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Wayne Besen
PO Box 25491
Brooklyn, NY 11202
By far the biggest and most destructive lie in politics today is when lawmakers say, "I'm not influenced by the money." Anyone who believes this doozie is delusional.The truth is, politicians will rarely turn away those who are feeding their families and egos.
As a society, we are conditioned to focus on tawdry sex scandals or illegal bribes. But, our way of life is really threatened by the legal larceny that occurs in campaigns and legislatures. Powerful lobbyists represent wealthy special interests that have the immense resources to game our pay-to-play system.
If you accompany a politician on the road, the first thing that you notice is that he or she spends a great deal of time begging for money. The phone becomes a Siamese twin and the office holder enters a co-dependent relationship with the invaluable donor list. In the race for cash, original thoughts become afterthoughts and ideals are cast aside by the need to close the deal.
The media and the pundits exacerbate the problem by judging the seriousness of presidential and congressional candidates almost exclusively by how much money they raise. We have reached a point where bank statements are more important than statesmen.
These days, getting things done on Capitol Hill requires a three-step process.
The first step is creating a legal mechanism to deliver campaign contributions. The second step is hiring a team of hotshot lobbyists (aka former members of Congress) who essentially promise their old colleagues lucrative jobs as lobbyists when they eventually step down -- if they vote the "right" way. The final step is hiring top tier public relations firms to create advertising and pseudo grass roots campaigns, designed to give cover to politicians that are essentially being bought to do an industry's bidding.
This Washington sleaze factor is evident in the healthcare battle. The drug and insurance industries have pulled out all the stops to protect profits. Their money has co-opted (some would say corrupted) the majority of the Republican Party and many of the Blue Dog Democrats. Republican operatives, often posing as concerned citizens, have raised hell in town hall meetings in an attempt to confuse the public. And, a PR campaign has tricked the most gullible Americans (there is no shortage of them) into believing in "death panels."
Unfortunately, the Obama administration seems shell-shocked by the realities of modern Washington. It has failed to use the bully pulpit to remind Americans what they hate about our inefficient and ineffective health care system.
For example, we keep hearing about how Americans love their insurance. Why don't the democrats run ads featuring people who were once infatuated with their health plan -- until they got sick. At that point they discovered that their company did not want to pay for life-saving procedures and found a way to cancel their policies. Instead, we get dispassionate, policy wonk prattle about public options and mechanisms for controlling costs.
In the end, it may not matter what Obama does because the special interests with the most money usually win. But, the dominion of dollars over decency is important because gridlock and systemic failure produces wild electoral mood swings. The Gingrich Revolution and Bushism failed, so voters gave the Democrats a chance. While far superior to the Republicans, enough hasn't fundamentally changed to mollify frustrated voters.
As a result, Obama's poll numbers are falling and a thoroughly demoralized Republican Party is poised to make a comeback in midterm elections. To fend off this challenge from the far right, the Democrats are likely to put controversial issues -- such as gay and lesbian equality -- on the backburner. If Obama did not have the guts to gut Don't Ask/Don't Tell when he had a 70 percent approval rating, he sure as heck won't take action if he falls below 50 percent.
The alternative to the Democrats is positively horrifying. While neither party can get significant traction on major legislation, at least the Democrats don't bash gay people and immigrants to distract Americans from their failures. The Republicans, on the other hand, create bigoted bread and circuses to keep the family values crowd from noticing the GOP is picking their family's pockets.
For all of Obama's talk of hope and the late Ted Kennedy's impassioned speeches on healthcare, and the stern lectures against corporate greed -- the avaricious fat cats are fatter than ever. The insurers will still be sticking it to the sick and the Wall Street financiers will get their bonuses, while your average Joe falls deeper into debt, depression and desperation.
If Republican demagogues make a comeback, the Democrats should not come back asking for support unless they have a plan to fundamentally alter the broken system. Obama can talk of change, but none will occur as long as Washington is ruled by dollars.
8 Comments:
Good words Wayne. You are right on about how money corrupts and influences decisions amongst the power elite
posted by Monica, at
9/02/2009 10:24 PM
The golden rule is--those who have the most gold, make the rules. This will never change until we have public financing only for political campaigns, corporations are no longer considered 'persons' and money as free speech is seen for what it really is--legal bribery. Unless we have another revolution akin to the late 60s (only this time, with more action and engagement instead of rhetoric and getting high) we really are seeing the twilight of America's golden years.
posted by Anonymous, at
9/03/2009 9:08 AM
Well said, Wayne.
I've been bombarded with emails from the DNC begging me to make an annual donation. I donated big in 2008 but have sent an email telling them that because of the administration's inaction and reticence on DADT, DOMA, don't expect any future support from me. If they want my vote, let them earn it. Thus far, they haven't. Obama has shown nothing but weakness and unwillingness to go afer the republicans who are now controlling this administration. Whatever he know says regarding the health care debacle, is too little too late. He's blown his political capital as far as I'm concerned. I predict this will be a one term presidency. I feel terribly disappointed in this administration and in a sense, betrayed when you look at what it campaigned on and for which I didn't vote for. He's hardly what I would call a progressive, but merely a conservative dressed in democratic clothing who kow-tows to the religious right.
posted by Anonymous, at
9/03/2009 11:38 AM
If not for blatant political corruption, single payer would have passed years ago.
posted by libhom, at
9/04/2009 9:05 PM
Obama is an extreme disappointment. He is a FARCE and a true disappointment for those who voted for CHANGE. I never had any hope that he would do squat for the GLBTQ community, but I thought he might step up to the plate on health care. But why should he. He has his and the rest of us can go to hell. The only change you seem to get is a change of whatever fool is the ruling elite's current puppet.
posted by Merlyn, at
9/08/2009 9:13 AM
I saw the old sci-fi classic flick The Time Machine with Rod Taylor the other day and had an epiphany. The republicans are just like the Morlocks and the democrats act just like the Eloi. If you dont know what I mean, get the DVD and find out.
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9/13/2009 10:42 PM
