The Right-Ward Shift, 2008-2010

The trending of politics across the world to move in a definite right-wing direction during the current recession. This defies (contradicts) conventional wisdom, which holds that at least in well-developed, long-established democracies, it is the Left that rises during these times (as indeed, the Obama campaign/election seemed in the United States, at least at first).

One possible explanation is massive spending on the part of right-wing think-tanks, foundations, and corporate PAC funds (lobbys) across the world. In the United States, they are headquarted at FOX News and have astroturfed the Tea Party movement, largely grafting a think-tank policy wonk idea onto a grassroots flesh-and-blood reality that might be taking on a life of its own (kind of like starting a nuclear chain-reaction). The recession must have made them so afraid of losing their previously gained massive advantages (from Reagan/Thatcher through Bush I/Majors through Clinton/Blair to Bush II/Gordon) that they really are willing to cut loose of a decent chunk of what they've banked up in order to not let even the slightest bit of socialism/Green politics advance. They figure if they can nip it in the butt now (and indeed, use judo-like propaganda ploys to make it seem as if it actually is the libs/lefties who are causing the recession), they can rule with impunity soon after, perhaps forever?

Evidently, the money bags on the right have finally decoded the memes and neurolinguistic programing that activiate people who are normally apolitical or nominally liberal (progressive/leftist) to suddenly want to vote for them.

At any rate, by "right-wing" or "right-ward" I do not mean in any way that the rightist views are in fact "right" (correct; good), only that they are on the political right (conservatism, tradition, anti-socialism, anti-humanism, anti-environment, pro-wealth, pro-power, pro-military, pro-war, pro-authoritarianism).