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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWisconsin Democrat who infiltrated ALEC: ‘They don’t want people involved in the political process’
Riley: What were you impressed by?
Taylor: I was really impressed by their infrastructure. I mean, we would never duplicate something like this on the left because, first of all, we would never take instructions from corporations, but the coordination that they have between these policy think tanks, the money and the legislators, in terms of just driving an agenda, its incredible. Ive never seen anything like it. Im fascinated by it because Ive never seen anything like it from the left. I was the public policy director at Planned Parenthood, so Im very familiar with building infrastructure. We did a lot of that in the state of Wisconsin. But we have nothing that I know of on the national front that connects all these things.
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Taylor: One guy I was talking to, who was from one of these right wing think tanks was saying we need to curb Obamas reckless power with these administrative regulations, and he wanted a federal constitutional amendment saying Congress has to approve federal regulations. I said, I dont think most people are going to want to amend the Constitution for that. I dont think that ignites people. Maybe it does on the far right, but most people dont really care about that. And he said, Oh, well, you really dont need people to do this. You just need control over the legislature and you need money, and we have both.
That sentiment was underscored so many times to me, that they dont want people involved in the political process, or in the policy process. And that seems to be the intent in a lot of ways: You have a think tank in every state and all they do is come up with these very, very regressive policies, you have corporations who are going to benefit so they fund it all, and then you have the legislators as your foot soldiers to carry out the tasks.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/08/16/wisconsin-democrat-who-infiltrated-alec-they-dont-want-people-involved-in-the-political-process/
SleeplessinSoCal
(8,996 posts)I wish people would focus on it more. It explains so much about our local politics and why communities are being torn apart as they are on the national level.
How on earth do a relative handful of people, who prefer think tanks over people, see us willing to subjugate our lives to corporations and the likes of the Koch Bros?
It's a nightmare!!!
octoberlib
(14,971 posts)These people don't want a democracy. I think one of the Koch's even said that democracies are overrated.
SleeplessinSoCal
(8,996 posts)I think they know how much power and money they have behind them. It's making people upset and ready to fight though. But it drains the energy and the coffers.
I wish people at DU would get off the NSA for a week or two and pay attention to what ALEC is doing to us.
jaysunb
(11,856 posts)freshwest
(53,661 posts)And it's not just ALEC meetings, but at school boards, zoning and other municipal meetings as well as churches. They meet all year around and develop ties that profit some of them.
Go into the legislature to oppose their bills and find a solid wall, rude, dismissive and hostile to Democrats. I've seen dirty business done, outrageous things. To me they are fascists in the way they demand things. There is no reasoning with them.
Oppose them, and they will stop at nothing to shut you up. That's why I get so mad at fighting over stuff that doesn't change anything. As far as the article saying it would be hard to amend the Constitution - that is exactly what Ryan said they would do when they get enough red state legislatures.
It's not illegal. It's the way the thing is set up. The ERA did not pass because there were states whose legislatures did not want it and that power is in the states.
They intend to repeal the 14th and others. I've told people tthese guys are playing for keeps. That a defeatist attitude is not the way to get people to change things or resist this. One says they want people to listen and vote a certain way, for liberal causes. We only have one party to act on that.
I use the analogy of selling a car. If we tell people daily that our top of the line, PBO and all we did or tried, sucks, why would anyone listen to us when we tell them to vote for us?
It'd be like saying, 'Look how fine a model this is, but it doesn't run, is going to cost you a ton of money and you'll get nothing.' Who would buy that?
But the RW are the PR experts, they really do believe that they have something great. Just not for you, but they won't tell you that.
Whatever they can steal from the Commons, is gone for good and will never return. That is why they push privatization. While people fight over things farther away and less personal, the very ground under our feet is being stolen.
It's frightening.
octoberlib
(14,971 posts)No, they're not. They're strong in the states and it's going to be hard to get them out due to gerrymandering. Complacency is dangerous. I've never seen such political tone deafness in my life as I have from the NC GOP. McCrory attended an event in a Charlotte suburb recently and was greeted by REPUBLICAN protestors. He just doesn't seem to give a shit.
limpyhobbler
(8,244 posts)octoberlib
(14,971 posts)In NC we're even seeing Republicans showing up at Moral Mondays. They say " We're conservative , but these policies are just too extreme."
msongs
(67,194 posts)democratic party stampede to right of center has just about squashed the liberal/progressive agenda that was the key component of democrats.
octoberlib
(14,971 posts)they just don't have the funding.
liberal_at_heart
(12,081 posts)We need to be getting money out of politics.
octoberlib
(14,971 posts)nadinbrzezinski
(154,021 posts)octoberlib
(14,971 posts)was hired directly from Booz Allen Hamilton.
nadinbrzezinski
(154,021 posts)snot
(10,481 posts)That sentiment was underscored so many times to me, that they dont want {the} people involved in the political process, or in the policy process. And that seems to be the intent in a lot of ways: You have a think tank in every state and all they do is come up with these very, very regressive policies, you have corporations who are going to benefit so they fund it all, and then you have the legislators as your foot soldiers to carry out the tasks.
(Emphasis supplied.)
AppetiteForApathy
(22 posts)Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays this voter from the completion of his duty as a voter.
octoberlib
(14,971 posts)SleeplessinSoCal
(8,996 posts)But I don't want to give facebook money.
Oh, well, you really dont need people to do this. You just need control over the legislature and you need money, and we have both.
Those words ought to stick in our minds for incentive. Plus, besides controlling the legislature in many states, they've been stacking the courts for decades. This is the issue to fight a revolution over - IMHO.