Writer’s Bloc, a series of literary discussions and public readings in Los Angeles, opened its 15th season on Wednesday evening with a bang: Arianna Huffington discussed her 9th book “Third World America: How Our Politicians Are Abandoning the Middle Class and Betraying the American Dream” with filmmaker and political activist Adam McCay. 

The venue, Temple Emanuel in Beverly Hills, could not have been more fitting for the vivacious Huffington to promote her version of the truth about her adopted home country and possible solutions.

The audience in the packed synagogue enjoyed the lively but harmonious discussion between the publisher and the filmmaker underneath a panel of the 10 commandments. 

“She has an interesting viewpoint,” said Michael Darner, who listens to Huffington regularly on the radio. The architect lived in Washington DC when former President “George W. Bush stole the election,” and was pleased to hear Huffington talk about some of the “stories that capture imagination” featured in her book.

“The most important part of the book is about people like Seth Reams from Portland, Oregon, who started the website www.wevegottimetohelp.org,” introduced Huffington one of her positive examples for how individuals can make a difference. In early 2009, Reams and his girlfriend found themselves with more time on their hands than they wanted when the economic downturn washed away their jobs. 

Huffington, who displayed a high degree of sympathy, admiration and enthusiasm for ideas such as Reams’, encouraged her listeners and readers to follow her to a better, not necessarily more liberal, but certainly more community oriented world which can be created in seven steps outlined in “Third World America” and the Huffington Post. 

First, the author encourages the “millions of middle-class Americans fighting the keep the American Dream alive” she dedicated her book to, to share their story and suggests a suitable forum where people listen: The Huffington Post. After sharing one’s story, exercise is in order. Huffington suggests people who are done being depressed about losing their job should strengthen their resilience muscle. 

Step three: Learn and read about economics and then move your money from a big bank that only tries to screw you to a smaller credit union (step four). After everyone took care of himself or herself, they should take time and help others, which, in turn, will boost their self-esteem and inspire them to do great things (for themselves and others.) 

In step six readers are challenged to take their involvement a notch further and to hold elected officials accountable, before meeting up and making “a difference” in the final step. 

McCay, who did not reveal if he had already completed all seven steps, continued to deliver cues for Huffington’s talking points that spanned from the “immoral war” in Afghanistan to water pips “from the civil war” in the US. 

“We went from a country that makes things to a country that makes things up,” said the former conservative Huffington, who extended her criticism to president Obama and the Democrats for not making “bold infrastructure moves” and said “Obama went from the audacity of hope to the timidity of government.” 

The evening ended with the two discussants agreeing, once more, on the problems and possible solutions when the creator of “Funny or Die” suggested to “put the idea of a free market to rest” and bring back the “cottage economy of the 19th century” and the owner of one of the most successful blogs on the web explaining to him and her audience that the current economical system was not a free market economy anyway, but “privatized gains and socialized losses.”  

Reach editor Jessica Donath here.