THE ILLUSION OF AMERICA
In his book, Democracy Incorporated, Wolin, who taught political philosophy at Berkeley and Princeton, uses the phrase inverted totalitarianism to describe our system of power. Inverted totalitarianism, unlike, classical totalitarianism, does not revolve around a demagogue or charismatic leader. It finds expression in the anonymity of the corporate state. It purports to cherish democracy, patriotism, and the Constitution while manipulating internal levers to subvert and thwart democratic institutions. Political candidates are elected in popular votes by citizens, but candidates must raise staggering amounts of corporate funds to compete. They are beholden to armies of corporate lobbyists in Washington or state capitals who author the legislation and get the legislatures to pass it.k Corporate media controls nearly everything we read, watch, or hear. If imposes a bland uniformity of opinion. It diverts us with trivia and celebrity gossip. In classical totalitarian regimes, such as Nazi fascism or Soviet Communism, economics was subordinated to politics. "under inverted totalitarianism the reverse is trump," Wolin write, " the Economics dominates politics--and with that domination comes different forms of ruthlessness."
"In order to cope with the imperial contingencies of foreign wars and occupation, " according to Wolin, democracy will alter its character, not only by assuming new behaviors abroad (e.g., ruthlessness, indifference to suffering, disregard of local norms, the inequalities in ruling a subject population) but also by operating on revised, power-expansive assumptions at home. It will, more often than not, try to manipulate the public rather than engage its members in deliberation. I t will demand greater powers and broader discretion in their use ("state secrets"), a tighter control over society's resources, more summary methods of justice, and less patience for legalities, opposition, and clamour for socioeconomic reforms.
. . .
"The Big Lies are not the pledge of tax cuts, universal health care, family values restored, or a world rendered peaceful through forceful demonstrations of American leadership," Bacevaich wrote in The Limits of Power: "THE Big Lies are the truths that remain unspoken: that freedom has an underside; that nations, like households, must ultimately live within their means; that history's purpose, the subject of so many confident pronouncements, remains inscrutable. Above all, these is this: Power is finite. Politicians pass over matters which as these in silence. As a consequence, the absence of self-awareness that forms such an enduring element of the American character persists.
The problems we face are structural. The old America is not coming back. Our financial system was taken hostage and looted by bankers, brokers, and speculators who told us that the old means of making capital by producing and manufacturing were outdated. They assured us money could be made out of money.k They insisted that financial markets could be self-regulation. Like all financial markets throughout history that have thrown off oversight and regulation, ours has collapsed. Speculators in the seventeenth century were hanged. Today they received billions in taxpayer dollars and huge bonuses.
Many of your, democratic candidates, like Beto O'Roarke, and Andrew Gillum, are avoiding corporate money, and taking in, as President Obama did, small donations to fund their campaigns! They will be more free of the "corporate state" that controls and owns, your more, big business mentality of the GOP.
IN the last speech, President Obama, gave as president, he, said, if you don't like the way things are going in this country, get out a clip board and, go get signatures, and run for office . . . guess what, 60 candidates took their former boss's advice, and are doing just that, running for office, and many free of corporate sponsorship!
We have a President, who, is controlled, not only by, domestic corporations, but by foreign powers, as well . . . just yesterday, Secretary of Defense, John Bolton, said, that the Russians didn't meddle or if they did, their impact was very small if not non-existent? He is going to meet with Russian's Putin, to CANCEL the AMERICAN/RUSSIAN ARMS DEAL? OR NUKE DEAL . . . PUTIN'S PUPPETS . . . Vladamere has wanted this gone for a long, long time! From NATO, to Climate Agreements, to Military Drills with South Korea, to the Iran Nuke Deal, now the Russian Deal . . . TRUMP HAS TAKEN HIS ORDERS FROM RUSSIA, NOT HIS AMERICAN ADVISERS AND SECRETARIES OR CABINET MEMBERS!
The CEO of REDDIT, said, as of his staff's, last count, there were 997 Russian bots, to sway this election, with no word form Trump nor his administration about stopping Russian meddling??????? REDDIT has a team to look at "fake" news, to try to stop it, but, seriously, he said, they are just trying to make, all the debates fair, because to catch them all, that is nearly impossible!
LIKE THINGS LIKE THE "CARAVAN" THAT SEEMS TO BE JUST TOO TIMELY, FOR TRUMP AND THE GOP, THAT DEFIES REASON AND LOGIC . . . QUESTION IT!
IF SOMETHING DOESN'T PASS THE SMELL TEST WITH YOU, DON'T BUY IT!
WHY WOULD TRUMP TURN TO RUSSIA FOR HELP . . . AH, BECAUSE YOU NEEDED THEM AND STILL DO!
COLLEGE CAMPUSES ARE ROCKIN' THE VOTE . . . REPUBLICANS ARE VOTING IN EARLY ELECTIONS, MORE, AS THEY ALWAYS TO . . . BECAUSE, THE DEMOCRATS, DON'T "SUPPRESS THEIR VOTES!"
SO OBVIOUS.
