SUPREME COURT AND THE PERFECT STORM

This main argument I would make in opposition to the Supreme Court decision McCutcheon issue is simple, campaign financing is not a Democratic verses Republican issue; the Court has made it into a populist verse elitist issue.

The Roberts Supreme Court has become has become part of a perfect storm. Reaganomic has put all the money at the top; billionaire political ideologues have been give free reign to corrupt our system through the “corporations are people” decision; a majority on the Court is extreme constitutional constructionists; and, in addition we have a congress that has been completely corrupted by money in the hands of the economic elite. I have been rightly accused of making this corruption into a D verses R issue (see comment on my post; Christie’s Dirty Laundry). It is not, it is populist verses special interests.

The reason I did the D verses R thing is simple;  I look at the congressional votes taken on issue after issue that has populist support such as immigration reform, removal of subsidies to oil companies and corporate farm, support for food stamp program, registration of guns, gay marriage,  minimum wage, regulation of financial markets, Affordable Health Care, etc. Winnow out those that are social issues (gay marriage, food stamp programs) from the economic issues supported by big money. It is clear these two categories have either total party line Republican support or total opposition—even my most vocal critic would have to admit that this is true. The votes are a matter of public records. The amalgamation of social issues are there as a group because it is in the interest of party unity. It is also clear that lobbying (congressional bribery) works; even a casual observer knows that each financial issue can be traced to specific industries that gain financially from having votes cast the way they are. This not only opens the question but answers it as well; if one or two industries support or oppose a proposed law, why do “all” Republicans vote the same way and Democrats vote the other way? Republicans vote in favor of business and democrats vote in favor of social issues.

If that were the case and if big money donors were equally distributed between the two parties then the votes would be equally distributed on each issue but they are clearly not. This should open up the question; who gives money to Democrats to support food stamps, gay marriage, social security, welfare programs, and Affordable Health Care and who gives money to Republicans to support corporate interests?  If you are naive enough to believe Democrats populate corporate boardrooms or are the nations CEO’s, you have a problem dealing with reality. Equally, you should realize that the Constitution made America unique in the world; one man one vote: a $3 donation means as much as $3,000,000 donation. This Supreme Court’s decisions have defied this most fundamental constitutional premise and put “our democracy” on the road to its destruction by replacing it with a plutocracy, an economic royalty.

However, our beautiful country could face a worse fate. Just think about the power the Supreme Court decisions gives to the economic elite, individuals, to perpetuate their greed. Left unaltered, we will end up as the worst form of income disparity—the “conservative”court will “conserve” an 18^th century life style. But, it could be worse!

The premise of this post up until now I have treated as an “honest” distribution of political money between the rich and the poor; rich people want to make more money and poor people want a better life. However, take a careful look at what Charles and David Koch are doing.

I have posted several articles calling attention to their political heritage; their father was Fred Koch the principle support of the John Birch Society built on a frantic pathological hate for communism; the foundation of the radical Joe McCarty era hearings, etc. Politically, anything is all right as long as it destroys communism. I see these two people as not giving huge sums of money to political party but are giving millions to handpicked candidates “who will support their personal likes and dislikes”. That, to me, is the opening salvo to put us on the road to an economic dictatorship.  

They happen to be Republicans and Reince Priebus loves it; but there is great danger in that. It may come as a surprise but the Koch Brothers control enough congressional representatives that they sway the Republican congressional majority and not one single American has ever been cast a vote for them. They are the most powerful individuals in the United States. They are allied with Ayn Rand disciples in congress; Paul Ryan, Eric Canter, and Kevin McCarthy as well as communist hating Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio who will do their bidding. However, if the Koch brothers say to any and every congressional representative if you do not vote the way I tell you “I will use my millions of dollars to primary you”, what do you think the answer will be. It is no different from a punk in a tough neighborhood telling a storeowner, either you pay me or I will trash your livelihood.

I live in North Carolina and know what Koch money can do; the people in my state must want them to trash our state. I ask them and they tell me they want environmental protection, want to tax the rich, want Affordable Health Care, want lower energy and water cost, and want the potholes in the streets fixed and then they say in the latest surveys that they will vote for Thom Tillis, a  Republican candidate handpicked by David and Charles Koch. Am I insulting Republican intelligence when I say I just do not understand their thinking?  

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