This is a bribe-based system—an oligarchy all the way to the core

[kpete]

This is a bribe-based system—an oligarchy all the way to the core

mark sumner posting on daily kos...
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/09/18/1017864/-Rick-Perry-is-for-sale,-but-hes-not-cheap?detail=hide&via=blog_1

The greatest pretense in American politics is this: that our politicians can be utterly dependent on money given to them by contributors, but not be influenced by the source of those funds. It's not true. It's never been true. Now that the judicial takeover of our electoral system is complete, there's not even any reason to hide it. This is a bribe-based system—an oligarchy all the way to the core. Getting it back isn't going to be easy, and probably can't be done with dollars. It's going to take something far more dear.



it's about time that we woke up and smelled that fabled coffee... there is zero daylight between the repubs and the dems... they're both bought and paid for puppets totally beholden to their super-rich, elite handlers... as long as the principle driver is money, we're going to continue to get what we've been getting - governance at all levels singularly focused on the needs of those who pay to have people elected who will serve their needs and their needs alone, the common good be damned...

...........................

as long as we continue to support the myth that we can somehow make our completely broken two-party system work, we only continue to enable the oligarchs to run our lives and subvert any semblance of the principles the united states was founded on... whenever we attempt to make a stand for the common good, we will find it being attacked with the kind of vigor and unlimited resources that will only succeed in stomping it out... the welfare of senior citizens...? education for our national treasure, the young...? the fate of the unemployed...? the disadvantaged...? the working poor...? fuhgeddaboudit... anyone who doesn't have the advantage of money is, by definition, powerless, so, screw 'em...


http://takeitpersonally.blogspot.com/2011/09/this-is-bribe-based-systeman-oligarchy.html

[The Backlash Cometh]

1. Yep.

[The Backlash Cometh]

2. If you don't have money,

you can't hire a lawyer and law enforcement won't take you seriously even if you can point them in the direction of the smoking gun.

[Claudia Jones]

3. if this were true...

If this were true then the cable TV driven partisan battle would be a distraction and a sideshow.

[get the red out]

4. Absolutely true

And I firmly believe the main reason for the creation of the Tea Party was to channel the anger of a large enough number of regular people against any idea that would actually help average people. To take racist tendencies and set fire to those to keep people from uniting in general against the real problems, who are the guys with the big wallets controlling the system.

I don't see a way out.

[Hart2008]

5. K & R!

:kick:

[Riftaxe]

6. +1

[closeupready]

7. Recognized this for years, and it's only worse now, and getting yet more worse.

K&R

[Shandris]

8. While I will be happy to admit that there are - especially in terms of corporate influence - too...

...many similarities between Republicans and Democrats, I WILL NOT believe that there is 'zero daylight' between them. Democrat or Republican is not a monolithic entity; you can trace the careers, the beliefs of these people all the way back to local level (in many cases) and find that often they have shown clearly different beliefs about the world, about people, about society from each other. Something happens along the way -- and that something is likely 'corporate dollars' to differentiate them into the familiar blocks we see now -- that changes them into what they are. But it is disingenuous, dangerous, and I think ultimately both pointless and self-defeating to claim that there is NO DIFFERENCE between them.

I won't turn my eye when we do something wrong, and I most CERTAINLY will not -condemn- my 'side' as the same as the opposing side -just because- some of them have done something wrong. Falling to corporate cash, the power and temptation, is a weakness of character and opportunity -- IT DOESN'T MEAN YOU SUDDENLY WANT THE KOCH'S TO TAKE OVER THE COUNTRY! And it doesn't mean that what has happened to -some- of our elected Democrats has endemically affected them all.

An interesting article kpete, and much of what is said I agree with...but I can't find myself completely agreeing with anyone (the author, not you necessarily) who uses the False Equivalency Doctrine (the FED...heh).

Edit: Caps for emphasis, not yelling...ugh, it's still early for me. :)