I also agree that we need to come down to more substantive issues, such as the free lunch that the oil companies are having at our expense.

I know that the 60′s were about more than marches. But any time the media refers to 60′s activism, nine times out of ten there’ll be footage of a march. For a lot of people, I think being seen and heard is just as satisfying as getting something accomplished.

When I would mention voting for Leach, I heard from a number of somewhat open-minded people that taxing the oil industry would mean a loss of jobs. Of course, that’s B.S., but I thought it demonstrated how deeply the oil industry’s propaganda had penetrated.

Ironically, I thought all the attention paid to Sarah Palin gave oil-tax proponents an opportunity to make their case. Essentially, they should point out all the revenue Alaska receives and make the case that, in terms of oil infrastructure, Louisiana is comparably positioned but giving away her resources for nothing.

I strongly differentiate this from what mass movements should do differently, and am more interested in bottom-up movements than movements, like Long’s, that depend on a powerful individual. However I think the Left could learn a lot from Long’s ability to motivate ordinary people on the basis of class interest, and his ability to craft simple, powerful messages. The Right certainly has learned to use populist appeals, in a perverse way. Tom Frank explains this well in _What’s the Matter with Kansas_.

What do you mean by the “60′s paradigm of activism?”

I voted for Leach when he ran for governor. He seemed to have Longite elements to his platform, and I don’t think this form of populism is entirely discredited in the minds of Louisiana voters. I see Foster Campbell as wanting to wear the mantle of Long as well, particularly in his proposals around taxing the oil industry when he ran for governor.

Unfortunately, the political coalitions that late Longites like Edwards were dependent on may have broken down. And as much as I like many of the things I see both Leach and Campbell do (particularly Campbell in the LPSC), they have not won the broad support that Long and Edwards did.

I have puzzled over this. Do you have any thoughts as to why neither of them were more successful?

I would be interested to hear what you think Long should have done differently. That is, what populist movements today should do differently. I think the Left is hamstrung by the 60′s paradigm of activism, which is not meant as a criticism of the 60′s per se.

Also, are you familiar with two-time Louisiana gubernatorial candidate Buddy Leach? He ran on a populist agenda. Two of his planks were significantly increasing taxes on the oil industry and raising the minimum wage, among others. He also bore a passing resemblance to Huey Long. I would tell friends, “Vote for Leach. He’s the second coming of Huey Long!”