Under a Bell Jar
Greg, thanks. Your analysis makes sense to me but still -- and I am sorry to be the one continually beating this drum -- I am still stuck on what I am hearing every day on the road from people who have no hope of ever participating in a discussion about policy at a level where they think they can be heard. Even if everything you hope for and propose does happen, I am not sure it will address the increasingly severe malaise, indeed crisis I see out there. Ordinary Americans of both parties and third parties feel that this chess game is happening with little regard for them; that the game players are beholden to interests they can never budge or only slightly affect; and that it is a closed political and media-elite economy.
Especially now that we are seeing reports surface -- and they are still under-investigated and under-developed -- of extraordinary insider dealing with the bailout billions -- now that we have seen that even Obama caves on FISA, talks most recently in his long ad about `liberty' in terms of military engagement and not the shredded Constitution. As long as there are no indictments being prepared for the many crimes of officials at high levels in this administration, and those in the opposition who colluded with them (notably in terms of being `looped in on torture), many of the American people will continue to feel that whoever is in power, it is all happening under a bell jar.
I think our focus as a nation has to direct itself out of the inner circle and always to a grassroots revolution in both action and consciousness. The people who are so cynical about both left and right and who have lost so much faith in the transparency and accountability of our core institutions are right. It is that breach that is the great crisis we face and I do think it is time for a real confrontation -- time for citizens to start creating new organizations and institutions that actually rip open this closed economy so that they can actually, not theoretically, participate. One example: across the country reports are pouring in of vote suppression, purging and tampering. Rather than just feeling outraged and violated yet again, we are preparing a drive to urge lawyers to bring citizens suits pro bono against those individuals and entities involved. I actually think it is healthy that citizens are in a sudden and widespread process of realizing the severity of the way they are kept out of real participation so that they can stop counting on mass media, Congresspeople who have to spend four hours a day on the phone raising money, or Wall Street to represent them or be accountable to them. It is good for them to realize that if there are going to be entities that actually respond to them they will have to create them for themselves.
How can the citizenry, especially the majority of non-involved, a pox on both your houses mentality, change the nature of our politics? The corruption of our system of governance is so pervasive as to be unchangeable.
By the time a politician has come up through the political farm league to state or federal office, whatever glimmer of idealism or honesty, is changed to cynicism and a pragmatic (go along to get along) attitude with self serving basic dishonesty. I bet Ted Stevens is righteous in his indignation that he did anything wrong in the goods and services he accepted, or that Obama, voting to void the 4th amendment to the Constitution had any moral compunction in doing so.
While there are ways to reduce the effect of money and corporate influence in politics, all the laws required and change in ethical standards reside with the political class that benefit most from status quo. Obama is silent on the question of investigating or prosecuting the myriad of laws and treaties this Administration and Congress have shred. Nor has he spoken on retreating from the “Imperial Presidency” as established by Bush/Cheney. The US Government will continue to serve its corporate masters, citizens be damned.
October 31, 2008 10:35 AM | Reply | Permalink
Your notion that Obama has been silent on investigating Bush's administration is pure wishfull thinking. Here he is in July '07 in USA TODAY opposing impeachment:
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama laid out list of political shortcomings he sees in the Bush administration but said he opposes impeachment for either President George W. Bush or Vice President Dick Cheney.
October 31, 2008 11:35 AM | Reply | Permalink
I think America loses much when politicians cast "cover your political ass" votes.
Hillary voted for the war to cover her political ass and help her run for President. Look where that got us.
Obama coverd his political ass with votes for FISA and the bailout. Isn't Obama supposed to be a Constitutional scholar? Voting for FISA is anything but voting Constitutional. Look where that got us.
I think 90% of the public lost 90% of their representation when Democratic leadership started to rely on the same gang the Republicans always represented, the Wall Street Bankers, the Corporate Executives, the moneybags crowd.
I never doubted for a minute that any bailout would first go through the same people who brought this financial fiasco to us before the public received any benefit (trickle down, ya know?). That $7/800 Billion is going to pay for a lot of patronage. It will be an easy target for corruption, but who's going to investigate when both parites have a stake in it?
My brother bought an investment property for $10,000; its now worth only $8,500. I bought it off him for $8,500. It rose in value to $12,500. I hired my other brother to handle this and other property I purchased paying him $200,000 per year plus perks. He sold it back to our brother, the original owner, for $9,000, who quickly flipped it for the $12,500 its worth.
Republicans and Democrats can now boast the Government made money on the deal.
We need to change the leadership of the Democratic Party, and that may be the most important job the blogs have on their plate.
October 31, 2008 10:42 AM | Reply | Permalink
R U Serious???
Obama will destroy the fabric of this country. Bush has had the unenviable task of dealing with Clinton's screwed policies of the 90s. Spread the wealth?? How f'kd up is that? Giving to others, what other hardworking Americans earned themselves? How does destroying the motivation of others benefit this nation? And for taxing only the wealthy? Get Real! Does anyone in their right mind believe that really works? The wealthy will only drive up the costs of the goods and services they produce and then everybody pays more. In managing the economy it has been proven time and time again that by reducing the burden on all Americans, people all across the economic spectrum, benefit. Back to Obama and his lack of National Security experience/ policy. He will allow Iran and North Korea to break down America's power and will allow Russia to return to be one the World Powers they once were. By the time Obama's done, instead of America being the only true world power, there will 4 or 5 and America will likely fall 3 or 4 down the scale in the world. So thank you Obama supporters for being a conributing factor in the fall of the good ole U S of A.
October 31, 2008 11:46 AM | Reply | Permalink
You're funny...
"The wealthy will only drive up the costs of the goods and services they produce."
Bwahahahaha...
October 31, 2008 12:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
http://www.truthandpolitics.org/top-rates.php.
If you are able to understand the chart, then you should be able to match up years and tax rates with prosperity. By a large margin, our most prosperous years as a nation have been when a strong progressive taxation plan was followed.
Put down the koolaid. The only people who get ahead in America are those who already have theirs. We have turned from a "we" society to a "me" society since Nixon started down the road of the imperial presidency.
October 31, 2008 12:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
Every thing albarnes63 says Obama will do Bush has already done, in spades. In case you didn't notice Bush let North Korea detonate nuclear bombs and then sent them aid to get them to shut the reactor that Bush allowed them to re-start after blustering a bunch of BS about 'getting tough'. Clinton had the reactor shut down and UN monitored.
Bush removed an enemy of Iran (Saddam who had no connection to 9/11) and turned Iraq over to the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq, SCIRI, Maliki the head. SCIRI is backed by and controlled from Tehran.
In 2001 al Qeada was five guys with box cutters, thanks to Bush policies they now are blowing things up from Lebanon to India and have the entire US armed forces tied down.
Idiots like you albarnes are ruining America.
October 31, 2008 1:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
albarnes,
I suggest you take a look around at the condition of the country, foreign and domestic, before you babble about Obama supporters contributing to the fall of the country.
You are capable of doing that, aren't you?
October 31, 2008 1:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
I can only hope the 62 Al Barnes in front of AB63 have better critical thinking skills.
October 31, 2008 12:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
realist,
its the albarnes' of the world that gave us Bush/Cheney for 8 years and now they're back trying to give us McCain/Palin. So much for albarnes' judgement.
October 31, 2008 1:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
You are most diplomatic in your retartee with Greg Ms. Wolf and you are aboslutely correct. The little people of America aren't stupid. They know very well that they get precious little more representation from Democrats than they do Republicans. The Democrats for far too long have been posing as the protectors of the people's interests while actually serving the interests of and carrying the water for the interests of predatory corporate wealth. I also think you point out something of particular importance when you remind people that Obama's lack of interest in making the criminals in the current administration face justice is not being lost on millions of us. Our betters who make up the political leadership of the Democratic Party better wake up to the fact that people have caught on to their game or they will lose power as quickly as they have regained it.
October 31, 2008 1:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
OT If George ain't there, we are toast.
November 1, 2008 6:36 AM | Reply | Permalink
How about the fifties? I'm sure that's included in your prosperous years. Consider that the American economy had been going full tilt, while the rest of the industrialized world's manufacturing capacity had just been bombed to smithereens. That could have an influence.../snark
Then there's the nineties. I have no doubt they are included. But look! The top rate is half that of previous "strongly progressive" rates. How can that be?
And we haven't even broached the inflation of brackets over decades or reducing the deductions allowed. You might want to rethink your assertion there cowpoke, and go with the plain vanilla but ever popular, "soak the rich" because I'm virtuous meme.
November 1, 2008 8:15 AM | Reply | Permalink