[PEN-L:30601] RE: Re: Re: Re: Bush Militarism- How many Divisions are there in

["Devine, James" <jdevine@xxxxxxx>]

Title: RE: [PEN-L:30598] Re: Re: Re: Bush Militarism- How many Divisionsare there in

agreeing with Michael H.,

The pluralist theory of competing factions makes sense -- once it's realized that the process of competition is weighted to benefit those with the most wealth or similar economic resources.

C. Wright Mills made the distinction between the "ruling class" and the "power elite." Not using his definitions' terminology (since I can't find my copy of the book), the former refers to that segment of the societal structure that is served by the mode of production. On the other hand, the power elite refers to those (currently) with the most political power, for making collective decisions for society as a whole. (The "power elite" is more of an empirical concept than the ruling class, too.) Obviously, the ruling class is represented in the power elite, along with military interest groups and the like. Different elements of the ruling class compete to get represented in the power elite.

------------------------
Jim Devine jdevine@xxxxxxx &  http://bellarmine.lmu.edu/~jdevine

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Michael Hoover [mailto:hooverm@xxxxxxxxxx]
> Sent: Friday, September 27, 2002 6:25 AM
> To: pen-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [PEN-L:30598] Re: Re: Re: Bush Militarism- How many
> Divisionsare there in
>
>
> >>> hari.kumar@xxxxxxxxxxxx 09/22/02 13:52 PM >>>
> 2) Carrol: I have been aware of a proposed conflict presidential power
> between the 'cowboys' (Texan based oil) & the 'yankees'
> (northern based
> financial based capital). Is this outlandish & inconsistent
> with facts?
> Hari
> <<<>>>
>
> former sdser/new leftist turned conspiracy
> theorist carl oglesby may have been first
> to use cowboy/yankee concept/terminology
> in his early 70s book 'the cowboy and
> yankee war'...  distinction probably more
> relevant at that time re. some differences
> between 'frostbelt' and 'sunbelt'
> capital...  significantly, however, u.s.
> foreign policy never changed much
> regardless of whether 'liberal' yankees or 'conservative'
> cowboys won elections...
>  
> still, notion of 'plural elite' has some
> merit, conservative-elite thinker/poli
> sci guy thomas dye, who seems to be
> one of few still using yankee/cowboy
> framework, has added third faction that he
> calls 'techno-elite' to describe likes of
> gates (guess likes of ben & jerry don't yet
> rate)...
>  
> of course, power-elite is not necessarily
> same as ruling class (right-wing variant of
> former and its 'liberal eastern establishment'
> of left-leaning intellectuals, government
> bureaucrats, media, 'rockefeller interests',
> etc.)...
>
> ruling class differences - between domestic
> and transnational capital, for example -
> revolve around how best to stifle class
> conflict in order to maintain existing
> system... 'debates' rarely consider
> interests of working people... certainly,
> restraints upon ruling class exists, a no
> small part of which is what they think
> they can get way with, but also (somewhat
> ironically, perhaps) co-optation/
> legitimation of representative' government...
> michael hoover
>
>   
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