The Economist interviewed Arianna for part of their inaugural event, Innovation: Fresh thinking for the ideas economy, "a new series of events that brings together top thinkers from around the world to discuss and debate the most important ideas of our time."
The topic of this particular conversation was whether or not America is a third-world country.
WATCH:
Chinese and Indian companies, Pakistani companies, are now outsourcing jobs to the U.S. because our labor is so cheap.
But, still no American industrial policy. And, no meaningful regulations to restore American Competitiveness.
A lot of political kabuki. To borrow from the bard, ust a lot of sound and fury, told by a bunch of idiots, signifying nothing.
Can HuffingtonPost emulate EconomistMagazine in sponsoring "HuffingtonPost Conference" online?
Several themes emerged:---
1)Technological innovation should lead in reviving economy + empowering individuals.
2)Learning + spreading empathy -- feeling + doing things bigger than one's self-preoccupation is essential ingredient of happy healthy society.
3)Class warfare from top 1% wealthy class against the rest is transforming happy optimistic country + upwardly mobile classsociety into angry pessimistic country + downwardly mobile classsociety over last few decades.
What can people do?
1)People get themselves accurately + truthfully informed about social changes.
2)Those with understanding of social changes, + endowed with leadership qualities + influential leverage should offer themselves to lead formation of broadbased new third party based on social democratic principles.
3)Those with awareness of necessity + knowledge of how to change society should empower themselves engaging in individual + collective actions.
3general categories of people:--
1)Those who make things happen
2)Those who recognize things happening
3)Those who ask: "What happened?"
Arianna, you've proven your social analyses accurate, thought-provoking, + challenging. You're uniquely well-positioned to surpass "punditry" to action-oriented leadership role in starting new party. RossPerot + RalphNader paved the way. Nader proved in 2000 there's widespread hunger for social transformation (70thousand paid audience heard his speech in Oregon). As you said, PresidentObama acts more like pundit than FDR-like force for change. You have built tremendous broadbased following. People's raised social consciousness without empowering leadership will lapse into dangerous apathy. Window of opportunity leading to 2010+2012 elections
You can write a book about the need for action.
But there is no substitute for action and leadership.