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attorney Mike Patton Antonio is joining me again today he's also cohost the Ring
of Fire
radio Mike let's talk a little bit about progressive
successes that we've seen and whether they really tell us anything about
the long-term potential for progressive success you know we can look at
not at least for the time being pursuing military action in Syria
Larry Summers build the blaze EO
appearing to be on track to 2b New York City Mayor
up marijuana legalization decriminalization is happening
increasingly marriage equality in more states than ever before
do you think that taken together there is a trend here do you think these are
temporary successes and there may be more setbacks
kinda a value it where the progressive movement stands
but I figure I think it's an uprising in storage that is
taken place quietly the Bill de Blasio
the situation is a great example I mean this is a guy that was he was
rand tracking number four all of a sudden he comes back and he comes out he
says listen
I'm not going to be a shame to the fact that I am very left-wing I am very
progressive
II I want some dramatic changes and
and if he runs on that platform he tells the wealthy people and
in New York you know what I'm going to tax you so I can play
so I can pay for education I'm attack you so we can have better roads
it he says we can't continue
this Tale of Two Cities as you put it out we can't have the Bloomberg New York
dictating what happens
to everybody else in and then a microcosm that's exactly what
what the Larry Summers issue was about I mean Larry Summers issue
if you really think about David this is a guy who has had a free pass
all the way back to bill clinton to operate kinda below the radar screen
cause nobody understood the day I'm story
they didn't understand that yes when he was out there with bill clinton
trying to tried to do away with glass steagle that he was doing that 1b
happened
%uh robert rubin in wall street they didn't get the connections
but now people are understanding these connections in there is somewhat of an
uprising taken place
if we step back a little bit I get emails a lot from my audience
about this progressive movement that some identified is taking place and they
kind ever divided among 22 camps
one camp is this is a sort of movement
there is at a change coming there is clearly a shift in the tide
and we're going to continue in this progressive direction
the other side is much more skeptical and they say
I don't I don't deny that did this is progress and that these are good things
all those that are listed at the beginning at this
this interview however ultimately we still have
ache a essentially corrupt political system corporate control over every
aspect of society
and this is merely a distraction those issues will not change
well i i kinda I probably lean more toward your
your the latter group that says way it's it is somewhat misdirection
we see it constantly in politics out with this administration we
we've seen it with big social issues were all over said we're talking about
same-sex marriage
at the same time that the pharmaceutical industry
is taking away our rights to be able to sue them
when they create pharmaceuticals that kill us our family
we start seeing issues are
we start seeing a misdirection on issues but such as gender or
what whatever it may be that our social issues
okay we pay attention those social issues that are very important don't get
me wrong the critically important but they can't be the only thing we pay
attention to because when we do that
Wall Street then does get away
with what they did what they tried to do with Larry Summers
um the point is this there this is somewhat of a distraction but
the the good news is that for
it's been a long time since we've thought about
the progressive evite is a progressive movement know the words
where women's movement attired in the labor where labor
tied in the gender war gender tied into environmental were
environmental turned into the judicial to
do our the judicial process all a bit now is kind of coming together
and I in a way that I haven't seen in a long time
first two law we never thought of ourselves as one unified movement
white the right did the crazy right would always think of themselves as a
unified movement
begun I industry but was always
a you know saddled up with Wall Street Wall Street was always saddled up with
me
with the are military complex their
issues were always if you're in the fight
where in there with you and you never really had that kind of
continuity with the progressive movement for example the Larry Summers issues a
great example I mean you had
are you had now who was one of the big voices that said you know what
how dare you President Obama how dare you
come forward with this man who first evolved
victimize Brooks Lee born if you recall who is warning the entire nation
that derivatives we're going to cause this burned-out but you at Larry Summers
robert reich and alan greenspan go after but abruptly born
that's after you at Harvard in you said that women don't have the capacity
to understand science or math ahead you know
show all of a sudden the women's movement got involved in something that
historically would only take place by can have a small part of the progressive
movement was paying attention to this
yeah I find myself really wondering I like I haven't really taken a position
on this issue you brought up %uh the distraction of social issues because
there's no question at all like he said
that gender equality is absolutely important
all these other social issues are very important and at the same time
I recognize that putting energy into those there's a limited number of hours
in the day
yeah there's a limited number of dollars that can be spent and focusing on those
issues may not change the fundamental in a quality that we see in this country
that is growing
the concentration of wealth et cetera however could we say
that progressive is Asian up social values
could lead to more energy behind changing some of those other things we
discussed
well it does is long as you know there is a part of the progressive movement I
called the Birkenstock progressives
in the Birkenstock progressives don't understand the importance
%uh the fact that we're in a fight for our lives when there's no nicety about
this that yes
we're so pleased when we see some issue
that breaks positively on race or gender were so pleased by that because that's
who we are
but the the real thugs the real people we have to confront
or on wall street the real people we have to confront are the people who keep
pushing forward on this idea a putting money into politics
to the average person on the street has no vote anymore
so it only gets to the point to where real change takes place
where we say it's time it's time to go forward with a constitutional amendment
it started but so much pressure on on money in politics
that we see a fundamental change it's only when you get there david that
anything meaningful was gonna happen
otherwise the NRA is still gotta keep continue pumping money
into in into the beltway and we're never going to change on things like gun
control
you gonna see the Wall Street Rego Park money into both parties to were both
parties are simply
there's their their train a monkey greider monkeys
well organ grinder monkeys for both sides
there's no way you can intelligently have these people
in the beltway focus on what matters so you got to get the money
out in when the progressive movement when there's continuity in the
progressive movement and they all come together they say
okay these other issues are important but let's wet cut the head
of love the monster in the monster is money
in the beltway that's the monster until we all get there and say you know all
these other things they're they're important
but we gotta go after the hardest others Damon alright attorney Mike Pepin Tonio
cohost to bring a fire radio don't miss it
on free speech TV now as well great as always to have you on
thank you David