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Populist Reform of the Democratic Party

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MannyGoldstein

(34,589 posts)
Sun Nov 23, 2014, 09:41 PM Nov 2014

Impossible. They just *can't* do it. [View all]

A couple of years back, then-senatorial-candidate Elizabeth Warren gave a great (and seemingly-impromptu) soliloquy on how nobody in America gets rich on their own - they get rich with the help of the American people, and they owe it to the American people to put some of their wealth back into helping the next generation of Americans.

"'Well, this is class warfare, this is whatever.' No. There is nobody in this country who got rich on his own — nobody. You built a factory out there? Good for you. But I want to be clear. You moved your goods to market on the roads the rest of us paid for. You hired workers the rest of us paid to educate. You were safe in your factory because of police-forces and fire-forces that the rest of us paid for. You didn't have to worry that marauding bands would come and seize everything at your factory — and hire someone to protect against this — because of the work the rest of us did. Now look, you built a factory and it turned into something terrific, or a great idea. God bless — keep a big hunk of it. But part of the underlying social contract is, you take a hunk of that and pay forward for the next kid who comes along."

Now that demanding that the 99% eat our peas and other such crap is no longer considered fashionable among national Democrats, some of the Third Way crowd has been trying to duplicate Warren's schtick -- they stumble through some words that are sort of similar, but the effect is like an actor reciting lines they've not yet memorized, in a foreign language they don't understand. It's like a vampire convincing us they love sunlight.

The latest Third-Way attempt to imitate an FDR Democrat was undertaken by one Hillary Clinton, the video is below. For reference, I've included Elizabeth Warren's original below Clinton's re-enactment. (Extra-credit question: which one would you put your money on in a debate?)





(Copyright note: I gave myself permission to copy this, in its entirety, from my new blog which has almost nothing on it yet and will probably get abandoned in a few weeks, but I'll give it a go.)
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Impossible. They just *can't* do it. [View all] MannyGoldstein Nov 2014 OP
K & R L0oniX Nov 2014 #1
And of course President Obama's now infamous "you didn't build that" speech. pa28 Nov 2014 #2
I agree. The President badly botched that. Enthusiast Nov 2014 #13
Who built that? Bagsgroove Nov 2014 #3
When a Dem has to struggle to say what should come naturally to someone representing the sabrina 1 Nov 2014 #12
To be fair, Clinton wasn't trying to say the same thing as Warren . . . MrModerate Nov 2014 #4
True, but I think she was using the same rhetorical construct MannyGoldstein Nov 2014 #7
K&R ReRe Nov 2014 #5
A culture sick with celebrity can at least spot bad acting. Eleanors38 Nov 2014 #10
K & R !!! WillyT Nov 2014 #6
The hypocrisy is painfully evident to anyone paying attention. NYC_SKP Nov 2014 #8
I know I will never support Hillary, even if she is the nominee. And now is the time for voters sabrina 1 Nov 2014 #14
I am with you, sabrina 1. If more of us would vote our conscience and not buy into the fear... NYC_SKP Nov 2014 #16
Wow, I never saw that before. They certainly do play dirty and people are getting sick and tired of sabrina 1 Nov 2014 #17
True, without a working Congress and a better SCOTUS, a progressive POTUS is pretty powerless EXCEPT NYC_SKP Nov 2014 #19
I already decided no more going along with the Turd Way over 4 years ago. TheKentuckian Nov 2014 #20
K&R Sincerity vs rhetoric. Even a two-year old can spot the difference. Scuba Nov 2014 #9
Kicked and recommended a whole bunch! Enthusiast Nov 2014 #11
K&R pscot Nov 2014 #15
Certainly easy to see that EW was sincere and heart felt. bvar22 Nov 2014 #18
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