American voters are exceptionally good at voting against their own interests about a host of issues.
The Politics of Masochism
Ted Rall
Ted Rall is a syndicated political cartoonist for Andrews McMeel Syndication and WhoWhatWhy.org and Counterpoint. He is a contributor to Centerclip and co-host of "The Final Countdown" talk show on Radio Sputnik. He is a graphic novelist and author of many books of art and prose, and an occasional war correspondent. He is, recently, the author of the graphic novel "2024: Revisited."
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Presidential campaigns two years long run “By, For, and Of” the powerful is a sure way push real issues to the fringes of the Overton Window.
The US has much experience in running colonial empires worldwide.
Why wouldn’t the powerful import techniques so well developed elsewhere into (as the Nazis would say) the Homeland?
Does anyone really think that the powerful would run elections that might actually put their own special interests at risk?
As Roberto M. Unger says, we in the US live under the “Dictatorship of No Alternatives” leaving elections with choices only between the two conservative parties, each perceived as a lesser evil to the adherents of one party as opposed to the other.
The US has only a few, small colonies: Puerto Rico, American Samoa and a few others. All the rest are neo-colonies, with a native puppet nominally in charge, not a US-born governor.
The important thing is that US corporations must be free to extract all the resources without worrying about taxes, pollution, the drinking water, or anything else that might reduce their profits.
And if they aren’t, we sanction and condemn them like Venezuela and Iran. Venezuela is especially interesting, since the only reporter who told the truth was arrested for that heinous crime, as well he should have been. The American people only need to see what the Deep States says they should see.
And to see why, just look at the first frame above. The concept of solidarity has been replaced with «I’m alright, Jack» and the notion that only a fool pays for something which might benefit others as well as himself (it’s mostly himself)….
Henri
A favorite tactic off politicians: offer a spoonful of sugar, then cut the bottom and up the debt to take care of their major campaign donors Then they tell those hurt it was their fault, they just need to work harder, longer or go in to debt to get another degree to get back into the labor market.
The first frame…a MAGA hatted defense contract worker: a big tax cut for corperations and billionares, fine as long I a get my micro cut…the old trailer need some work, Maybe War Inc will give me a pay raise.
Frame 1.1 MAGA man drives past an even more run down trailer park ….with disabled and diverse residents. He says them people are dragging the country down they need to work. I hope D.T. slashes their welfare
Frame 1.2 shows that most the people in frame 1.1 have low paid jobs and the rest keep getting rejected, age, partial disability, an old conviction, color, ect…but they won’t tell why so they can’t sued.
Frame 1.3 the War Inc boardroom, what we will do with our windfall, everyone is dreaming about another mansion or yacht. The power point is automation the next wave, which leads to the next frame
Frame 1.4 War Inc’s parking lot is only 1/3 full, the robots are dining 2/3 of the work now.
Frame 1.5 After a nice bonus for cutting payroll War Inc’s CEO is calling from his new summer mansion to talk to politicians about the next deal
Frame 1.6 Magma man and the people he putdown are begging on a small town main street, a small town with half the shops closed or sporting going out business signs, abandoned houses, thrash. A new MAGA man drives by and says get a job.