|
printable version
- js reader version
- view hidden posts
- tags and related articles
by Stephen Lendman
Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012 at 9:01 PM
lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net
politics
Circus Shenanigans in Tampa
by Stephen Lendman
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 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
sjlendman.blogspot.com
Report this post as:
|
Local News
GUIDE TO REBEL CITY LOS ANGELES AVAILABLE
A12 5:39PM
lausd whistle blower
A10 11:58PM
Website Upgrade
A10 3:02AM
Help KCET and UCLA identify 60s-70s Chicano images
A04 1:02PM
UCLA Luskin: Casting Youth Justice in a Different Light
A02 11:58AM
Change Links April 2018
A01 11:27AM
Nuclear Shutdown News March 2018
M31 6:57PM
Join The Protest Rally in Glendale on April 10, 2018!
M29 7:00PM
Join The Protest Rally in Glendale on April 10, 2018!
M29 6:38PM
Spring 2018 National Immigrant Solidarity Network News Alert!
M19 2:02PM
Anti-Eviction Mapping Project Shows Shocking Eviction Trends in L.A.
M16 5:40PM
Steve Mnuchin video at UCLA released
M15 12:34AM
Actress and Philanthropist Tanna Frederick Hosts Project Save Our Surf Beach Clean Ups
M06 12:10PM
After Being Told He's 'Full of Sh*t' at School Event, Mnuchin Demands UCLA Suppress Video
M02 11:44AM
Resolution of the Rent Strike in Boyle Heights
M01 6:28PM
What Big Brother Knows About You and What You Can Do About It
M01 3:30PM
Step Up As LAPD Chief Charlie Beck Steps Down
F14 2:44PM
Our House Grief Support Center Hosts 9th Annual Run For Hope, April 29
F13 12:51PM
Don’t let this LA County Probation Department overhaul proposal sit on the shelf
F13 11:04AM
Echo Park Residents Sue LA Over Controversial Development
F12 8:51AM
Former Signal Hill police officer pleads guilty in road-rage incident in Irvine
F09 10:25PM
Calif. Police Accused of 'Collusion' With Neo-Nazis After Release of Court Documents
F09 7:14PM
Center for the Study of Political Graphics exhibit on Police Abuse posters
F07 9:50AM
City Agrees to Settle Lawsuit Claiming Pasadena Police Officer Had His Sister Falsely Arre
F04 3:17PM
Professor's Study Highlights Health Risks of Urban Oil Drilling
F04 12:42PM
Claims paid involving Pasadena Police Department 2014 to present
F04 10:52AM
Pasadenans - get your license plate reader records from police
F03 11:11PM
LA Times Homicide Report
F03 1:57PM
More Local News...
Other/Breaking News
What does the Quran Say About Islamic Dress??
A21 4:15PM
Biodiversité ou la nature privatisée
A20 11:22AM
The Market is a Universal Totalitarian Religion
A20 7:14AM
Book Available about Hispanics and US Civil War by National Park Service
A19 5:52PM
The Shortwave Report 04/20/18 Listen Globally!
A19 4:01PM
The Republican 'Prolife' Party Is the Party of War, Execution, and Bear Cub Murder
A19 11:48AM
Neurogenèse involutive
A18 9:21AM
Paraphysique de la dictature étatique
A16 10:13AM
Book Review: "The New Bonapartists"
A16 3:45AM
The West Must Take the First Steps to Russia
A14 12:25PM
Théorie générale de la révolution ou hommage à feu Mikhaïl Bakounine
A14 3:30AM
The Shortwave Report 04/13/18 Listen Globally!
A12 3:50PM
“Lost in a Dream” Singing Competition Winner to Be Chosen on April 15 for ,000 Prize!
A12 3:48PM
The World Dependent on Central Banks
A12 4:43AM
Ohio Governor Race: Dennis Kucinich & Richard Cordray Run Against Mike DeWine
A11 9:40PM
March 2018 Honduras Coup Again Update
A10 10:52PM
Apologie du zadisme insurrectionnel
A10 3:33PM
ICE contract with license plate reader company
A10 1:14PM
Palimpseste sisyphéen
A09 11:23PM
Black Portraiture(S) IV: The Color of Silence...Cuba No...Cambridge Yes
A09 5:32AM
Prohibiting Micro-Second Betting on the Exchanges
A09 4:18AM
Prosecutors treat Muslims harsher than non-Muslims for the same crimes
A08 10:33PM
Amy Goodman interview on cell phone safety
A08 10:29PM
Mesa, Arizona police officer kills unarmed white man
A08 9:50PM
Israeli leaders should be prosecuted for war crimes
A08 9:48PM
Paraphysique de l'autorité
A08 12:11AM
Two Podcasts on fbi corruption
A06 10:13PM
Fbi assassins assault & try to kill DAVID ATKINS
A06 7:29PM
More Breaking News...
|