in the era of money politics, no coalition from either party can make good on their marketed vision"

[Hannah Bell]

“The American people are voting against the political system.

They are given the choice between the marketed vision of false hope and the vision of everyman financed by those who are attempting to take away vital services.

Anger at the financial bailouts is understandable and a vote to cut off government from using our future tax burden to fortify the powerful is also quite sensible.

The problem is that in the era of money politics, no coalition from either party can make good on the mirage of their marketed vision."

http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2010/11/%e2%80%9crules-of-our-society-should-not-be-bought-and-sold%e2%80%9d-roosevelt-election-roundup.html

[readmoreoften]

1. recc'd up to zero

[The Magistrate]

2. This Stands Out Bright, Ma'am

“The most striking thing about the post-election landscape is the utter route of centrists Democrats. In the aftermath, as Chris Bowers notes, the Progressive Caucus is larger than the Blue Dog and the New Dems combined. Analysts will continue to go through the numbers, but right now there’s nothing to suggest that ‘liberal overreach’ or a lack of centrist views was a factor. The truth is much worse: the ugly process of appeasing and buying off centrist Democrats on financial reform and health care turned what should have been landmark generational reform into a bitter, ugly view of corporate power and sleazy influence over our political system, the Senate and the political party that is supposed to defend the interests of working people.”

- Mike Konczal, Roosevelt Institute Fellow

[Hannah Bell]

3. and this: "The fight for the future of ordinary Americans is on. Get the gloves off.”

[jpgray]

4. Yes it does.

[KharmaTrain]

5. This Is All About Keeping One's Job

For all the high-handed rhetoric, a politician is a job. A glorified one, yes, but a job, not some altruistic enterprise. Some want political office for the power such an office can give or to use it for a stepping stone to a greater opportunity down the road. Along side them is a cadre of aides, pollsters, managers and other aparachniks whose job, just like the politician, is to keep the bosses job. To keep that job it takes money and lots of it. It's a two way system...you get money for giving money...usually to people in your district or, in the case, too often of this government, to the corporates. With Citizens United, we're sure to see a campaign in 2012 that will cost over 1.5 BILLION dollars (and I'm probably conservative). Right now every Congresscritter is back on the phone looking for money to pay off the debts of the last campaign and to start building up the kitty for the next one.

The "people" only matter for a brief period in and around elections. Those who vote are only approached after the money is collected and the favors promised and/or delivered. As the rushpublican party makes no bones of its close corporate strings, this system works well for them and I predict will lead to abuses in the next two years ala Abramoff. The foxes will try to run the henhouse and get sloppy in the process.

Democrats may try to heed what is in the best interest for the middle class and their agendas is geared as such, the need to raise the money to keep one's job is always the elephant in the room and its especially the case when there's so much opposition money flying around. Democrats are shell-shocked...so many had to defend lies and distortions bought and paid for by corporate dollars they, including this administraton, don't have the answers. Unfortunately nuance and long-worded responses do little good for a society tuned to sound bites and absolutes.

I'm still not sure if we've crossed into a plutocracy or just a plain old kleptocracy. And sadly we saw on Tuesday how the system can and will be gamed to the advantage of the corporates...even convincing people to vote against their best interests. The road ahead won't be a pleasant one...

[Hannah Bell]

7. "keeping one's job" is a polite spin on sucking up the money from the people who actually own the

country.

and that's why neither party can deliver to the people, & why politics is becoming increasingly surreal -- along with media & everyday life.

[KharmaTrain]

8. They "Poltely Suck Up" To Keep Their Jobs

...and the same goes for the corporate media. Remember, many of our founders were of the "landed class" and that the Senate was based upon the House of Lords to give the vested the final say over the legislation passed in the "people's body"...aka the House. Yesterday's platation owners, railroad and steel barons are today's multinationals. In short, they developed the government and system we live in. Those elected, while they can claim to be the most high minded are still reliant on the vested interests to maintain their position. As we sadly saw with Russ Feingold...one of the rare citizen politicians of my lifetime...the money has and does control the game. The irony was he was done in by a backlash to the reforms he so long championed for.

As long as we have endless campaigns we'll have dysfunctional government. The British have this one right...limiting the campaign season to 90 days. While the courts may say you can't stop how much someone can dump, there's no such ruling about restricting the time one can campaign and one can legislate. Just a chip at a very big stone...

[Catherina]

6. Proud to be the 5th rec n/t