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24 August 2012 By Stephen
Lendman Tampa may never be the same.
Republicans left it pockmarked. At least they're gone.
Residents welcomed their departure. Three days of
pre-scripted hokum were featured. Romney/Ryan speeches
featured revisionist history. Democrats get their turn
next week. Campaigning is in high gear.
According to Bloomberg, "you'd need six months to
watch every presidential campaign ad." As of August
22, 526,633 (30 or 60 second) spots were run. By election day November 6,
perhaps they'll top a million. And that's only for
president. All House and 33 Senate seats are up for
grabs. So are numerous others at state and local
levels. They range from gubernatorial to local school
boards. A war of words hammers US voters
nonstop. Relief won't come until post-election.
America's campaign season never ends. Preparations
begin immediately for the next cycle. Big money plans
it that way. Candidates and officeholders either go
along or find another line of work. Voters get
betrayed every time. Tampa was Exhibit A. Romney/Ryan
represent socially destructive interests. Obama's the
same. Voters are stuck between fire and brimstone. America's political process is
too dysfunctional and corrupted to fix. People should
either vote independent or stay home. Both major
parties are two sides of the same coin. Not a dime's
worth of difference that matters separates them. They represent money power and
imperial lawlessness. People needs are spurned.
Bipartisan complicity plans destroying them entirely.
Social America is on the chopping block for
elimination. Political Washington's vision is dark age
harshness. Obama/Biden/Romney/Ryan represent
the worst of all possible worlds. Obama's con man days
began in Illinois. Before entering politics, Romney
parlayed grand theft into super wealth. As Bain Capital head, he
profiteered by leveraged buyouts, asset-stripping
companies, and leaving thousands of workers high and
dry. As president, he'll do for America what he did to
one plundered company after another. On August 29, Matt Taibbi
headlined his Rolling Stone article "Greed and Debt:
The True Story of Mitt Romney and Bain Capital." He calls him the flip side of Che
or Trotsky. He's a human wrecking machine. He's right
out of predatory capitalism's central casting. He's a
visionary for everything harming people. His campaign reflects "a
shimmering pearl of perfect political hypocrisy." He's
kept it hidden out of sight. Ryan's his alter ego.
He's "a self-righteous anal, thin-lipped, Whitest Kids
U Know penny pincher who'd be honored to tell Oliver
Twist" the soup bowl is empty, go hungry. On the one hand, Romney claims "a
prairie fire of debt" is ravaging America. On the
other, he got super-rich by "borrowing vast sums of
money that other people were forced to pay back." He's
one of the "most irresponsible debt creators of all
time." In Ryan, he's got "perhaps the
only politician in America more pompous and
self-righteous" than himself on the evils debt piled
up by borrowed money. "No one in history has ever
successfully run for president riding this big a lie."
In November, he may become the exception that proves
the rule. He's unapologetic. He's
emblematic of Wall Street fraud, greed, and
indifference about human need and welfare. He's one of
their own. He can be president, Treasury secretary and
Fed chairman all in one. He represents everything
wrong with America getting worse. He's a dagger at humanity's
heart. He's the perfect frontman for destroying
decades of social progress. Give him four years and it
won't exist. He endorses government of, by and for
super-rich elites like himself. He's "a new and improved version"
of Gordon Gekko dressed up in better PR and more
grandiose notions of wealth and power. He envisions
leveraged buying out America. He'll leave everyone
else to pay the tab. His business model is scorched
earth asset stripping. Expect ordinary people to be
left high and dry. He wants America looking like one
company after another he wrecked. He thinks it's OK as
long as his hands don't look dirty. His free market notions suck life
from people. He's a brigand who discards them like
trash. He believes only making money matters. He made
piles the old fashioned way by stealing it. Dirty
money buys as much as honest cash. Romney got lots of
federal help making plenty. Government giveaways enriched
him. So did business-friendly tax provisions. They
facilitate leveraged buyout scams. They made Romney
super-rich. Before he took office, James
Petras called Obama "the greatest con man in recent
history." He compared him to Melville's Confidence
Man. "He catches your eye while he picks your pocket."
Romney one-ups him and then some. He knows every dirty
trick in the book to steal, wreck human lives, and get
off scot free. He's the perfect frontman for
financialized America. It uses money to make more of
it without manufacturing anything. It prospers at the
expense of others. It hides wealth in tax havens. It
watches from the sidelines while America crumbles. It's being transforming into
Guatemala, complete with police state harshness. Come
January, Romney may head the grand scheme. Obama's
able to match him blow for blow. Imagine the state of the nation
four years hence under either leader. Imagine having
endless wide awake nightmares. Imagine the worst of
all possible worlds. Obama/Romney assure it. They'll
be no place to hide. Take no prisoners defines their
style. Romney comes off brash. Obama's more subtle.
Either way they're flip sides of the same coin.
Decades earlier Republicans and Democrats wouldn't
recognize their modern-day successors. Political conventions today bear
little resemblance to earlier ones. Predictability
replaced suspense. In 1976, Gerald Ford contested
Ronald Reagan on the convention floor to become
Republican nominee. In 1960, Jack Kennedy lacked a
majority until Wyoming voted last. Everything now is
pre-scripted theater. It's like watching an old film
aired many previous times. Tropical storm Isaac/turned
hurricane had first say in Tampa. It shortened circus
shenanigans to three days. Reactionary extremism,
hokum, grandiosity, and revisionist history took
center stage. Influence peddling dominated behind the
scenes deal making. Pre-scripted bluster went off as
planned. Dissembling obscured reality. Delegates were
fed red meat malarkey. Tough issues were ducked. They
were distorted by falsely claiming Romney/Ryan have
ways to fix America. Today's political conventions are
coronations, not nominations. Suspense and political
honesty are nowhere in sight. Everything heard is
predictable. In Tampa, politicians
impersonated actors. Clint Eastwood played the
opposite role. He fell flat and then some. He sounded
more under the table than over the top. Critics called his cameo
"bizarre" and "embarrassing." At age 82, best stick to
gardening. Even Republicans called it a mistake to
invite him. Democrats make fools of themselves next
week. Ready or not, Charlotte awaits their arrival. They'll match Republicans blow
for blow. Rhetoric alone separates them. Politics on
either side of the aisle reflect flip sides of the
same coin. They're lawless, merciless, inhumane,
anti-labor, anti-welfare, racist, neoliberal, elitist,
pro-business, pro-war, and anti-populist. A previous article said both
parties believe America's future depends on greater
wealth disparity, ignoring public need, waging war on
humanity, silencing truth, and cracking down on
non-believers. On November 6, voters get to
choose between either wing of America's money party.
Duopoly power offers no alternative. All week, Tampa was on virtual lockdown. Hundreds of protesters showed up. Thousands of cops confronted them. Media scoundrels largely ignored them. They marched on the RNC's convention site. Occupy Tampa came out. Ahead of convention week, they noted an unemployment crisis, a do-nothing Congress, and other vital unaddressed issues. They complained about security protocol restrictions compromising their First Amendment rights. Occupy the RNC was there. They're unaffiliated. They stand in solidarity with Charlotte DNC protesters. They railed against both parties. They're tied to corporate rule, war, economic injustice, and freedom extinguishing policies. America's "entire system….is rooted in greed and power." Exploitation and oppression are prioritized. They demand better like others. They facilitated logistics for protesters. They published Tampa Principles. They support political diversity within their struggle for social, economic, and environmental justice. They're committed to treating everyone with respect. They oppose repressing dissent, surveillance, infiltration, disruption, police brutality, and restrictive "free speech zones" far from convention activities. They united for change not possible without sustained commitment. Code Pink came out in force. During Romney's speech, their members stood up chanting and unfurling banners saying "People over Profits." "Democracy is not a business." They interrupted Ryan's speech. They demanded women's rights, control over their own bodies, and healthcare, not warfare. They stormed the streets and convention site day and night. They delivered messages saying end wars and get money out of politics. They explained America's broken electoral system. What's the point of kicking out bums for new ones. Dressed as pink police, they staged mock citizens' arrests at every Condi Rice event. At a pro-Israeli one, they denounced its illegal occupation. They spoke out against war on Iran. With barely a chance to exhale, they're off for Charlotte and more demonstrations. Others in Washington shut down a busy intersection as Romney was about to accept his party's nomination. They chose a spot known for activism. They protested his politics of the rich. They held signs saying "Stop the Romney economy." "We are here to protest Romney's nomination." People need to hear disenfranchised voices. Others must lend support. The only solution is world revolution. Change comes only from the bottom up. It's time to challenge the beast and slay it.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. His new book is titled "How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized Banking, Government Collusion and Class War" http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening. http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour |
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