"Democrats are 75 percent corrupt" [View All]

[welshTerrier2]

just fyi, i don't necessarily agree with that quote ... but read on ...

Should the Democratic Party be fighting "corporatism" as a central theme?

In the current context, "corporatism" must not be confused as being "anti-commerce" ... it means that very large corporations have seized control of our government ... it means that our legislators are bought by those who can afford them ... it means that those with sufficient assets are able to direct government policy in their own greedy interests rather than the interests of the American people as a whole ...

Those who regularly criticize "the left" should take careful note of the definition provided ... they should not necessarily ascribe meanings beyond the specific definition provided here ... this is not necessarily an advocacy for socialism, communism or any other economic system ... while it is true that many who oppose "corporatism" may indeed espouse those alternative systems, that is not the issue at hand here ...


So, rather than respond in the broader context of "i oppose all efforts to dismantle capitalism", i ask you whether you agree that big money, often through a corporate vehicle, has made massive inroads into controlling our democratic (small "d") institutions ...

I believe there is no issue more central to the struggle we're involved in ... if those with their greedy paws on the levers of power have no intention of doing their best to serve the interests of all Americans, it is our job to speak out against their corruption and "throw the bumbs out" ...

This brings me to the conduct of many elected Democrats and what I see as a key rift among many of us here on DU ... In defense of elected Democrats, one can point to battles in support of campaign finance reform ... one can certainly point to criticisms of the Halliburton "no bid" contracts in Iraq and Cheney's close association to the company ... and Democrats have pushed for "make polluters pay" legislation ... so, why all the criticism from the left ???

I think the answer to this lies at the heart of many flame wars within the Party ... "Corporatism", as a platform plank, never rises to the level of being a "central theme" ... it's always fought for on an issue by issue basis ... when the Party does take a stand, it seems it's fighting for each individual tree rather than arguing it's trying to protect the entire forest ... this "wonkiness" (wonkosity ??) is very ineffective ... and it's exactly why Democrats now find themselves as a minority party ...

to digress, the Party can no longer "follow the candidate's message" ... it's time to tell America exactly who we are and what we believe in ... instead of loudly coming out against Social Security "privatization", we need to first make it clear that any program that puts our elderly at risk is unacceptable ... when we talk about the hundreds of billions of dollars it's costing to fight in Iraq, we need to tie that back to the risks such spending imposes on our elderly and on other programs to help children and families ... we need consistent themes that reflect our values ... and every issue, every single issue, must tie together to tell the Democratic Party's "story" ... we don't do that now ... we pick candidates and then we support them ... it's backwards ... we should define who we are and select candidates to represent (with some flexibility) our central views ...

anyway, here are some quotes from a real "new" Democrat:

1. on bush: "the most corrupt and immoral President that we have had in American history."
2. "The Republicans are 95 percent corrupt and the Democrats are 75 percent corrupt .. They are accepting money from the same corporations. And of course, that is going to corrupt you."
3. "The biggest threat to American democracy is corporate power ... There is vogue in the White House to talk about the threat of big government. But since the beginning of our national history, our most visionary political leaders have warned the American public against the domination of government by corporate power. That warning is missing in the national debate right now. Because so much corporate money is going into politics, the Democratic Party itself has dropped the ball. They just quash discussion about the corrosive impact of excessive corporate power on American democracy."

Again, should fighting "corporatism" play a much more central role in what the Party believes in ?? and if so, have any of the Party's elite, Kerry, Dean, Clark, Gore, Clinton (either one) or any others, spoken out forcefully on the issue?

Without shining a bright spotlight on the corruptions that have seeped into the halls of our government, I'm afraid that all the other battles we're fighting are just "pretend" ... and if you disagree with me when i say that the Democrats have failed miserably making this issue part of the average American's awareness, feel free to educate me ... the way i see it, the author of all the quotes provided here is dead on the money ...

and, in case you're wondering who said all those things, it was RFK Jr.