RW>> NOt that i"m a fan, but one wonders if they aren't   
    RW>> listening to some of the real concerns voiced by all the   
    RW>> folks who join the tea party or occupy.  Don't they (the   
    RW>> leadership of the Republican party) grasp this at all?   
      
   BK>>  The republican leaders, (not the figureheads out front), realize   
   BK>> the Tea Party is no more rational than any other nut cases out   
   BK>> there. However, they do have big numbers so they pull the   
   BK>>  strings and the candidates line up to support the Tea Party   
   BK>> issues.   
      
    RW> Agreed.  But, if you're not totally burying your head in   
    RW> your nether parts if you're a political leader you have to   
    RW> grok the real dissatisfaction and anger coming from both   
    RW> sides of the political divide.   
      
    Yep. That and the loss of the middle to those who push too hard   
    to the extremes. That is one thing that has been discussed in   
    the papers recently.   
      
   BK>>  However, they respond to the hot button issues and not the   
   BK>>  technical issues as they also understand that reason can be   
   BK>> stifled by passion.   
      
    RW> Again agreed, but sooner or later when you look at that   
    RW> anger coming from both ends of the spectrum you have to   
    RW> realize that you must look at the technical issues,   
    RW> determine causality, etc.  This huge blind spot is one of   
    RW> the big reasons many of us have rejected the two party   
    RW> system as it now stands.   
      
    Don't worry, Gov Etch-A-Sketch can adapt to anything.   
      
    Third parties don't really make it better, they tend to drive   
    the second biggest party to the edge to ally with the third   
    biggest party to beat the biggest party. Single issue politics   
    becomes more important.   
      
    RW> Note your recent discussions in this echo re the labor   
    RW> movement, those who "produce" goods are the true earners.   
    RW> If the only way you can control organized efforts by those   
    RW> "earners" to be sure they're compensated fairly is to   
    RW> deprive them of the ability to earn that's what you do, as   
    RW> demonstrated by Wall Street.  You have to admit, that was   
    RW> more effective than all the strikebreakers and goons they   
    RW> could hire.  IF, in the process you destroy a country, so   
    RW> be it.   
      
    Unfortunately you have it quite right.   
      
    RW> But, this anger too will fizzle out imho.  At least our   
    RW> labor movement gave people a coherent vehicle to channel   
    RW> their discontent or attempt to get a fairer shake.  Occupy   
      
    Yep. As a result they produced the lowest poverty rates and the   
    most powerful economy anyone ever saw. Now it's all going away.   
      
    RW> with its warm fuzzies and the tea party with its   
    RW> manipulation of the gullible seniors will both make a lot   
    RW> of noise then pfft. Meanwhile isolate them in their homes,   
    RW> they'll play with their electronic boxes and be happy good   
    RW> little sheeple again when they realize there isn't a damn   
    RW> thing they can do about it.   
      
    They pushed it too far. When it gets to where their homes are   
    being lost there is no place to be isolated. That part they   
    hadn't anticipated. And that's where the anger grows.   
      
    RW> Welcome to the culmination of the society depicted by   
    RW> ORwell.   
      
    Only Orwell assumed a war to take people's minds off things. He   
    didn't consider the possibility of enemies so dangerous they   
    don't dare start the war. The wars they do dare start are so   
    expensive, and so meaningles, they don't really work. That and a   
    lot of the players have different rule books.   
      
    I see it all coming apart in the not too distant future, unless   
    someone gets it together.   
      
      
      
   BOB KLAHN bob.klahn@sev.org   http://home.toltbbs.com/bobklahn   
      
   ... Never go bird hunting with a cannon.  Old Chinese Proverb   
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