It's been brilliant and largely unnoticed - at least not all the dots have been connected. But for now it looks like corporations are solidly in the driver's seat. They have captured the momentum from 2006 and 2008 public angst, turned it on its head, and are now using it to protect their own profits. The clueless tea baggers, birthers, and tenthers don't even realize they are actually helping protect corporate profits when they advocate against government regulations.
2006 marked a turning point where the public was growing weary of the unclear mission in Iraq. The public tired of the hundreds of billions we were wasting, the cost plus no bid contracts, and the rampant corporate abuse of our tax dollars by companies such as Halliburton, KBR, and Blackwater USA.
The People thought we were voting to reign in some of the Bush Republican tyranny by voting in Democrats. As it turned out The People were told there was not enough Democrats in the Senate to get anything done. It also became clear that many Democrats had also cut various deals with the Bush Administration and Corporations to leave well enough alone with they did.
Then came 2008 and it really freaked out corporations. Here was Barack Obama talking about regulating the financial sector and providing heatlhcare for all. He talked about ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan threatening to cut into the profits of several corporations. He talked about reducing CEO pay and promising a fair days wage for a fair days work. He talked about creating good paying jobs here in America.
He couldn't win could he? The corporations freaked at the prospect that the wide sweeping change promised could actually happen if Obama won. They feverishly backed McCain Palin and tried to make themselves believe there was no way Obama could win. They also threw cash at Obama to hedge their bets in case he did win.
Well he won and the corporations shit a brick. What did it mean? Would Obama keep his campaign promises? Would the banking, insurance, and mortgage industries be re-regulated? Would employers be forced to play employers more? Would everyone get affordable heatlhcare?
The corporations needed a push back against Obama and it came from a very unlikely place - working class Americans.
Corporations quickly put up and funded astro turf organizations to pump out anti-government propaganda. They also funded many of the more traditional right wing propaganda outlets. They quickly got Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh on board along with Fox News so they had the media landscape covered. They have an army of bloggers and online news outlets they can count on to run their contrived stories.
The message: Government was bad and getting in your face! Take back America! Don't let government run healthcare! Don't let government interfere with corporations! Don't let America become a socialist country! Obama must be stopped!!!
This anti-government message benefits the corporations immensely who fear that government regulation in sectors like banking, finance, insurance, mortgage, and energy would cut into their precious profits. It may be good for America but it's bad for the bottom line. They pointed to the government bail out of AIG, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo. They pointed to the government takeover of GM.
Meanwhile they merged this message with a pro-corporate pro-capitalism mantra that the markets do best when left alone.
Conveniently this tea bagger movement dove tailed nicely with the birther and tenther movements. The corporations have successfully captured the attention of a chunk of poor working class Americans to work against their best interest - to oppose government regulation of the very industries that have wrought destruction upon our economy. They have tapped the anti-Obama emotions and used them for their benefit. They have tapped the emotions of those who fear government when it's run by democrats. They conveniently didn't care about the Constitution when Bush was President but now it's all they talk about.
It's really sad to see working class tea baggers actually working for the benefit of the corporations without even realizing it. We need more government regulation specifically of the banking, insurance, finance, and mortgage industries. We won't get it now because the tea baggers are calling any government intervention socialism.
Obama's hands are a bit tied because while we weren't paying attention our treasury department was entirely hijacked by Goldman Sachs. There's not much they are going to do unless it benefits Goldman Sachs. Obama also inherited the bailouts started by Bush Republicans. He should have stopped them but I am not sure he could. We are talking about powerful forces. All one can do really is work with them and hope in the end you out play them.
It's really an odd paradox. Those that push free enterprise and capitalism are usually the first to ask for a government handout (GM, Goldman Sachs, AIG, etc). And while the corporate mantra is free enterprise and unfettered capitalism with no government intervention they are the first to lobby Congress to get laws passed that protect their own markets. It's also funny to me how a large number of successful capitalists rely heavily on government dollars (Halliburton, Blackwater USE (now Xe), and the entire military industrial complex).
So on the one hand the pro-corporate capitalist hates government. Government can't do anything right. On the other hand, they want to get those cost plus no bid contracts. Many of these corporations wouldn't be nearly as profitable if they weren't on corporate welfare.
There was a small window of time where the American People seemed to get it. Things on Wall St got too crazy. We needed some government intervention followed up with new regulations. But now that window has closed because corporations have successfully funded an anti-government campaign.
Now a good chunk of the population wants States to secede and for the Federal Government to fail. They want the government to leave healthcare alone because they don't want the poor healthcare industry to have their profits messed with. These tea baggers don't want any government action on the financial markets cause that would be socialism fascism.
It's really been brilliant and largely unnoticed. The fat cats have to be laughing their asses off spilling their martinis as they puff on their cigars. They have working class people actually working against their own best interest.
We need high paying jobs in this country. Guess what? We aren't going to get them without government intervention. We need affordable healthcare. Guess what? We aren't going to get it without government intervention. We need renewable energy and to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. Guess what? We aren't going to get it without government intervention. We need the banking system overhauled and re-regulated. Not going to happen without government intervention.
The very things the birthers, tea baggers, and tenthers want and need they are fighting againts and it's all being funded by the corporations in order to protect their own profits.
Only in America...
SOURCE: Pissed On Politics
