I'm the devil, advocating. What the heck is a "corporatist?"

[JohnnyLib2]

How do I identify them? Are any national level politicians NOT "corporatists?"

[havocmom]

1. Opposite of a humanist

;)

[Beelzebud]

2. Someone who places the rights and needs, of corporations, over We The People.

[redqueen]

20. Succinct.

I like this definition.

[BridgeTheGap]

3. Corporatists = Fascists

IMHO

[theredpen]

9. Not just your opinion -- Mussolini thought so, too (Info on Corporatism)

Mussolini was famous for pointing out that Fascism was better called "Corporatism." Of course, he meant this in the sense of the "Body Politic" rather than business corporations.

In Corporatism (Fascism), power is giving to "bodies" that represent economic interests. In the age of mega-corporations, these bodies already exist in the form of business corporations and their lobbying arms. Hence, the rise in (business) corporate power is a move toward a Fascist state.

Wikipedia on:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporatism">Corporatism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctrine_of_Fascism">Doctrine of Fascism (Mussolini's manifesto)

[EVDebs]

4. HRC seems to personify 'corporatist', Edwards doesn't

Synopsis of the film
http://www.thecorporation.com/index.cfm?page_id=312

Only Edwards would put corporations 'in their place'. HRC won't and Obama neither. Sorry, truth hurts.

Globalization/corporatism is wrecking this country and Edward's stances will restore jobs and progressive policies here at home. No more emphasis on 'foreign entanglements' in pursuit of oil.

Thom Hartmann supports DK's ideas but sends his $ to John Edwards (said so on today's show). I'm with Thom on this one.

[Clark2008]

25. Surely you're kidding?

I mean about Edwards.

Did you look at his voting record? You know, the one he amassed when he could "put corporations in their places?"

Seems to me he didn't do that.

P.S. And that Hartman guy should send his money to DK. Maybe if people would stop buying into the media myth that a small man can't win, this crap would stop.

[EVDebs]

26. HRC again is the personification of corporatism. PERIOD.

Evangelize for HRC elsewhere, but not to me.

[rudeboy666]

5. Some background

Here's a link:

Corporatism

[murielm99]

6. At the national level,

even at the state level, it is pretty hard to avoid taking money from big business and corporations. People cannot get elected in this day and age without the money. Anyone who takes it can accused of being a corporatist.

I don't think everyone who takes money from big business is evil. You won't convince some of the purists here that that is true.

[EVDebs]

15. Jess Unruh of CA put it this way

'If you can't take their money and vote against them, you don't belong in politics'

and

'Money is the mother's milk of politics'

[murielm99]

24. I like that. nt

[endarkenment]

7. health care is a defining issue.

The corporatists all want to keep insurance industry profits intact and in fact enhanced while not being too concerned about providing decent healthcare to everyone. They propose some variation on individual mandate programs. The non-coporatists have correctly identified the health insurance industry as an unneccesary obstacle to the primary goal of providing decent affordable healthcare to everyone and propose single payer universal healthcare.

[0007]

8. ....are you a wise guy or what?

Check out junior and his dick.

[DURHAM D]

I have no idea what people think this means.

I own three small corporations. I have these corporations as a legal structure for conducting a small business. What does that make me?

The only item that could help me (and every other small business owner)be more profitable is a break on health care costs. What does that make me?

Also, corporations can not give political donations. Seems many who throw the word around don't even know that.

[EVDebs]

17. Thom Hartmann owns/owned some corporations but he knows what the problem is, read this

Unequal Protection:
The rise of corporate dominance
and theft of human rights
http://www.thomhartmann.com/unequalprotection.shtml

The prolific Hartmann shows that:

"The results of this "corporate personhood" have been:

* Unequal taxes
* Unequal privacy
* Unequal wealth
* Unequal trade
* Unequal media
* Unequal regulation
* Unequal responsibility for crime
* Unequal protection from risk
* Unequal citizenship and access to the commons

To remedy the legal blunder of corporate personhood, Hartmann offers specific action steps that can be taken by citizens, courts, legislatures, and local communities."

You're just a small fry, Durham D, and Hartmann's corporations too.

[redqueen]

21. Corporatists buy candidates in many ways.

There are all kinds of ways to get around that no direct contributions rule.

[DURHAM D]

10. DUPER.

[CK_John]

11. Any one who is not a blacksmith or doesn't board horses, IMO. n/t

[galileo3000]

12. What size.

If Book People in Austin incorporated so that the institution would live beyond the life of the owner? I would support that. Whole Foods, I still like 'em, even though 2 plums and cup of rice cost $60.00. I always have struggled with the blanket corporation statement. surely there are some good apples.

[burythehatchet]

13. The consistent promotion of the interests of the investor class over labor

and consumer interests. (owning stock does not make one part of the investor class.)

[LanternWaste]

14. The "Real" defintion...

The real definition of a corporatist (as practiced on DU) is every Democratic candidate with the one exception of the candidate you support. Also interchangeable with 'fascist', 'authoritarian' and 'Nazi'.

[IA_Seth]

18. word! n/t

[theredpen]

19. Oh you're just saying that because YOUR candidate is corporatist

You know who I mean!! THAT candidate!

[applegrove]

16. Read Naomi Klein's book The Shock Doctrine.

[redqueen]

22. Or "Perfectly Legal" by David Cay Johnston. n/t

[JoseGaspar]

23. The term means two different things...

1) It is used as the classic underpinning of Italian Fascism - but people confuse it in the present day. Corporativismo really has little to do with modern business corporations. It is supposed to be government by the "representative interests" of the society which themselves may not be "democratic" - guilds, the church, industry groups, and so on. It is basically an excuse for fascist dictatorship.

2) The term is used as a sort of "capitalist - lite". If one said "capitalist", one might be called a "red" and "what about small business?", and so on. It's a safe term.