When populists aren't progressive. Norman Solomon looks at the California recall election and the PR manipulations that control the debate. He offers quotes and insights such as this:

"Most people are eternally taken in by the myth and rhetoric of democracy," says Gray Brechin, the author of a book about the Golden State's development, "Imperial San Francisco: Urban Power, Earthly Ruin."

"What we have now is an increasingly uneducated public -- especially in what used to be called civics -- dealing with evermore complex issues with which they are unequipped to knowledgeably deal," Brechin says. "We have a population ripe for manipulation by powerful public relations firms and political consultants who are expert in sound bites and seductive imagery."

He also links it back to the Proposition 13 crowd, who really are the villains in this bogus drama.