Article from Robert Burr
Having difficulties posting his article to the frontpage, I have forwarded Robert Burr's article here which will be included in the Liberty Report:
Sometimes I nearly find the strangle hold on power of the Republicans and Democrats comforting. They may neglect several issues which I dearly care about, but sometimes their mutual drive towards incoherent policies works to my advantage. I think that the matter of globalization is a fine example of this. In this country there has been a very worrying backlash against immigration and free trade. Thankfully the opponents of globalization will not be able to create the gigantic wall around the United States they so dearly wish. The primary reason for this is that they are split between the Republicans and the Democrats.
I often find it amusing that Republicans typically support free trade and oppose immigration and Democrats typically support immigration and oppose free trade. Considering that the two issues are different aspects of the same phenomenon of globalization it makes such a mixed view seem slight irrational. This actually works to globalizations advantage though. The segment of the Republican party which is so hostile to immigration is consistently out maneuvered by the Wall Street crowd. We have had seven years of a Republican president and the massive wall between Mexico and the United States has yet to be constructed. When Bill Clinton was president we got NAFTA. Again and again the anti-globalization crowd will turn out to the polls and vote for a candidate who they disagree with. Why do they do this? Because they have to stop those #@&%ing (insert party name)!
If the social conservatives in the Republican Party who are so worried about the flow of immigration in this country were serious about putting a stop to it, they would recognize that their natural allies are the economic populists in the Democratic Party who oppose free trade. However, petty partisanship will keep these two groups separated. It is a good thing too! Were they ever to unite it would be a nightmare for this country. A partnership between the churches and the unions would produce a fearsome army of disciplined voters who would act like a steamroller, crushing anyone who dared to oppose it.
To further exacerbate the weakness that this division has dealt them, the opponents of globalization make voting choices that just do not make any sense. How is it that a party which has so many people foaming at the mouth about immigration ends up nominating John McCain? The two people who shared their beliefs, Duncan Hunter and Tom Tancredo, finished at the bottom of the race. Instead, the immigration hawks decided to delude themselves into believing that candidates like Mitt Romney were not just simply telling them what they wanted to hear. This is not something confined to the GOP side either. I find it highly doubtful that either Hillary Clinton or Barrack Obama is going to repeal NAFTA. They will utter harsh words about the agreement to win the votes of gullible primary voters, but once they take office their actions will be completely different. Meanwhile the Democrats who actually want to repeal NAFTA have faded away into some other universe where people vote for candidates based on criteria other than name recognition.
Thankfully, the power of self delusion will prevent opponents of globalization from actually believing what I have said. They will delude themselves into believing that if they persist in voting Republican that eventually their beloved wall will spring into existence or that if they just keep voting Democrat that eventually they will repeal NAFTA. I welcome any comments disputing what I have written. In fact, I am counting on it. Should they ever come to accept that what I have written is right it would be the begining of the end for people with a neoliberal outlook such as myself.
Posted by John 12:04 PM
Article from Robert Burr
Having difficulties posting his article to the frontpage, I have forwarded Robert Burr's article here which will be included in the Liberty Report:
Sometimes I nearly find the strangle hold on power of the Republicans and Democrats comforting. They may neglect several issues which I dearly care about, but sometimes their mutual drive towards incoherent policies works to my advantage. I think that the matter of globalization is a fine example of this. In this country there has been a very worrying backlash against immigration and free trade. Thankfully the opponents of globalization will not be able to create the gigantic wall around the United States they so dearly wish. The primary reason for this is that they are split between the Republicans and the Democrats.
I often find it amusing that Republicans typically support free trade and oppose immigration and Democrats typically support immigration and oppose free trade. Considering that the two issues are different aspects of the same phenomenon of globalization it makes such a mixed view seem slight irrational. This actually works to globalizations advantage though. The segment of the Republican party which is so hostile to immigration is consistently out maneuvered by the Wall Street crowd. We have had seven years of a Republican president and the massive wall between Mexico and the United States has yet to be constructed. When Bill Clinton was president we got NAFTA. Again and again the anti-globalization crowd will turn out to the polls and vote for a candidate who they disagree with. Why do they do this? Because they have to stop those #@&%ing (insert party name)!
If the social conservatives in the Republican Party who are so worried about the flow of immigration in this country were serious about putting a stop to it, they would recognize that their natural allies are the economic populists in the Democratic Party who oppose free trade. However, petty partisanship will keep these two groups separated. It is a good thing too! Were they ever to unite it would be a nightmare for this country. A partnership between the churches and the unions would produce a fearsome army of disciplined voters who would act like a steamroller, crushing anyone who dared to oppose it.
To further exacerbate the weakness that this division has dealt them, the opponents of globalization make voting choices that just do not make any sense. How is it that a party which has so many people foaming at the mouth about immigration ends up nominating John McCain? The two people who shared their beliefs, Duncan Hunter and Tom Tancredo, finished at the bottom of the race. Instead, the immigration hawks decided to delude themselves into believing that candidates like Mitt Romney were not just simply telling them what they wanted to hear. This is not something confined to the GOP side either. I find it highly doubtful that either Hillary Clinton or Barrack Obama is going to repeal NAFTA. They will utter harsh words about the agreement to win the votes of gullible primary voters, but once they take office their actions will be completely different. Meanwhile the Democrats who actually want to repeal NAFTA have faded away into some other universe where people vote for candidates based on criteria other than name recognition.
Thankfully, the power of self delusion will prevent opponents of globalization from actually believing what I have said. They will delude themselves into believing that if they persist in voting Republican that eventually their beloved wall will spring into existence or that if they just keep voting Democrat that eventually they will repeal NAFTA. I welcome any comments disputing what I have written. In fact, I am counting on it. Should they ever come to accept that what I have written is right it would be the begining of the end for people with a neoliberal outlook such as myself.
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