The interests of the big-money donors were reflected in Thursday's debate -- in what we heard, and even more so in what we didn't hear. There was no mention of the great income transfer to the wealthiest among us, the perils of climate change, the economic threat posed by big banks, or the struggle of a declining middle class. The candidates never offered specific proposals to help working Americans, even when asked to do so by the moderators.
But then, is that any wonder? We're told that the wealthy donors who gathered in Dana Point last week failed to line up behind a single candidate -- and there are many other donors out there. With all that money still in play, this week's debate wasn't just a pitch to voters. It was also an extension of the Kochs' California beauty pageant.
Charles Koch's high-flown vagaries seem designed, more than anything else, to improve the brothers' suffering public reputation. He seems determined to send the message that, while he and his friends may be our new oligarchs, they will be benevolent ones.
We suspect most Americans would rather take their chances with democracy instead.
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