Presidential election, 2016

[Bob Butler 54]

(11-14-2016, 10:09 AM)Warren Dew Wrote:

(11-14-2016, 08:05 AM)Bob Butler 54 Wrote: I am happier with saying the capitalist class -- the owners of the means of production -- still exist and that the computer folk are a subgroup of the robber barons as a whole.  They will be pushing somewhat different agendas than those invested in oil, armaments, automobiles, or any other industries, but computer industry robber barons are not basically different from other robber barons.

By that definition, the "robber barons" are roughly equally split between the two major parties, so your relevant definition of "progressive" is largely unaligned with political party.

Of course, the elites just before the Civil War included the large plantation owners of the South.  Were they robber barons too?  They were certainly among the elites.  If they fit your definition of "robber baron", the Republicans were never the party of robber barons.

I see the Civil War era featuring a struggle between two sets of elites, the southern plantation and slave owning agricultural elite, and the northern industrial robber barons.

I quite agree that in the modern era there are robber barons supporting both parties. Again, the key is in policies set. Not all robber barons are gung ho for bleeding Main Street dry in order to boost their personal income to new and absurd levels. Some acknowledge that a robust Main Street in the long term is as key to optimizing their wealth and power rather than optimizing the next quarter's dividends.

And then too, not all Democratic politicians are as concerned for a healthy party as they are for gathering 'campaign contributions'. I've said many times the Democratic party is nigh on as guilty of accepting Robber Baron money and for responding to Robber Baron requests as the Republicans. If the regeneracy has not happened and is not close to happening, it is in part because there is no really new elite class that needs to suppress the old elite class. At this point neither party is progressive enough to say a regeneracy is underway.