Winner Take All Politics Analysis

Tanisha Johnson
Winner Take All Politics

Former white house press secretary Bill Moyer interviews a professor, Jacob Hacker of Harvard University and political scientist Paul Pierson of Yale University. The purpose of the interview was to discuss a book they wrote called Winner Take All Politics: How Washington Made The Rich Richer- and turned its back on the middle class. Hacker and Pierson believe after the broad land era between the 1930s and late 1960s, America’s economy took a turn for the worst. A vast amount of socioeconomic inequality began and the disturbing part is that they believe this was not done by accident. Hacker and Pierson go into detailed facts about how this life changing event in society was politically engineered and

They thought with a good amount of higher education people would succeed thus creating a healthy economy. They have abandoned that theory because the 2008 recession was proof that theory had failed. Hacker and Pierson now understand that America’s huge economic downfall was not because of changing economic conditions but is a result of politics. When only one social class controls politics then the economic system will be in favor of that social class. Hacker and Pierson asked “how a nation as wealthy as America, can the economy just stop working for people?” Hacker and Pierson found the cause of this growing economic inequality was caused by what’s be referred to as “organized

This caused the elite class to have lower marginal rates while middle class and the poor only fell into debt. The tax cuts illustrate Hacker and Pierson’s allegations that politics in fact was the main factor in the 2000s recession. Middle class became very pessimistic about politics. Hacker and Pierson made it clear that the ruling power over the economy goes to the ruling class which so happens to be the upper elite. This explains middle and working classes pessimism towards politics. The middle and working class retreat from the political aspects of the economy because they have little power to influence politics. They feel as though they don’t have a voice which gave the elite the majority influence. The top 20% vote on a large range of issues through passing bills, laws, and policies the top 1% don’t listen to poor or middle class when it comes to politics causing the middle class to be cynical towards politics. This way of thinking became a continued cycle for the 99% causing disengagement within politics in the winner take all economy that had been organized by the top