America Hates What America Has Become

Ponder this...

So, looking at this chart, we can see something interesting.  Once again, American's ignorance about America is truly stunning.  

The top chart shows what some people know: most wealth in this country - a staggering amount - belongs to the top fifth of the people.  As the chart below shows, much of that is concentrated in the top 1%.

What's striking is that Americans think we have more economic equality than we actually do.  And, more strikingly, they still would like more equality.  Imagine what they would think if they knew how bad economic inequality really is?

The problem is that this topic is effectively banned from the TeeVee.  It shows up occasionally in a Krugman-Herbert-Dionne piece, but it's invisible from our broader public discourse.  The president never goes before the nation and explains to the American people that we've become Mexico - at least in terms of income inequality.

I wonder what would happen if the full power and size of the oligarchy or plutocracy or whatever you want to call it became known to the public at large?  I wonder how many Fox News watchers would still fight to preserve the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest?  Many, doubtless, would be unswayed, since "facts have a well known liberal bias".  

But this central fact seems to me the principle unfired arrow in the Democrat's quiver.  

Scott Walker has become the face of corporatist GOP overreach.  With the polls showing public support flowing away from his position, his threat to layoff workers en masse will be seen as the desperate bullying that it is.  Indiana and Florida have already backed off their own plans to strip collective bargaining rights, perhaps Ohio will follow suit.

Now is precisely the time to start talking about wealth inequality in this country.  Talk about it now until 2012. If the GOP has taught us anything, it's that repetition is the key to messaging.  

Sadly, if the Democrats have taught us anything it's that the suck at messaging.