Now is the time for all good Democrats to come to the aid of the capitalists.
However, if the Democrats are to be of any help, first of all the capitalists must come to the aid of the Democrats.
There's an election coming up in just six weeks. What is the fat-cat, Wall Street tycoon to do about it? He and his well situated buddies can direct bundles of cash to various campaigns, they can order cadres of lobbyists to lean on candidates, and they can issue orders to the corporate media to slant their (so-called) "news coverage" this way or that. They can, for all practical purposes, decide the outcome of the election.
So what do they do? Heretofore, the answer was pre-ordained: Boost the Republicans and slam the Democrats. Rig the elections. Override the law (e.g., Bush v. Gore). And then, as a consequence, the lobbyists will write the laws for a compliant Congress, taxes for the wealthy will be slashed, regulations will be dropped. And the bill will be charged to future generations. In short, capitalist heaven on earth.
As any economist worth his tenure will tell you, this is the road to ruin. And it appears that we have followed that road to its destination – just short of a presidential election.
Take care what you wish for: you just might get it!
So what is the electoral choice before our hypothetical tycoon? On the one hand, a brilliant, Harvard cum laude lawyer, teamed with a seasoned legislator, nominated by a Democratic Party that has drifted somewhat to the right of what used to be called "moderate Republicanism." On the other hand, an aging befuddled warrior and a self-confessed economic and computer illiterate, ranked at the bottom of his graduating class, running with a clueless fundamentalist fanatic with a pretty face.
Faced with this choice, many of the filthy-rich GOP movers and shakers, creatures of habit as they are, will no doubt dance with the dude that brung 'em. But to those few who have been jolted by the financial shocks of the past week into a willingness to pause and reflect for a moment, this essay is for you. (See also, my ).
The Democrats must save capitalism, again.
What happens when you let a bunch of kids into a candy store, unsupervised by any grown-ups? Of course, you end up with some unhappy youngsters with full-blown belly-aches. Then it's past time to bring back the adults and plenty of Pepto-Bismol.
Analogously, in the novel "Lord of the Flies," William Golding described what happens when a rabble of young undisciplined egoists are tossed together. Also Thomas Hobbes in his classical treatise, The Leviathan (1651). It's called, "the state of nature," wherein life, according to Hobbes, is "solitary, poor, nasty brutish and short."
In economics, it's called "market fundamentalism," whereby wealth flows from the producers of wealth (the workers and the middle class, i.e., the "whiners") and from the social and physical infrastructure, to the owners and controllers of wealth until, with the economic foundation in ruins, the system collapses. Unconstrained capitalism, like communism, contains within itself, the seeds of its own destruction. As Nobel economist Joseph Stiglitz puts it: "The fall of Wall Street is for market fundamentalism what the fall of the Berlin Wall was for communism -- it tells the world that this way of economic organization turns out not to be sustainable."
It happened to the Soviet Union in 1991. Now it's our turn.
The remedy? Government and the rule of law, or as the late biologist, Garrett Hardin put it, "mutual coercion mutually agreed upon." (Hobbes' solution was a dictatorship, but his successors, Locke and Jefferson, devised a more benign solution: rule of law and government by consent of the governed).
The last major economic belly-ache took place some eighty years ago, and was called "The Great Depression." The people of the United States responded by throwing the perps out of office, and bringing in the reformers: FDR and the Democrats, of course.
So our question to the hypothetical tycoon: Who is best suited to get you (and us) out of this mess that you've created? The folks who gave you the keys to the candy store, or the grown-ups that came to your rescue with remedies that proved effective in the past?
Dr. Ernest Partridge is a consultant, writer and lecturer in the field of Environmental Ethics and Public Policy. Partridge has taught philosophy at the University of California, and in Utah, Colorado and Wisconsin. He publishes the website, "The Online Gadfly" (www.igc.org/gadfly) and co-edits the progressive website, "The Crisis Papers" (www.crisispapers.org). His book in progress, "Conscience of a Progressive," can be seen at www.igc.org/gadfly/progressive/^toc.htm .
Please, stop. This is probably the wrong place to be waving a flag for Democrats. Too many of the people on this blog are too ware of just how corrupt the system is and Democrats hand in the charade that is our political system.
Both parties are discredited and to champion one over the other shows the depth of naivety.
There is no way Democrats will be able to save us from this collapse. They're part of the problem. They could have stopped this and many other things Republicans have been doing and didn't. Either through inaction or out-right acquiencence have enabled many policies that have benefited them at the expense of the people.
To hell with the Democrats and to hell with the Republicans.
by
Mr M (4 articles, 0 quicklinks, 51 diaries, 2028 comments)
on Wednesday, September 24, 2008 at 8:35:16 AM
This is pitiful self-delusion - a brief for the tooth fairy
view of the world. The writer is well-intentioned, but blinded by a total misunderstanding of the basic nature of the relationship between the 2 parties & the "tycoon" class of which he speaks.
In the last passage, the author writes that "...the corporate elites must look to the Democrats to rescue them from the morass into which the GOP has led them. If they are smart, that's what they will do. But don't count on it."
This phrasing reflects the paranoia of most long-suffering Dem Party loyalists, who have observed the usual preference of corporate elites for Republicans, & drawn exactly the wrong conclusion from it. They think that the corporate elites despise them, but "love" the Republicans.
Actually, corporate elites control both US parties, lock, stock & barrel; and use both of them as their political instruments, choosing between them as conditions warrant. There are times when they realize that the Democrats will better serve them; and times when they prefer Republicans. They usually prefer Republicans, but recognize that when a period of intense Republican-led looting has produced a serious economic downturn, a period of Democratic rule can be "beneficial."
"Beneficial" does not mean that the Democrats make more than the slightest token effort to improve the lot of the general population. Rather, this "beneficial" means "good -- as seen from the viewpoint of the tycoon class." A temporary switch to Democratic rule serves as a safety valve for the population's anger. They get the satisfaction of "kicking the bums out." They get to experience false hope, which takes a while to dissipate, & also keeps the populace reasonably docile & cooperative. Meanwhile, the tycoon class knows perfectly well that the Democrats will do nothing to harm their interests; and in fact, will do their bidding, while endowing the process with a gentler-sounding more "people-friendly" rhetorical cover. (For instance, the Bill Clinton presidency was a fantastic success for the corporate elites. They got NAFTA, welfare "reform," the Telecom Act of '96, the repeal of Glass-Steagall, the bombing of Kosovo, etc etc.)
Meanwhile, as public anger dissipates, the Republicans regroup for a renewed round of plundering -- just as they did under Clinton. By the time one or two election cycles have passed, the population is steered to viewing the Democrats as "tax & spend liberals" and "latte-drinking elitists." Then it's time to "kick the bums out" again -- this time to re-install a new pack of Republican thieves -- even greedier and crazier than ever. (It is patently not the case, as Mr Partridge wishfully hypothesizes, that "...after a season out of power, the Republican Party, free of the crazies, can reconstitute itself into a responsible, moderate, and secular institution..." That is the exact opposite of how it really works.)
Mr Partridge writes, "Now is the time for all good Democrats to come to the aid of the capitalists....the corporate elites must look to the Democrats to rescue them from the morass into which the GOP has led them..." Why would anyone (aside from capitalist elites) hope for this pack of gangster-parasites to be rescued? It does not lead to any sustainable benefit for anyone except the parasites. The nature of the entire political cycle helps one class, and one class only. Essentially, Partridge thinks it's desirable to save the parasites, and to maintain them in power so they can continue gang-raping us indefinitely, because he so desperately desires a short interim of Democratic Party rule that he's willing to pay any price for it. He's praying, "Please, Lord, just let the Democrats win just this once, and we'll happily serve the capitalist parasites forever, just to show our gratitude." He doesn't realize that this path doesn't lead to Nirvana. It only leads to a Jeb Bush (or equivalent) presidency in a few years, which might make liberals yearn nostalgically for the years of GW Bush, the way they now might yearn for Reagan or Nixon.
by
Richard Mynick (2 articles, 3 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 1293 comments)
on Wednesday, September 24, 2008 at 10:30:42 AM
Faith Based Belief in Democrats Will Keep Us in the Dark Age
Your criticisms of the Republicans are right on, but you seem to have Democratic blinders on.
Your hypothetical tycoons that should pay for Obama's election ARE paying for Obama's election. Obama has received more money from the financial sector than McCain. And their investment is paying off. Obama supports the bailout and is looking for ways to cut the social budget to pay for it, while ignoring the obvious target of the military, on the spending side, and the tax cuts for the rich, on the collecting side.
I, for one, do not believe the world is a better place when the US empire is unrestrained by morals or other powers. Let other countries have an influence on our foreign policy. A whole lot of lives will be saved. Obama wants to increase our military size and budget.
As for religious hocus pocus, Obama goes on and on about how religious he is, and he supports giving taxpayer money to faith-based initiatives.
American voters need to put the fear of consequences into the ruling class and quit falling for the Democratic football year after year. The only reason Roosevelt pushed through the New Deal was that there were millions of Americans calling for revolution. We're not going to get any reforms by voting for Obama.
by
wagelaborer (5 articles, 0 quicklinks, 5 diaries, 135 comments)
on Wednesday, September 24, 2008 at 10:41:40 AM
With all respect, folks, you seem to behave like you do not live here. To Hell with them all... that's the easiest part. I wrote about Dems being in cahoots with Reps for years. And if we need to support a very slim chance for Obama to become a Pres that we have to do for only two reasons:
1. To preserve the actual system of democracy at least formally. ( McCain means war and with war we will have no system)
2. Obama is a good man. You, folks can make as many conclusion you want but we don't vote for the parties anymore. We want a good man in the most powerful of the offices. You know why? Just to stay alive.
Folks, take your shoes off your eyes as Russians say. You have to decide between your own life and death. Be careful. You have never been in such situation before. You cannot say,'To Hell', because Hell is right here, around the corner, sorry.
Vote for the good man while you still can. Our cause is just, said Sen Kerry. The just cause needs good people. It needs you.
by
Mark Sashine (55 articles, 19 quicklinks, 256 diaries, 3705 comments)
on Wednesday, September 24, 2008 at 11:03:28 AM
The Democrats? Oh puleeze-give me a break. The Democrats???
The sellout party? The wimp party? The party that is keeping their powder dry for some big, important fight?
The party that caved on windfall profits taxes on the oil giants? The party that gave another 16 billion in subsidies to those same oil companies? The party that took impeachment off the table to win an election?
The Democrats?
You have it all wrong old stocking. It ain't the Democrats that are going to save us. We have to save ourselves. We have to stand up and take our country back, restore the rule of law and the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, habeas corpus, all things the Democrats helped destroy.
The Democrats? In a pig's eye. They are not the solution, they are a deeply inherent part of the problem. The D's and R's in Congress are joined at the hips and the lips.
The Democrats? Get real. Get out and look around. Go to the library and do some reading about these issues.
by
Jack Harrington (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 517 comments)
on Wednesday, September 24, 2008 at 11:06:03 AM
The Rs and the Ds are beholden to corporate power, though there are a few, a very few, who care - Bernie Sanders, Kucinich, McKinney to name a few.
The whole system is broken. The only fix is to hold every single one of them accountable for all the treasonous behavior in the last 8 years, and give plea bargains to those who will squeal and spill the beans, otherwise just more of the same or worse is what I see coming.
The only reason I'm voting for Obama is because the fact is that the election comes down to two candidates and I'll have to vote for the one that I "hope" will do better than McCain/Palin. Honestly - Obama scares me a lot less than McCain/Palin do, only because his speeches for the most part sound a whole lot more hopeful than another 4 years of pure Bush agenda, Obama doesn't always sound like he's on board with the Bush agenda..... but that FISA vote..........those comments about Iran.....escalation of troops..... hmmmm
Maybe that's what its come to: a fear meter. Sad.
by
Cheryl Abraham (13 articles, 2 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 206 comments)
on Wednesday, September 24, 2008 at 2:52:56 PM
McCain is no stranger to financial scandals or bailouts. Back in the late 1980’s Senator McCain received 10’s of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from a man named Charles Keating. McCain and his family vacationed in the Bahamas with Mr. Keating and his family throughout the mid 1980’s. In 1984 Mr. Keating’s company American Continental Corporation purchased a bank called Lincoln Savings and Loan. Lincoln Savings and Loan was a type of financial company that had been deregulated in the early 1980s, allowing them to make highly risky investments with their depositors' money. When American Continental Corporation went bankrupt because some of the high-risk junk bonds that Lincoln had invested in became worthless, the U.S. government had to seize Lincoln and bail it out with taxpayer dollars totaling $2.8 billion. This started a domino effect and many other thrifts collapsed, with taxpayers footing nearly $124 billion of the $152.9 billion bailout cost, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.
McCain along with his top economic advisor, Phil Gramm, have been screaming for deregulation and privatization for years. Now they are just blatantly lying that they were ever for deregulation. I hope that is not what you call leadership?
Phil Gramm's push for the deregulation in the energy sector directly led to the Enron fiasco. [reference]
We all know about his Gramm-Leach-Billey act that helped repeal the Glass-Steagall act and ended up deregulating the financial industry. Clearly that worked well to now blow up the banks and financial companies. [reference]
by
E. Nelson (28 articles, 5 quicklinks, 25 diaries, 335 comments)
on Wednesday, September 24, 2008 at 3:52:24 PM
It was not McCain's plan that was posted, I am not sure why you follow me around to all the different threads that have Obama's plan, and when I criticize Obama's plan you have to bring up McCain...
Here is a thought... Why don't you write an article about McCain's plan, and we can all criticize that THERE....
Ciao, CZ
by
steve scheetz (4 articles, 0 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 734 comments)
on Wednesday, September 24, 2008 at 5:15:13 PM
The Democrats just voted to give Bush another $612 BILLION for his wars of aggression based on lies.
They have profited so handsomely from deregulation and defense stock investments that they don't know there's any economic crisis, and if there is, they're sure they can force the taxpayers to bail them out so it won't cost them or any of their rich bipartisan cronies a cent.
Mr. M., Richard Mynick, Wagelaborer, and Jack Harrington are absolutely correct.
Mark Sashine wrote:
McCain means war and with war we will have no system
We already have war. The Democrats just voted another $612 BILLION for war. And Obama is committed to increasing the defense budget so that he can replace U.S. troops in Iraq with more costly mercenaries so he can expand the war in Afghanistan.
Cheryl Abraham wrote:
The Rs and the Ds are beholden to corporate power, though there are a few, a very few, who care - Bernie Sanders, Kucinich, McKinney to name a few.
Bernie Sanders is not a Democrat or a Republican, he's an independent. Cynthia McKinney is not a Democrat or a Republican, she's a Green. Dennis Kucinich calls himself "the only real Democrat" because he belongs to a party that opposes everthing that he stands for.
Nobody will disagree with you, Cheryl, that McCain is worse than Obama. But this isn't a fashion show or a talent contest. If you compare their voting records since Obama has been in Congress, you'll find only a few cases where their voting records are not identical. Since the future of our country doesn't depend on their personalities but on their actions, the fear factor is illogical.
Richard Clark seems unaware that Obama doesn't have the votes for anything that he says "should" happen. No President can make anything happen without the support of Congress. Bush had the support of the Democrats in Congress since he took office and to this day they are still funding his wars and protecting him from impeachment.
The choice is not between two evils, the choice is between democracy and tyranny. If you vote, you are delegating your power to a tyrannical government that you cannot hold accountable and in which you have no voice. If you boycott the election, you are withdrawing your consent.
I've had moments when I thought it was impossible to organize an effective election boycott with so little time left until the election.
But Murphy's law is on my side, for once. If there is anything that the Congressional Democrats and Republicans, who already have a lower approval rating than Bush, can possibly do to further alienate voters between now and the election, they will.
If there was any chance that the privately owned central tabulators that tally 80% of ALL American votes, might count the votes accurately, and if we had proportional representation, I'd suggest that people vote for the third party or independent candidates of their choice. But since their votes are unlikley to be counted for the candidates they choose, and since there is no chance whatsoever of a minor party candidate being able to influence Congress, the only effective statement is to withhold our vote to show this Congress and the two Congress Members running for President that they have not served our interests well in the past and we don't have any faith in them to do so in the future.
Unless you want to reward people for destroying our economy, don't vote.
The fascists, corporate shills, and faith-based hatemongers are less than 10% of the country -- the 10% that still approves of Bush, Cheney, Congress, the wars, and the bailouts.
If they are the only ones who vote, the government will have no claim to having been democratically elected, will no longer be able to pretend to be a legitimate government with the consent of the governed, and we can start to take our country back.
We know how to do it. We get rid of the Constitution that doesn't allow us to vote for President or Vice-President and makes Congress itself the final judge of Congressional elections, and we hold honest elections with real rather than gerrymandered districts. We get rid of Congress and the unelected Supreme Court and replace them with people who will represent us and who we can hold accountable if they don't. We stop the wars and use that money for our own economy. We recharter corporations so that they either become responsible, tax-paying citizens of they limit their operations to the Bahama or wherever they can get a corporate charter. We abolish slavery (no, it hasn't been abolished -- it was only abolished except as punishment for a crime and what is and is not a crime depends on the color of your skin and how much money you have). We ship Bush, Cheney and every Member of Congress including McCain and Obama who ever voted for their war crimes, to the Hague to be brought to justice.
We know what to do. Congress won't lead and won't follow, so it is high time we told them to get the hell out of the way. Don't vote!
by
Mark E. Smith (21 articles, 30 quicklinks, 100 diaries, 1325 comments)
on Wednesday, September 24, 2008 at 9:33:43 PM
Yes, the Democrats are very capable at pursuing neoliberalism light. For all our sakes, I hope these 'enlightened' policies are better than the Bush years. But then again, I've been going around calling Obama, O'Bush so I think not.
by
Sean Fenley (7 articles, 26 quicklinks, 58 diaries, 233 comments)
on Thursday, September 25, 2008 at 12:46:52 AM
14 comments
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