Separating Causes and Effects, Servants and Masters
The
American people are aware, only in the most general way, of a very small
population of billionaires -- around 450 total -- who are currently willing to insinuate their
interests into the country's politics. However, the details of the
individuals in this elite modern "demographic class," their ambitions,
their tactics and the present state of play in their strategic plan
deserve a far more accurate and robust understanding.
The machinations of this class are now presenting a fundamental
alternative to the traditional democracy with which we are familiar.
Further, the prospects for the future success of this "new model" currently enjoy remarkably favorable odds of
being fully implemented. What was unthinkable a few decades ago now
appears to be a fairly likely outcome.
If it were to have been introduced simply as a radical departure from traditional American values, this "renovation" might have easily been lost in the dust bin with other uninteresting, unappealing propositions. But in this case the public opinion handlers employed by these billionaires had patiently and meticulously crafted a strangely willing constituency so, when the time was most propitious, and the grotesque synthesis was as turgid as an over ripe plum, the voters would embrace the artificially "refreshing revolutionary idea" of what had been so subtly purported, that is, purported quite without any details.
The nature of this fabricated constituency, a mindless horde of the low information, low interest, low curiosity, low education yet zealously dependable and predictable voters is, at this time, officially no longer interesting. Likewise, the "known" identities of the now widely hated, sacrificial politicians, also crafted from the fiber of the same Patrician cynicism, who have been compelled to present the public "faces" behind this cheaply obscured scheme, have long ago lost all their lustre, too.
Voters are discovering the challenging difficulty of yawning and vomiting simultaneously.
When we discuss the strategy of the billionaires, the faux drama in the visibly tormented grimaces of creatures such as Boehner, Cantor, Ryan, McConnell and the rest must be viewed only as "convenient, necessary mechanisms." The whole crowd is considered painlessly expendable by their poorly chosen, ruthless masters.
There exists no actual ideology or political idealism anywhere in the script. Any issue resembling something so noble -- or even so substantial -- must be formally dispatched as nothing more than "fog and feathers" mechanically "coughed up" -- as the media equivalent of a cat's hair ball -- by the billionaires' craven think tanks.
Revolutionary conflicts have, historically, been founded on contradictory values, conflicting philosophies and oppositional ideologies. This means that just at the moment these revolutions were perched to insert themselves into world history, debates, conversations and arguments "heralded the path" forward. There were sides, and those sides were destined to "sort out" which side would prevail in the subsequent revolution.
For precisely this reason MeanMesa winces each and every time one of the corporate networks' "news" worker trots out the now painfully obsolete phrase to end one of their "modern interviews" -- "Well, there are two sides to this, but we'll have to leave it there for now."
The amusing irony of such moments is clear enough.
While the sacrificial politicians in the employ of these GOP billionaires may be charged with "presenting the other side of, well, something," the plutocrats hidden behind those respective SUPER PACs are actually formidable nihilists of the first order. This means that there is nothing recognizable by normal people "on the negotiating table."
So far as priorities go, there is no tender position on some social issue which must be promoted or some inherited policy position, carefully handed down from generation to generation, and finally cast into the hands of this or that billionaire to nurture and protect. For the super rich denizens of this world there exist precisely two priorities: more money and more power.
Because of this strange, sterile value system the GOP's billionaires could not be less interested in "negotiating" anything. If there are "two sides" of this story to report, they are "Side one: I win, and Side two: you lose."
We can see this in in the constantly moving "goal posts" presented in the House Speaker's "emergency, patchwork budget proposals." The Democrats conceded to a $300 Bn reduction in order to cajole the 2011 CR through the tea bags in the House, but almost instantly, that $300 Bn became the current $350 Bn+ "plan" which Speaker Boehner now wishes to "explore" in a "conversation" with the President.
Remember, the only concession which might alter the mind set of the billionaires' GOP water boys is lower and lower spending, no matter what. At the moment of this writing, the Social Security Administration has furloughed most of its service agents, the national intelligence contractors have furloughed thousands of the nation's "eyes and ears" around the world, FEMA is juggling massive layoffs with the hurricane creeping toward Louisiana. National Guard units are taking mandatory "time off" until their budgets are refunded.
None of these "issues" bothers the oligarchs in the least. Although there appeared to be a grudgingly dutiful outrage -- and limp wristed Obama-bashing -- at WWII survivors locked out of the Veterans' Memorial and the widows of military casualties not getting their burial checks, the GOP billionaires' conveniently "thick skin" has no problem ignoring the rest.
That is, ignoring the big picture and big dollar parts of the catastrophe.
There are historical "enforcers" at play in such political brinkmanship, usually a majority block of voters. This fact doesn't change much from issue to issue. Even the most brazen politician knows that, well, there are limits. If legislative or gubernatorial behavior strays "too far afield," the price is, theoretically, paid at the ballot box in the next election.
In this case, however, that vindictive majority is missing in action.
Of course there remains the stalwart consumers of FOX News and the other twisted media, and somewhere, there are the tattered remnants of the now abandoned Tea Party, but these are little more than confused, yet strident, zealous minorities.
This demographic fact has been established repeatedly already.
If the influence of the GOP's billionaires had any semblance to a political party actually wooing the votes needed to implement policy, these depressing electoral results would have long ago prompted at least the image of the changes required to "broaden the base."
In the case of the billionaires, though, this doesn't actually ever happen because in their view, it is never actually necessary. The political world seen through their cynical eyes is a place where elections are perpetually decided exclusively by the expenditure level of the campaign that wins.
So, as the public outrage slowly grows more and more fierce, the plans from the Country Club smoking rooms simply expand the level of campaign contributions and SUPER PAC funding to compensate.
It may seem like an endless assault of infuriating hubris, but MeanMesa suspects that it's more like evidence of the near sighted clumsiness which predictably accompanies the isolated privacy of class.
Hopefully, if there remain enough election districts still functioning as something beside a gerrymandered monstrosity, the 2014 mid-term election will provide a "clarifying experience" to these uber-wealthy, anti-democracy types.
If it were to have been introduced simply as a radical departure from traditional American values, this "renovation" might have easily been lost in the dust bin with other uninteresting, unappealing propositions. But in this case the public opinion handlers employed by these billionaires had patiently and meticulously crafted a strangely willing constituency so, when the time was most propitious, and the grotesque synthesis was as turgid as an over ripe plum, the voters would embrace the artificially "refreshing revolutionary idea" of what had been so subtly purported, that is, purported quite without any details.
The nature of this fabricated constituency, a mindless horde of the low information, low interest, low curiosity, low education yet zealously dependable and predictable voters is, at this time, officially no longer interesting. Likewise, the "known" identities of the now widely hated, sacrificial politicians, also crafted from the fiber of the same Patrician cynicism, who have been compelled to present the public "faces" behind this cheaply obscured scheme, have long ago lost all their lustre, too.
Voters are discovering the challenging difficulty of yawning and vomiting simultaneously.
When we discuss the strategy of the billionaires, the faux drama in the visibly tormented grimaces of creatures such as Boehner, Cantor, Ryan, McConnell and the rest must be viewed only as "convenient, necessary mechanisms." The whole crowd is considered painlessly expendable by their poorly chosen, ruthless masters.
There exists no actual ideology or political idealism anywhere in the script. Any issue resembling something so noble -- or even so substantial -- must be formally dispatched as nothing more than "fog and feathers" mechanically "coughed up" -- as the media equivalent of a cat's hair ball -- by the billionaires' craven think tanks.
How Do We Waltz With
Cynical, Wealth Obsessed, Savagely Insecure Nihilists?
Did Kafka compose ballroom dance music?
Revolutionary conflicts have, historically, been founded on contradictory values, conflicting philosophies and oppositional ideologies. This means that just at the moment these revolutions were perched to insert themselves into world history, debates, conversations and arguments "heralded the path" forward. There were sides, and those sides were destined to "sort out" which side would prevail in the subsequent revolution.
For precisely this reason MeanMesa winces each and every time one of the corporate networks' "news" worker trots out the now painfully obsolete phrase to end one of their "modern interviews" -- "Well, there are two sides to this, but we'll have to leave it there for now."
The amusing irony of such moments is clear enough.
While the sacrificial politicians in the employ of these GOP billionaires may be charged with "presenting the other side of, well, something," the plutocrats hidden behind those respective SUPER PACs are actually formidable nihilists of the first order. This means that there is nothing recognizable by normal people "on the negotiating table."
 |
| Is Nothing sacred? Yeah, Pretty much. |
Because of this strange, sterile value system the GOP's billionaires could not be less interested in "negotiating" anything. If there are "two sides" of this story to report, they are "Side one: I win, and Side two: you lose."
We can see this in in the constantly moving "goal posts" presented in the House Speaker's "emergency, patchwork budget proposals." The Democrats conceded to a $300 Bn reduction in order to cajole the 2011 CR through the tea bags in the House, but almost instantly, that $300 Bn became the current $350 Bn+ "plan" which Speaker Boehner now wishes to "explore" in a "conversation" with the President.
Remember, the only concession which might alter the mind set of the billionaires' GOP water boys is lower and lower spending, no matter what. At the moment of this writing, the Social Security Administration has furloughed most of its service agents, the national intelligence contractors have furloughed thousands of the nation's "eyes and ears" around the world, FEMA is juggling massive layoffs with the hurricane creeping toward Louisiana. National Guard units are taking mandatory "time off" until their budgets are refunded.
None of these "issues" bothers the oligarchs in the least. Although there appeared to be a grudgingly dutiful outrage -- and limp wristed Obama-bashing -- at WWII survivors locked out of the Veterans' Memorial and the widows of military casualties not getting their burial checks, the GOP billionaires' conveniently "thick skin" has no problem ignoring the rest.
That is, ignoring the big picture and big dollar parts of the catastrophe.
But Is There Really An Audience?
There are historical "enforcers" at play in such political brinkmanship, usually a majority block of voters. This fact doesn't change much from issue to issue. Even the most brazen politician knows that, well, there are limits. If legislative or gubernatorial behavior strays "too far afield," the price is, theoretically, paid at the ballot box in the next election.
In this case, however, that vindictive majority is missing in action.
Of course there remains the stalwart consumers of FOX News and the other twisted media, and somewhere, there are the tattered remnants of the now abandoned Tea Party, but these are little more than confused, yet strident, zealous minorities.
This demographic fact has been established repeatedly already.
If the influence of the GOP's billionaires had any semblance to a political party actually wooing the votes needed to implement policy, these depressing electoral results would have long ago prompted at least the image of the changes required to "broaden the base."
In the case of the billionaires, though, this doesn't actually ever happen because in their view, it is never actually necessary. The political world seen through their cynical eyes is a place where elections are perpetually decided exclusively by the expenditure level of the campaign that wins.
So, as the public outrage slowly grows more and more fierce, the plans from the Country Club smoking rooms simply expand the level of campaign contributions and SUPER PAC funding to compensate.
It may seem like an endless assault of infuriating hubris, but MeanMesa suspects that it's more like evidence of the near sighted clumsiness which predictably accompanies the isolated privacy of class.
Hopefully, if there remain enough election districts still functioning as something beside a gerrymandered monstrosity, the 2014 mid-term election will provide a "clarifying experience" to these uber-wealthy, anti-democracy types.
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