Writing on
TPMCafe, Kevin Phillips ties an attack on his new book to a tendency towards continued rightward ooze - in terms of financial policy - on the part of what some are dubbing the "jellocratric" elements of the Democratic Party.
My interest was piqued some weeks ago by a blistering attack on me and my new book "American Theocracy: The Perils and Politics of Radical Religion, Oil and Borrowed Money" by Jacob Weisberg, the editor of Slate.
Why might Weisberg attack Phillips' book ? it turns out that Weisberg is well connected with Robert Rubin - with whom Weisberg co-authored a book, and Phillips' economic policy views differ quite a bit from Rubin's.
As Phillips paints Rubin's - and the Democrats' - slow drift towards the monied classes :
On the surface, Rubin enjoys a reputation as an unassuming man of unblemished character and deep charitable and social concern. However, he was Chairman of the Citigroup Executive Committee (since 1999) while much of this anti-social behavior was going on; he also called the U.S. Treasury to pitch for help to Enron, with which Citigroup was closely involved (a collusion for which Citi paid a huge fine of $300 million). A 2008 Democratic campaign that includes Robert Rubin will not be credible on Enron-type issues.
For now, he is not worried about that. He is trying to enlist disaffected moderate Republicans in groups like the Council on Foreign Relations and several budget organizations to back the newly centrist and pro-finance Hillary Clinton in 2008. Presumably this includes the further Hamiltonization of the party of Jefferson and Jackson.
Given that the mainstream ideology of the Christian right strongly favors the interests of wealthy elites, it would make sense that the Democrats' ideological ship - or at least the yachts of some Democratic party elites - were listing in that direction.
It also may have some bearing on a story I covered a few days ago :
Courting Intolerance: Dean and McCain Pander To Christian Right
But - lastly - should we take Phillips' positions at face value ? Phillips' couched his TPMCafe piece in the context of Robert Rubin's "Hamiltonian" inclinations and was subsequently criticized by many in the ensuing discussion for his characterization of Hamilton's economic thought.
That said, others - notably William Greider but many others as well - have noted the Democratic Party's slide towards the interests of elite classes. Now, not all of those are theocratic by a wide stretch and so one
trenchant question is : can an alliance between elites who are opposed to the establishment of an American theocracy and Democrats help stem the theocratic advance ? And, at what price ?
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