http://www.credoaction.com/sirota/2008/01/the_numbers_dont_lie_as_i_said.html
As Predicted, Populism Is On the Rise - Who's Laughing Now?
By David Sirota
Credo Action, 1/3/08
Back in August, I wrote an article for the Huffington Post entitled
"An Economic Populist Is Rising In the GOP Presidential Primary." In
that article, I predicted that Republican Mike Huckabee would rise
and potentially win the Iowa caucuses based on his relentless focus
on economic inequality and class-based populism. I chided the media
and Democrats for ignoring him, and when I wrote this article, I was
laughed at by many reporters, pundits and readers alike.
In November, I wrote a nationally syndicated column for Creators
Syndicate entitled "The Huey Longs of Iowa" about both Huckabee and
John Edwards. I once again noted that these two underdog candidates
were competing in the Iowa caucus despite being outspent precisely
because both men were running as bare-knuckled economic populists. As
the only nationally syndicated columnist to write something like this,
I was largely dismissed and laughed off by national political
reporters, pundits and many readers, with most telling me the Iowa
race was between only Romney and Giuliani on the Republican side, and
only Clinton and Obama on the Democratic side (You can read both
articles attached below).
Now the results are in: Huckabee has resoundingly won the Iowa
caucuses, John Edwards is in a dogfight with Barack Obama, who has
over the last month adopted much of Edwards' populist rhetoric. That
Edwards is even in this race at all, and that Huckabee won is a
success for both candidates considering they were grossly outspent by
candidates being funded by huge corporate interests. More importantly,
these results (regardless of who ends up winning what is effectively a
tie in the Democratic race) resoundingly support precisely what I
wrote way back when the Punditburo in Washington was still berating
economic populism, and downplaying the very real class-based anger
that is roiling America.
In the last week, a few columnists have scurried to point out what I
pointed out a long time ago about both Huckabee and Edwards - as if
it is some sort of new revelation that the country is ready for a
truly populist economic politics. However, watching CNN, it is clear
national political reporters will continue to ignore economic
populism's central role in American politics. When it comes to
Huckabee, all the talk is about religious conservatism, even as
conservative publications like the Weekly Standard have very recently
acknowledged that Huckabee's economic message is what has propelled
him to victory. Similarly, when it comes to Edwards miraculously
being in the middle of the race despite being outspent, all the talk
is about the horserace. It is as if the Washington media and
political Establishment will do anything to pretend that the public's
anger at corporate greed and economic inequality simply does not
exist.
They don't want to admit this anger exists because it fundamentally
indicts the corrupt system that has allowed such economic oppression
to flourish - a corrupt system brought on by the hostile takeover of
our government by big money interests that I described in my first
book. But, as they say, the numbers do not lie. They are there for
all to see - and they prove what I and many progressives have been
saying for years.
To read the Huffington Post article about Huckabee from back in
August, go to:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-sirota/dems-beware-an-economic-_b_60370.html
To read the nationally syndicated Creators column about Huckabee and
Edwards from back in November, go to:
http://www.creators.com/opinion/david-sirota/the-huey-longs-of-iowa.html
[Use links above to continue reading]
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