Reply #9: I think you misunderstand the process [View All]

and so are relying on talking points.

Systemic political processes are both "top down" and "bottom up." They rely on deductive logic and the sort of experience and leadership to persuade people to support broad policy proposals.

The processes are also inductive- learning from past example as to what works and what doesn't. Details and implementation are furthered along by participation among individuals and groups that support the general policies. In short, it offers people "ownership" of the "deal."

The New Deal was primarily a "top down" process- made popular through citizen involvement. Big business (corporate America & Wallstreet) fought tooth and nail against the proposals, and as we've seen, they're still fighting to this day.

Bush's policies are also top down- and no reasonable person can argue that they weren't "successful" in terms of getting precisely what their supporters at the top wanted- however dysfunctional that was and is.

It's extremely difficult to generate braod ideas from "the bottom up" and get them implemented. As anyone in management who's tried the various processes for doing so knows all too well. And the political arena, it's a very rare thingthat fails much more often than it succeeds.