Dear Clarice,
First, a nit to pick – Mr. Santelli spoke from the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Other than that, you are absolutely correct.
You mentioned the Civil Rights Movement. There were two other major populist movements in out history – Abolition and Prohibition. The prohibition thing came a cropper, the abolitionists precipitated the completion of the American promise.
I’ve been a political junkie for quite a while, ever since seeing Harry Truman on TV. I learned early on that, like stamp collecting, most folks don’t share my interest. That has changed! There’s got to be 5 to 10 times as many people interested than there were just 2 years ago. The newly awakened sure ain’t happy with the Dems. The Republicans are not beloved but they don’t scare folks as much.
I suspect that this revolution will happen a lot quicker than most folks anticipate. Although the Senate didn’t turn over the Reps actually had a slightly higher batting average in the Senate than in the House. The 23 Senate Democrats up in 2012 know that. With the defeats of folks like Feingold, Specter and Bennett of Utah they’re real nervous. Look for some real surprises in the upper house.
On a final note, I hope that some interest will be aroused in The Federalist Papers. Aside from being one of the finest bodies of literature ever produced they are the finest philosophical treatise of the last millennium. I try to get through them at least once a year.
Regards,
Roy
