General Discussion

merrily

(45,251 posts)

20. "The politicians were just going along with the highest bidder."

Fri Mar 7, 2014, 10:00 AM

Mar 2014

Nothing to blame politicians for there?

The capitalists did not get where they are without laws and changes in laws. It's a partnership. And both groups got rich and powerful that way.

I blame them both, but I blame the politicians more. Why? The job of a capitalist is to get rich. The job of an elected representative is to serve the best interests of all the voters--and if that is impossible, then a majority of them.

Also, blaming only the capitalists--and it's a mystery to me why you want to do that--disempowers most of us. Those of us who don't hold enough shares in a corporation to fire the board or the officers cannot do much about the behavior of corporatists. However, I do have a vote as to politicians.

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ROBERT REICH: The American Dream Has Fallen Apart [View all] xchrom Mar 2014 OP

Not "fallen apart" but rather "deliberately dismantled" Fumesucker Mar 2014 #1

+1 xchrom Mar 2014 #2

Yep newfie11 Mar 2014 #3

Yup. ctsnowman Mar 2014 #4

The first reply on the thread nails it. merrily Mar 2014 #7

+1000 dotymed Mar 2014 #9

But before that proReality Mar 2014 #18

I love Bernie, and Elizabeth Warren for that matter...BUT... Moostache Mar 2014 #30

You won't get any shit from me. CrispyQ Mar 2014 #40

Moostache, I agree with a lot of your OP. dotymed Mar 2014 #43

AMEN, Amen, Amen Glitterati Mar 2014 #55

MIA fits perfectltly dotymed Mar 2014 #59

Yes Stargazer09 Mar 2014 #34

+10000000 woo me with science Mar 2014 #36

Agreed. n/t Laelth Mar 2014 #52

Spot on. nt City Lights Mar 2014 #57

America - An Empire Built On Illusion - That Empire And Illusion Is Crumbling cantbeserious Mar 2014 #5

The American Dream was destroyed by Raygun and his heirs. bemildred Mar 2014 #6

I don't think it was any one President, even Raygun. merrily Mar 2014 #8

The dispute dates to before the founding of the republic. bemildred Mar 2014 #10

I so agree about before the founding of the Republic. merrily Mar 2014 #16

And until we have economic democracy too, it will continue. bemildred Mar 2014 #21

I think big reforms come when merrily Mar 2014 #25

I think so too. bemildred Mar 2014 #29

... merrily Mar 2014 #35

"Mobs in the street, calling for someone's head? I've never seen anything like that." bemildred Mar 2014 #37

This is how I ended my part of the our several exchanges on this thread. merrily Mar 2014 #42

Perhaps a sarcasm smiley would help. bemildred Mar 2014 #48

Wait, why are we blaming our political system when it is our economic system fasttense Mar 2014 #12

+1. Plutocrats, really, it's the money, it drives them nuts when they have too much. bemildred Mar 2014 #15

It is our economic system that sucks, but it's our political system that sets the rules. reformist2 Mar 2014 #17

You have to stop the politicians from pandering to the capitalists, not the merrily Mar 2014 #26

"The politicians were just going along with the highest bidder." merrily Mar 2014 #20

The only addition to that statement dotymed Mar 2014 #44

Quite right, they will never give up. nt bemildred Mar 2014 #46

I agree with a lot of what Reich says and it's not new. merrily Mar 2014 #11

K&R&Posted to FB & will likely be covered on my show this wk. nt stevenleser Mar 2014 #13

All these years shilling for NAFTA, "free trade"...Reich is a hypocrite or an idiot. Which is it? Romulox Mar 2014 #14

One major theme should be that we don't need more jobs, we need better paying ones. reformist2 Mar 2014 #19

+1. nt bemildred Mar 2014 #47

"It can also be understood as the greatest propaganda victory radical conservatism ever won" n2doc Mar 2014 #22

You mean the present day treadmill goal of trying to achieve the unachievable goal? Javaman Mar 2014 #23

+1 Great post. Thanks. merrily Mar 2014 #28

kick, kick, kick..... daleanime Mar 2014 #24

Gee Bobby ...glad ya woke up to tell us what we already know. L0oniX Mar 2014 #27

He should know. He was economic advisor to the Prez during repeal of Glass Steagall, merrily Mar 2014 #31

I blame Clinton 100% for 2008. Forced to sign the repeal? Not likely. L0oniX Mar 2014 #32

ITS ALL CLINTON'S FAULT Evergreen Emerald Mar 2014 #33

Try a fact-based refutation. It's much more effective. merrily Mar 2014 #39

Unfortunatly, fact based refutation does not matter Evergreen Emerald Mar 2014 #49

I call Oscar Mayer. This thread refers to things like NAFTA, repeal of Glass Steagall merrily Mar 2014 #53

It's not clintons fault... Javaman Mar 2014 #41

Agree. merrily Mar 2014 #54

of course he should of veto'd it, but alas...nt Javaman Mar 2014 #56

I saw him defend it on, of all shows, The View. merrily Mar 2014 #58

He was far from forced. According to Wyden, Clinton merrily Mar 2014 #38

Yeah, he worked hard to get it, against lots of opposition. bemildred Mar 2014 #50

"Why didn’t we share the gains from globalization and technological advances more broadly?" gulliver Mar 2014 #45

Everybody thought the lower prices on tchotchkes would make a difference. HughBeaumont Mar 2014 #60

Everyone thought they could *pay* lower prices while retaining their existing high wages. Romulox Mar 2014 #61

k&r for the truth, however depressing it may be. n/t Laelth Mar 2014 #51