CURRENT POLITICAL REALITY

MONEY-CONTROLLED TOTALITARIANISM POSING AS DEMOCRACY

INTRODUCTION: This observation about our current political reality was inspired by two new recent books and is my brief summary of them: Alexander J. Bacevich, The Limits of Power,The End of American Exceptionalism, and Sheldon Wolin, Democracy Incorporate, Managed Democracy and the Specter of Inverted Totalitarianism. I am indebted to retired Lawrence Livermore physicist, Manuel Garcia, Jr for the concept of the Military Industrial Congressional Complex that was outlined in his article in Counterpunch on August 8, 2008 entitled “Oiling the War Machine,” http://www.counterpunch.org/garcia071112008.html

1. We in the US now have “totalitarianism posing as a democracy” where we voters and our political parties are allowed to have our votes and conventions, but have no power. Our belief that our “voting for the lesser evil,” may do some good about our economic problems is a naïve delusion. Liberals may be able to live with this delusion, but ordinary working class voters cannot. For them, the truth is graphic and obvious: Democrats will invariably betray them. Republicans at least let them keep their guns and their religion.
2. It is a delusion to believe that we govern ourselves in a government of, by, and for the people. Ours is a government of by and for corporations. The constitutional concepts of “separation of powers,” “checks and balances,” and “a nation of laws,” have been nullified by the arbitrary power of MICC as presided over by the President.
3. We are ruled by the MICC, the Military Industrial Congressional Complex.
4. MICC selects, controls, and funds all elected officials including all members of Congress, the Fed and the President, including Obama and McCain. MICC just spent hundreds of billions of public money without any vote of Congress and without any votes of the taxpaying people.
5. The function of Congress is to provide our tax money to fund MICC, and to get its incumbent members reelected. To do this, Members, especially Democrats have to lie and promise that they will represent the little guy. Democrats invariably vote as MICC compels and betray the little guy.
1. Democrats can therefore not appeal to and build on the legitimate resentment of voters that their needs are not being met…can make neither a class appeal nor a so-called populist appeal. The capitalist taboo underlying the MICC prohibits that. MICC would cut off Democrats re-election money if they even spoke of this.
2. Since the resentment of voters is real and legitimate, the Republicans can successfully make a phony populist appeal and use code words such as calling the Democrats “elitist” and out of touch with the real problems of workers. This is the truth. Democrats are out of touch! Sarah Palin is a more authentic populist than Barack Obama!
3. The best example of Democratic betrayal is this: Democrats have been promising Health Coverage ever since Truman. When they do get power, their plans always include much profit for the insurance companies, and even those are not enacted. Another example is that even after 2006, Democrats continued to fund MICC’s Iraq War despite the fact that a voting majority wanted them to stop.
6. The function of the President is to act as CEO for MICC, the more powerful the better for MICC, MICC demands the suppression of popular will through repressive devices because
7. MICC seeks perpetual war and preparation for war, imperialism, and expansion of American Empire and domination of the planet as a matter of ideology and economic imperative. For those who want the economic foundation, it is through “Military Keynesianism,” public money, that MICC profits. It is also capitalism in the late stages of mutation. This domination of the planet causes deep anger and resentment among those who are dominated, and among those who do not profit. MICC thus needs repressive and invasive tools like FISA. This may account for Obama’s sudden strange support of FISA,
8. We voters have zero power to get the things we want through our votes. Our voting wishes are always trumped, thwarted, and negated by the bribes MICC gives back to Members of Congress for their reelections.
9. Every single Senator insists on maintaining the unconstitutional filibuster rule so that a 2/3 vote of the Senators is required to pass anything that the voters may want. MICC loves this because it vastly increases its power over the law making process. In reality, MICC often has to bribe only one Senator to stop legislation. Not one single Senator wishes to abolish this.
10. MICC owns and controls all of the mainstream media and also the liberal journals and sources such as PBS, NPR, The Nation Magazine and The New Republic. The media loyally and steadfastly supports everything that MICC wants or does. We have no sources where citizens and voters can get information that they need to govern themselves. Our meager information sources are no possible match for the powerful bullhorn of the mainstream media. MICC funds Academia through grants, endowments and jobs. Academia therefore also fails to enlighten us.

Dated: September 22, 2008

Douglas R. Page dougpage2@earthlink.net