Robert Reich: Beware of this deadly mix: oligarchic economics and racist, nationalist populism
Source: The Guardian
Beware of this deadly mix: oligarchic economics and racist, nationalist populism
A treacherous alliance is growing that will undermine democratic institutions in the US and elsewhere
Robert Reich
Sun 13 Feb 2022 11.16 GMT
Last modified on Sun 13 Feb 2022 13.51 GMT
The United States presents itself as the beacon of democracy in contrast to the autocracies of China and Russia. Yet American democracy is in danger of succumbing to the same sort of oligarchic economics and racist nationalism that thrive in both these powers.
After all, it wasn’t long ago that Donald Trump – who openly admired Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin – encouraged racist nationalism in America while delivering much of the US government into the hands of America’s super-rich.
Now state-level Republicans are busily suppressing votes of people of color and paving the way for a possible anti-democratic coup, while the national Republican party excuses the attack on the Capitol – calling it “legitimate political discourse” – and censors Representatives Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, the only two congressional Republicans serving on the panel investigating that attack.
America’s oligarchic wealth, meanwhile, has reached levels rivaling or exceeding those of Russia and China. During the pandemic, America’s 745 billionaires increased their holdings by 70%, adding $2.1tn to their wealth in just over a year.
A portion of this wealth is going into politics. ...
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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/13/us-republicans-oligarchs-economics-nationalism
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