"Steal the issues from populists."

I don't watch much MSNBC or CNN anymore but I usually have a TV droning in the background, especially in the morning. I usually go with CSPAN but today I landed on CNN.

My ears perked up when I heard someone say "Neoliberal has been a bad term for a long time."

Turned out to be David Frum responding to a question from Fareed Zakaria about what the American centrist establishment might learn from Macron.

I backed up and listened to the whole thing and decided to transcribe some of it here.

FRUM: Neoliberal has been a "bad" term for a long time. But he [Macron] is promising market-opening economies, measures in order to deal with youth unemployment. Um, just as the problem in the United States is while you can get work you can't get paid. In Europe, especially in places like France, young people can't even get work... although they do get, they collect pay of various kinds...

Wait. What?

I wish I had the video for two reasons. 1. The scare quotes around "bad" when he refers to Neoliberalism. 2. The way he hesitates and lowers his voice as he mentions the unseemly "pay of various kinds" those who can't find work in countries like France receive.

Are there no workhouses or prisons where they can be paid in cake?

In the US they can work but not get paid and that kinda sucks but France is so much worse because they can't work but they get paid anyway. The horror.

I'm guessing when he said young people "can't get paid" in the US he meant they can't get paid well. But hey, at least they get the benefit of being exploited - dignity of work, idle hands, bootstraps and all that - unlike their unfortunate French counterparts burdened with health care, education, and a real social safety net. Exceptional.

Frum goes on about what American Neoliberals can learn from Macron:

Be willing to steal the issues, go a certain measure to steal the issues from populists.

So lie. Don't be a populist, just learn to sound like one. Got it.

Advice for David Frum: Next time you're on TV trying to "steal the issues" from American populists, maybe don't remind young people about the "pay of various kinds" their counterparts in other countries get if they can't find work. You might get them to start thinking about things like Universal Basic Income and that's the last thing you want.

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It will be interesting to see how that goes...

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SnappleBC's picture

Good lord that's pretty much all they do. Even Hillary picked up on that notion... a bit... towards the end of her campaign.

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A lot of wanderers in the U.S. political desert recognize that all the duopoly has to offer is a choice of mirages. Come, let us trudge towards empty expanse of sand #1, littered with the bleached bones of Deaniacs and Hope and Changers.
-- lotlizard

snoopydawg's picture

and we know who the players are and what they are trying to achieve. It's bringing the working class down and offshoring once decent paying jobs. Plus it's taking our money and giving it to the never ending war machine.

He's right about this

Um, just as the problem in the United States is while you can get work you (just) can't get paid.

a living wage. Congress has said that employers of people in the service industries can take their tips and share them with others or keep them for themselves.

Macron is a centrist just like Obama was. It's not surprising that he helped get Macron elected. A lot of countries are also moving to the right for some reason. I don't understand why people are voting for this.

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Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

divineorder's picture

@snoopydawg #OneWorldSummit , though....


Meteor_Blades and 5 others follow.

.... all the while keeping my hand on my wallet.

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A truth of the nuclear age/climate change: we can no longer have endless war and survive on this planet. Oh sh*t.

divineorder's picture

@divineorder

@snoopydawg ...

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A truth of the nuclear age/climate change: we can no longer have endless war and survive on this planet. Oh sh*t.

snoopydawg's picture

@divineorder

just like OWS was shut down by the Empty Suit because his masters were getting upset with them interfering in their business. Even that outrageous stunt by him was met with little criticism from his supporters. He stood by as the police beat the BLM protesters and stayed silent on what happened to the DAPL protesters. He certainly wasn't alone in his silence though, was he?

If I wrote LTE in my local rags, I'd be crucified by the people who don't believe what's in front of them. However I was pleasantly surprised today with the number of people who were upset about Trump censoring the agencies he's in charge of. Did you hear about this? People can no longer say fetus, vulnerable people, and 5 other words that they need to say because of where they work.

Two other words are evangelical and entitlements. I'm confused about the article on CNN about this. This is exactly what the Trump administration is telling people.

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Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

divineorder's picture

@snoopydawg

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A truth of the nuclear age/climate change: we can no longer have endless war and survive on this planet. Oh sh*t.

Lily O Lady's picture

@snoopydawg

It’s perfectly OK to turn around and do something you have condemned your opponents for doing.

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"The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now do you begin to understand me?" ~Orwell, "1984"

The Aspie Corner's picture

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MfnR6e5gCY]

Hopefully this guy wins.

*edited to correct the office Dan Drew is running for. My bad

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Modern education is little more than toeing the line for the capitalist pigs.

Guerrilla Liberalism won't liberate the US or the world from the iron fist of capital.

Usually involving culture war issues like diversity and inclusion. One of the more blatant (failed) uses is when Megyn Kelly attacked Trump from the left in his treatment of women and invoking the term "war on women".. Fox/Kelly management thought that was good tactic to use in a gop debate. Utterly blew up in their faces when Trump came back on her for political correctness. Kelly and Fox completely lost touch of who was in the auditorium. And I think that single question propelled Trump to the lead and kept him there.

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