populism has taken place and most America believe, that our country is on the wrong track, because corporations get whatever they want in Washington and our leaders seem to have forgotten the middle class.

James Stimson, a political scientist who uses data from many polls to construct an index of the overall liberalism or conservatism of the electorate, finds that America is now more liberal than it has been since the early 1960s. And the tactics the right has historically used to distract voters from economic issues, have been losing their effectiveness.

Democrats are having trouble agreeing on best way to create real change, because of the influence of corporate money. For example Senate Democrats are having trouble reaching a consensus on closing hedge fund tax loophole, which allows executives at private equity firms and hedge funds to pay a tax rate of only 15 percent on most of their income.

A handful of very wealthy people benefit from this loophole, and closing the loophole would yield billions of dollars each year in revenue. A handful of super wealthy hedge fund managers versus millions of middle-class Americans should be a no-brainer for Senate Democrats, but apparently it’s not.

The difference between the parties’ priorities is apparent in the fight over children’s health insurance. Democrats offered progressive policy proposals for the continuation of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, which provides 6 million children with free healthcare. Although, polls showed 81% of Americans supported the bill, Republican leadership engineered the failure to override Bush’s veto.

We must continue to condemn the Republican leadership in Congress for mercilessly obstructing every congressional action of merit, even where that action was supported by the overwhelming majority of the American people.