American Crisis Politics

Dissident Voice
Eric Walberg
October 27, 2011.

American voters now have a clear view of who they can vote for next year, with Barack Obama as the Democrats’ certain candidate and Mitt Romney as the Republicans’. Both candidates offer much the same prescriptions for the multiple crises facing their country — more war and military spending, lower taxes (certainly no big hike for the rich), more bank bailouts, trickle-down economics for the unemployed and the disintegrating environment.

If Barack and Mitt are the best the political elite can come up with, we can only conclude that the entire American ruling class is suffering from acute paranoid schizophrenia — fearing commies-turned-Muslims under their beds, shedding tears over the odd child hit by a stray bullet in, say, Syria, while joyously bombing hapless Afghans, Iraqs and Libyans into the Stone Age, wiping out hundreds of thousands in the process.

Obama said Saturday that the US now must tackle its “greatest challenge as a nation” — rebuilding a weak economy and creating jobs — with the “same urgency and unity that our troops brought to their fight”. More like: with the “same cold-blooded disrespect for human life …” Is it possible Obama will promote a Swift-like “modest proposal” to unemployment, and exhort Americans to eat their children?

Despite overwhelming evidence that the chaos and destruction the US brings the world has induced only hate and disgust for America and its values, he preened himself for helping murder Gaddafi and for pretending to withdraw US troops from Iraq: “This week, we had two powerful reminders of how we’ve renewed American leadership in the world.”

Of course, there is an explanation for this raving. The chaos is caused by the logic of profit in the economy, and the rhetoric — by the need to control the political process to ensure profit’s uninterrupted flow. But Obama’s fine rhetoric is not even convincing Americans anymore, as Occupy Wall Street and demonstrations across the country show. As for Congress; just 6 per cent of registered voters think sitting members deserve re-election — the lowest percentage since CBS News Polls began 20 years ago.

What is the poor — literally, at this point — voter to do? There are stirrings, even in the ruling class. Warren Buffett is spreading a chain letter calling on citizens to demand “a constitutional amendment which would make all sitting members of Congress ineligible for re-election anytime there is a deficit of more than 3 per cent of GDP.” If only it were that simple.

Read the rest here.

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Comment: The US does not know how to live as just another nation inside a family of global nations.

There have been very few real moments when the US has not been at war with other nations or at war with racial minorities inside its imperial belly.

What will it take for change?  Real change that is.

It is apparent now that change cannot come from a president.  Obama is an absolute failure and even his most ardent supporters have backed off from propping up his slick ass.

But in a choice between Obama and Romney next year it is most likely that the ass-kissing Uncle Tom will be around for another four years.

And even if he loses he will be around for another four years.

The sad truth is that Obama is Romney and the other way around.  The rot that is the political system in the US is the exact dysfunctional politics that Aristotle rubbished all those centuries ago.

Whatever happens we are in for more of the same.

You can expect as Walberg points out that there will be a "Republicrat" in the crack house and the rich will be the favored class as always.

Onward!