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I've tried to figure out why BushCo doesn't care about the ratings disaster of the Dubai deal, but I just ended up scratching my head. So I tied together some stray thoughts from DU posts and stories, and added a healthy dose of cynicism that I approach every BushCo question with. The conclusion took me around the world.
Early in his first term as pResident, the Chimp in Charge took an unpopular position on a nasty battle over media consolidation. In the face of convincing bi-partisan outcry, Michael Powell of the FCC allowed the media to consolidate to frightening, unprecedented levels. In hindsight, it was no mistake that this was one of the first things tackled by BushCo who already had key allies in top media positions at Fox, CBS, Clear Channel and others. A quick neutering of NPR and--viola!--everyone is on message. Sprinkle in some cross-contamination between the mega-media moguls, our pals in Defense/Big Pharm/Oil/Et Al, along with BushCo itself, and you can see why the news media is nothing short of an infomercial. Lobbying is only the public face of this economic incest. And by extension, Abramoff is merely a metaphor for the corporate rape of American politics that is happening on a much larger scale.
As we steamrolled through the Reagan years, American Corporations' foothold in politics became the critical element in their plan for profit. The payoff was direct and substantial. While their relative taxes have steadily decreased, their profits increased exponentially and their foothold became a chokehold. But the real coup for US Corporations was in the last 20 years with the world-wide economy that developed after the Fall of the Wall, NAFTA and the development of the world-wide web. Globalization allowed American Corporations unlimited labor and financial resources to exploit, opportunities to maximize profits like never before, and ultimately, enough power to slay their master. Their tail now wags our dog. American politicians are now merely corporate management, government division.
But what's worse, and what's at the core of the destructive practices of the BFEE and today's Neo-Con politics is this...American Corporations have literally become parasites on our country, not worrying about killing the host, because they no longer require a symbiotic relationship with their birth parent in order to survive. They no longer need to plant the seeds for the next healthy American generation because there are now more lucrative opportunities elsewhere in places like India, China and Dubai. Whether it's out-of-control debt, outsourcing or backroom Medicare deals, today's Neo-Cannibals are eating the young (and old) Americans.
Just watch the news to see that the Promo Dept. is doing a truly sensational job for Big Biz. It's hard to argue that the masses aren't suckers for media creations the likes of Jessica Lynch, Pat Tillman, The Case For War, the 911 Commission and the phantom War on Terrah itself. Accordingly, the bed will always be feathered for politicians to re-write the laws that further enable the Corporations while the outrage goes unreported and essentially stifled. Think about it--Diebold would be absolutely dead if it even got fair press. But even Al Franken is afraid to get Rather'ed on the issue of election fraud.
Without doubt, foreign companies have tried to get over on America as best they could. Just part of the game. But it's the globalized, American-born Corporations that are now killing our future by using their tools: Mainstream Media consolidation, the stacked Judicial Branch, Diebold and Bush's Neo-Crooks. Like Heir Bush himself, their attitude is, quite literally, First America, now the world. A weaker America essentially makes both Bush and his Corporate Affiliates stronger, and that's why the Dubai deal makes so much sense.
Like The Hunt for WMD's, the Hammer Gets Nailed, Loose Lips Libby and Uncle Dickie goes Hunting, the Dubai deal is just another scandal that perpetuates the illusion of legitimate media. Better yet, Dubai serves as a mechanism to allow strong, independent Republicans to stand up for freedom even if it means disagreeing with our pResident. When the deal goes through anyway, at least they tried, right? This then feathers the bed for (ehem) "better Republican numbers" and more stolen mid-term elections. The House stays with the Pukes, investigations die on the vine and Bill O'Liely is your daddy for the foreseeable future.
Why don't American-born Corporations have to pledge allegiance to the flag?
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