In a long post about Wal-Mart, moderation, political principles, and elections, Kevin Drum adds a postscript that just might make a perfect mission statement for a new progressive-minded democratic Party:
it's foolish to paint Wal-Mart or the broader business community as "evil." They aren't, any more than ordinary human beings are evil. It's just that, left to their own devices, both humans and corporations tend to act solely in their own self-interest. That's why we have laws to control human behavior, and it's why we need laws and regulations to control corporate behavior. I prefer a society in which people don't gun each other down in the streets, and I also prefer a society in which middle class workers prosper when the economy grows. I support laws that encourage both.
That formulation was of course the core of the domestic agenda of New Deal Democrats, but it got lost somewhere around the time of Vietnam. I for one would be overjoyed if it made a long-overdue return!
For more on the debate over Wal-Mart and our modern political economy, be sure to check out Kevin's full post.
UPDATE: Want more on Wal-Mart? Ezra is on the case.
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