Are Democratic Politicians under Corporate Coercion?

Notice I said "Democratic" politicians, since Republican ones are blatant and willing tools of the Corptocracy.

I mean, you don't want to get into the realm of conspiracy or, as more insulting members on this site say, "Woo Woo" (whatever the hell that means) . . . but do you think that Democratic politicians are genuinely spooked by the whole JFK thing and looking over their shoulders for real (based on the obvious reality that progressives just do not get one goddamned INCH on anything)?

I'm going to speak invisible now. You can skip this piece if you wish:

Again, not to get all . . . "woo woo" or "tin foil", but didja ever notice that it ain't Republican politicians (with positions contrary to MIC agenda) and their families perishing in freak fiery plane crashes or assassinations?

. . . yeah . . .

The latest flap over the "public option" and whether or not it's going to be included in the bill is only part of it.

I really don't WANT to believe Barack Obama is as heartless and unfeeling as any Blue Dog joker or Republican neo-fascist out there. And yes, I KNOW he's not a progressive. But this is an issue of humanity, not politics. I believe he's heard the countless stories about entrepreneurship dying due to unaffordable health care costs; how people are getting thrown out of their homes and losing their lives because insurance won't cover their costs if they get a major illness. I just don't want to believe he flat out does not want to help us.

What is everyone so afraid of?

Anyone even proposing such ideas as universal health care or subsidized education or (perish the thought) ending the costly Bewsh occupations and rolling back tax cuts right away is immediately marginalized (a la Sherrod Brown or Bernie Sanders) and/or relegated to a comedy act (a la Dennis Kucinich) no matter how correct their positions are. God forbid they gain prominence like Obama did.

I don't want to believe it's compliance. I don't think he's a horrible person. Is our President really allowing corporate America to dictate agenda, or could it be that the TeaBirthers or possibly other shadowy Cheney/Bewsh leftovers are scaring him?

The rich and/or politically connected have more voice than the rest of us, but that's true in most countries. We just carry it to an extreme unfortunately.

It's true in countries that have social safety nets that aren't temporary lifeboats before the unfortunate fired victim is tossed into a financial hole they'll likely never escape?

It's true in countries where the CEO doesn't take home 300 times what its average worker earns?

It's true in countries where the government and corporations fear the people, not the other way around?

and we have a 24 hour news cycle, congress critters are running from the day they're elected. That takes money. So they take the money from the money holders - corporations and wealthy donors. If you want to dance the next dance, you don't piss off the one who brung you.

I expect it takes about three weeks for the average politician to lose whatever idealism and desire for the public good that he or she initially ran on.

. . . this nation already caters to corporations 700 billion-fold over the hoi polloi. They can't give even ONE INCH in return for all the money we give THEM? NOT ONE INCH?

When are people going to start realizing that the educational and physical health of your nation has got to take precedence over the need to make a buck? Do we wait until the nation becomes poor dumb slaves begging for scraps for that to happen?

The way these people operate is just so backwards and stupid. There's just no FUTURE in continuing predatory and empirical economics.

The one of "poor dumb slaves begging for scraps ".

I don't have any solutions, HughBeaumont, just boatloads of anger. Some days it's overwhelming.

Got off my butt ( well, stayed on my butt) and called Congressman Keith Ellison's office and Al Franken's office about HCR.

So we're pretty much on the same page about health care, luckily.

If I were in Southern Ohio . . . not so much.

:kick:

The masses only care when things affect them. That's why there's no uprising.

Republicans loot, pillage and screw things up, but just enough that there won't be a full-blown collapse when they lose the House/Senate/Presidency; that part is all conveniently timed when a Democrat gets there and has to clean the mess up. When it's not (at least not fully), the Pukes get back in power and repeat Step 1 . . . because the masses are asses.

... be it HC or any topic, as where our Reps have a much better idea of what benefits who, and why, and so what course of action/inaction/propaganda to take, which usually means using the M$M and insider pundits to sell a movie script to the public as cover for the inevitable.

They're not even faking anymore. They think they're the only game in town, but that ain't so.

didn't prosper. He wanted to get to Washington and run for President someday. Whether he thinks corporate power simply must be accomodated 95% of the time to get 5% leeway for window dressing reforms, or whether he truly worships at the altar of corporate omnipotence and thinks all good things come from the minds or mercy of the rich, it really comes to the same thing.

Most congresscritters have no principle or beliefs beyond "to serve the power" and collect as much campaign dough as they can from it. They could be replaced by coin operated machines.

of healthcare/insurance reform because the benefits from NOT reforming our healthcare delivery system and our pharmaceutical delivery system accrue only to the select few who control the medical/industrial/pharmaceutical complex and the investor class who know a cash cow when they see one. So, where's the indignation from the rest of industrial (or what's left of it) America and the "production" sector? They are the ones who stand to benefit handsomely from the ability to compete without having to spend hundreds of billions on medical insurance for their employees.

Sometimes it seems like the elites just take turns slapping the shit out of the working classes. The Wall Street Banksters bring out the "sky is going to fall if we don't let capitalists have free rein" marketeers when even a whiff of regulation wafts through the lower atmosphere. The Military/Intelligence/Industrial complex trots out the Generals and Admirals and SuperSpooks to scare us to death when their budget approval process is in gear. The Industrial/Production sector crank up their arm-twisting machine whenever immigration reform attempts to walk on stage. The Chamber of Commerce and Mineral Extraction industries rush to the front whenever the gummint tries to give OSHA some more authority. The Industrial Agriculture Giants array their minions in full battle dress whenever anyone suggests we might want to consider whether their subsidies and their use of poisons and their slipshod food processing might warrant some more inspection on behalf of the consumer/taxpayer. I'm sure I've left someone out, but I hope I haven't hurt anyone's feelings too badly. Not enough time to be fair to all.

Bottom line is that the uber-wealthy who control our economy apparently could care less that the healthcare reform concept would benefit all of us and them. They're more worried that their tax rate might go up a few percentage points.

These folks have spent billions and decades getting their ducks in a row. They aren't going to let a few unhappy "citizens" upset this apple cart.

of the corporatocracy.

:rofl:

:shrug:

:hi:

....birds fly, do fish swim, do bears shit in the woods?