veterans_today_stuart_jeanne_bramhall_banner_3This VT article kind of "stood out", for some reason, when I saw the Nader book title, "Unstoppable: The Emerging Left-Right Alliance to Dismantle the Corporate State". I feel it points out the constructive collective that has been formed among many of the left-right-liberal-conservative-etcetera-etcetera groups that seem to be out there these days.

Anyway, check it out and see where it leads you.

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Is Left-Right Collaboration Possible?

unstoppable_ralph_nader_coverNader's new book has the intriguing title Unstoppable: The Emerging Left-Right Alliance to Dismantle the Corporate State. A long time consumer advocate, Nader has spent most of his career battling the corporate takeover of government and US society. Although most analysts place him to the left of the Democratic Party, he frequently allies himself with libertarians and populist conservatives in specific campaigns. He now maintains the only way to restore accountable Constitutional government is by forming what he calls right-left convergences.

Traditional Labels Meaningless

Nader begins by defining what he means by "right" and "left," as these terms have ceased to have any real meaning. He devotes an entire chapter to dispelling the common myths people from opposite ends of the political spectrum have about each other. He begins by discussing the philosophical architects responsible for the basic principles that underpin conservatism and libertarianism, with special emphasis on Adam Smith, Ludvig Van Mises, Frank Meyer, Russell Kirk and Peter Viereck. He goes on to trace links between contemporary conservatism and the 19th century populist movement in which farmers fought big banks and big railroads. This movement, commonly referred to as the "populist" or "decentralist" movement, would eventually evolve into Goldwater and Reagan conservatism. Nader maintains that many contemporary Republicans who call themselves "conservative" are really corporatists or corporate statists – working primarily for the benefit of the corporations who put them into office.
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