COMMENT POSTED TO AN ARTICLE IN RUSSIA INSIDER
"Can Democracy
Succeed?"
I do think before we can address the topic, you must provide
an example of democracy.
That is certainly not what exists in the United States.
And that fact isn't just the result of recent "Deep
Government" activity and Neocon influence.
The United States, if you study its history, was never
intended or designed to be a democracy.
Most of "the Founding Fathers" in America viewed
the concept of democracy with about the same fear and contempt as America's
1950s FBI viewed the idea of "communism."
That is absolutely no exaggeration, as you'll find by
ignoring American advertising slogans and Broadway show lyrics and going to
read the Founders themselves.
America has kept to the pattern ever since, whether we speak
of the contemptible Mexican War or Teddy Roosevelt's phony Spanish-American War
or indeed Vietnam.
The people were never consulted, only told how important
what was being done was when it was actually being done, as they gave lives and
treasure for the lies of imperial power.
America today is unmistakably a plutocracy. It is run by a
group of power elites for the benefit of the plutocrats.
Elections are an elaborate, costly stage play with only two
parties having any real standing owing to countless petty restrictions and
rules and barriers, including the barrier of the need for huge amounts of money.
In effect, “mom and pop” grocery stores can’t compete with vast corporate
chains. They are only allowed a little space on the fringes.
Both the parties are totally committed to war and empire.
Indeed, for decades the Democrats, superficially sometimes associated with
being liberal, have been the war party, overwhelmingly.
The election stage show is financed by unbelievable amounts
of private money - eg. Hillary alone spent $1.2 billion in her campaign to
defeat a multi-billionaire. The Clintons, when they were in the White House,
were reduced to appalling practices like selling a night in the Lincoln Bedroom
for a quarter-million-dollar campaign contribution. The amounts of money
involved cannot come from ordinary people, and, as always with large gifts,
reciprocity is expected, and the givers are never disappointed.
Ideas play no role in American elections, only slogans and
attitudes and paid advertising are heard while the real governing deals are
hammered out behind closed doors, much like big takeovers by huge corporations.
And, as we've just seen with Trump, it makes no difference
who is elected. This "maverick" has proved to behave like Obama on
steroids, once he got inside with the insiders.
