Naturally, US neocons are accusing Obama of being a socialist and of instigating "class war". The $750 billion transfer of public funds to private enterprise? Capitalism. Putting conditions on the use of those funds? Socialism. Good old US of A, socializing the losses, privatizing the profits.
The first time time I heard "class war" hurled in this bizarre context was against Howard Dean, then a candidate for the 2004 Democratic nomination. Dean said that too many USians vote against their economic interests. Sounds like class war to me! Yessirree, straight out of Das Kapital, that is.
It makes my head spin.
Here's a nice little piece on it, sent to me by James - something I never would have seen, but perhaps readers of CNBC's stock market section took note.
Class war?
That's what lots of people are calling this move to limit executive compensation at companies that are on the Federal dole.
Oh, please! That's not class war, it's barely a class skirmish.
When it comes to the real class war, the stuff that matters, not just optics about CEO earnings, the rich are thrashing the rest of us, just like they always do.
It's class war when Washington passes a $700 billion TARP bailout for Wall Street with feverish haste, but struggles to pass an $800 to $900 billion stimulus package for everybody else.
Think about that for a second.
Bail out the banks, no problem! But give a helping hand to poor, working class, and middle class people? That we have to debate endlessly. Washington knows how to bail out the rich, but our incredibly popular President is having trouble bailing out the other 99% of the country.
That, my friends, is class war. And it's so institutionalized that we don't even realize it's going on. The establishment in this country is so tilted in favor of the folks at the top, that we scream "socialism" when executives at banks that have taken billions of dollars of bailout cash from the government because they ran their companies into the ground aren't allowed to earn more than $500,000 a year.
As far as I'm concerned, that's not a real victory for the proletariat, or the middle class, as everyone in this country likes to think of themselves. It's totally symbolic.
When you go below the symbolism and look at the substance — sure there are salary caps, because we already gave these banks hundreds of billions of dollars — it's pretty clear which side is winning this war.
Ezra Klein also has a nice, brief take on it.
Does anyone else find it a bit weird that the state will happily jail an individual who has one too many drinks at a birthday party and decides to drive home but will spend weeks debating whether a $500,000 annual income is too draconian a limit for executives whose reckless decisions basically destroyed the American economy?
Whatever the problems in Canada - and I acknowledge them and am part of the struggle - I'm so happy to live in a country where a socialist party holds a significant number of seats in Parliament, and has real potential to influence policy, rather than the one that Ezra Klein describes above.
Joe Grav - liberal Democrat, political junkie, Joy of Sox gamethreader, Red Sox and Bruins fanatic, friend of wmtc - sent me this yesterday.
For some reason my roommate was watching fox news last night and it was priceless. "Obama is turning this country into Canada piece by piece," raved the pundit. If only we could be so lucky.
To which I replied: "If only it were true! Now if we can get rid of Stephen Harper, we can turn Canada back into Obama's US!"
Hold your fire, I was only kidding. You know I only want to turn Canada back into Canada.
8 comments:
OMG, after having this same conversation with my dad, and he INSISTED that Trickle-down Economics works, I have no hope of talking rationally with people of this ilk.
Where's the magical escape to Canada easy button?
Trickle-Down works great if you're very very rich.
Where's the magical escape to Canada easy button?
Keep at it, we're waiting for ya!
The sad thing is, my Dad's not rich, he will never be rich, but he doesn't want the government taking away his money.
And don't get me started on what he thinks about Universal Health Care. Did you know that Canadians let people die instead of giving them heart surgery?
*UGH*
The sad thing is, my Dad's not rich, he will never be rich, but he doesn't want the government taking away his money.
Does he pay taxes now? He might be interested in knowing our taxes stayed the same when we moved to Canada.
(Not that I'm suggesting you tell him, since I doubt he's listening, and it will just drive you crazy(er).
Did you know that Canadians let people die instead of giving them heart surgery?
One recent estimate has 20,000 USians dying each year because of lack of access to health care. And Canadians let people die. Yeah.
Your dad's pretty typical for a certain slice of USians - exactly the people Howard Dean was talking about.
US comedian Wanda Sykes got right to the meat of the "class warfare" issue when she was asked about the bailout last fall:
"You got the guy out there busting his ass working two jobs, barely making twelve thousand dollars a year, and now he's gotta cough up something so the Wall Street guy can keep his swimming pool?"
Trickle down? Yeah, like piss running down a back alley wall!
Thanks s much for making some points clear about this trickle down nonsense, Kevin and Laura!
Of course all those people who are not rich and vote Republican do vote against their own interests. I agree with the point Howard Dean made. Alas, the divide et impera and scaremongering and keeping people unenlightened works pretty well over here, too at times but at least like in Canada, it's not that bad!
There is another good point, as well: "It's only the rich who can make do with a State that can't or won't provide for the poor."
Your dad's pretty typical for a certain slice of USians - exactly the people Howard Dean was talking about.
Or the ones I prefer not to discuss politics and welfare with over here, haha!!!
Bail out the banks, no problem! But give a helping hand to poor, working class, and middle class people? That we have to debate endlessly.
What about BAIL OUT THE PEOPLE, NOT THE BANKS??? Alas, that's harder for Obama to achieve due to the Republicans and other conservative people!!!
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