Ringling Bros. and Barnum
& Bailey calls theirs "the greatest show on earth." Politics in
America combines sham with show me the money.
Republicans got first dibs. Their version of politics US-style hits
Tampa from August 27 - 30. Mother nature had first say. Isaac's fury
claimed day one. Perhaps its message was nyet on three days of hype,
bombast, fraud, and promises made to be broken.
The following week, Democrats have their turn. Charlotte, NC hosts three
days from September 4 - 6. Growing numbers of Americans reject both
parties. A pox on politics serving elite interests only. They're in
lockstep on all issues mattering most. Duopoly power controls them.
Perhaps one day these charades will be held and no one notices. Why
bother when bipartisan complicity spurns public concerns. Just scrap
'em, say some.
Bush's 2000 and 2004 chief media advisor, Mark McKinnon, said "Four
days of speeches? No thanks….Watching the convention is like turning
in to a movie where you already know the plot and ending."
Building consensus perhaps heads them for irrelevance. It'll happen
when most people no longer care. Ritualistic babble insults more than
edifies. Yammering politicians only address themselves and deep-pocketed
funders. For many, preaching to the choir no longer cuts it.
US broadcasters used to televise conventions wall-to-wall. CBS and ABC
scheduled one hour only on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Each
party gets equal time.
NBC replicates them for Republicans. For Democrats, it's one hour Tuesday,
football on Wednesday, and two hours Thursday.
All three networks plan reruns in prime time. Big money's at stake.
Convention mumbo jumbo draws blanks. Low ratings mean less revenue.
NBC news anchor Brian Williams admitted that audiences "have had it
up to here" and won't watch.
Cable channels plan more. At issue is who cares. Ringling Bros. entertains.
Political versions insult.
US politics are dysfunctional, corrupt, and offensive. At 10%, congressional
approval hit an all-time low. It's surprising anyone except the top
1% extends support.
Washington spurns ordinary people. Social benefits are being destroyed.
Bipartisan complicity plans it. Public resources go for militarism,
war making, and corporate handouts. Tax breaks supplement them. America's
super-rich get plenty. Others are left high and dry on their own.
A yearend fiscal cliff(hanger) approaches. Around $2.2 trillion in sequestered
budget cuts are scheduled. Trillions more are planned in out years.
Social America is being destroyed. At issue is how much will be front
or back loaded given dire economic conditions heading south.
Mum's the word from Tampa and Charlotte. Grandiosity has center stage.
Pomp and circumstance substitute for responsible governance. America
most often had pathetically little and none now.
Both parties believe America's future depends on greater wealth disparity,
ignoring public need, waging war on humanity, silencing truth, and cracking
down hard on non-believers.
Perhaps Isaac's fury signaled disapproval. Wait till Nemesis shows up.
She's Greek mythology's goddess of vengeance. She also punishes hubris
and arrogance.
She's here unseen. She's unforgiving. She's patiently stalking and preparing
to make her presence known. She'll announce it saying "only the doomed"
see her. Perhaps she has bankers, war profiteers, and corrupt politicians
in mind.
She has lots on her plate to address. Fixing longstanding government
of, by, and for America's privileged won't happen easily.
Conventioneers are oblivious. They're cocooned out of harm's way. They're
bought and paid for to scam others. Political conventions lack legitimacy.
Media scoundrels pretend otherwise. Like elections, they're theater.
They're hype and pre-arranged duplicity. They mask double-dealing flim
flam.
The entire political process is fraudulent. Party bosses, special interests,
and media scoundrels play lead roles. Everything is pre-scripted. Secrecy
and back room deals substitute for a free, fair and open process.
Candidates are pre-selected. So are winners in key races. Big money
decides. Privatized elections control things. Corporate owned, programmed,
and operated electronic machines vote. People have no say.
Issues are unaddressed. Horse race journalism and trivia substitute.
People are left uninformed in the dark. Media scoundrels manipulate
news and information. A truth emergency leaves everything mattering
most unexplained. Public trust erodes for good reason.
Partisan politics serve business and privileged elites. Ordinary people
are shut out. Independents are ignored. America's democracy is the best
money can buy. Duopoly power runs it. Democrats are interchangeable
with Republicans. Differences between them are minor. Not a dime's worth
exists to matter.
Both sides support imperial wars. They endorse the divine right of capital
to exploit workers, gain new markets, control the world's resources,
and rule it unchallenged. Beneficial social change, independent voices,
and electoral democracy lose out under a rigged system against them.
The entire process was constitutionally flawed by design. Over time,
things got worse. Today, it mocks political legitimacy. It's so bad,
maybe one day an election will be held and no one shows up.
Why bother without real choices. Candidates sound like cardboard cutouts.
Rhetoric features focus group tested pre-packaged slogans, sound bites,
double-talk, and promises made to be broken.
Each side highlights its virtues. Opponents are denigrated and marginalized.
Debates are worse. Charades avoid issues. Independents aren't invited.
Exclusionary rules bar them.
US-style democracy failed. It's too corrupted to fix. Presidents and
Congress serve monied, not popular interests. Pretense gets harder to
hide.
Direct democracy is an idea whose time has come. It lets ordinary people
decide freely on their own. Maybe Nemesis will intervene constructively.
It's high time we had final say. Political chicanery denies it. The
only solution is revolution for change. It's possible by reaching out
and grabbing it.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized
Banking, Government Collusion and Class War"
http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge
discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News
Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time
and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy
listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
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