Too little, too late

The batch of conservatives preening their plumage weekly on This Week on ABC flipped a bitch so hard this weekend that they nearly lost their false teeth and toupés. After having effectively campaigned brilliantly for McCain throughout the 2008 season—when they thought electing him would be better for their investments, presumably—they now unreservedly trash him, dragging out his dirty laundry for all to see.

ABC Roundtable: McCain 'Unpresidential' & Age Issue (YouTube)

They played Obama’s newest campaign videos, then gleefully agreed with them, noting that Phil Gramm was, indeed a primary architect of the current financial debacle. George Will called McCain incoherent and unpresidential, whereas Donaldson (!) questioned McCain’s fitness to serve as president in light of his age. Nice timing. Once they’ve ensured that no one is watching anymore, they change their tune.

It sounds like the real power pulling the strings—corporate America, not the Republican party—is pulling the handbrake on McCain. The powers-that-be (PTB from here on in) are most likely weathering the current financial debacle fairly well; they nuzzle at the government teat, so their income is neither reduced nor really threatened. They are still not-at-all pleased to see what their trust-fund children have been up to with their markets, however. While they neither share pensions nor mutual funds with us, nor get mortgages for their homes, they do, however, get oodles of cash from the government in the form of no-bid, cost-plus contracts. The rash of recent bail-outs and the “emergency rescue” bill before Congress promoting Paulson to Croesus have them worried, because that’s all money that isn’t available for more of the same contracts on which they’ve grown fat.

They really are afraid that McCain will screw things up even worse than Obama because he, like Bush, seems to believe every word he says. McCain is either old, senile, crazy or dumb enough to believe that what the market needs is more de-regulation. While the PTB were happy with the initial several bouts of de-regulation, it’s clearly led to a very large hole and de-stabilization. If there’s anything the PTB don’t like, it’s instability. Just keep things the way they are, keep the sheep minimally happy, keep the cash flowing and, by all means, don’t look behind the curtain to see who’s pulling the levers. In fact, it’s best if people aren’t even given a reason to wonder whether someone’s pulling the levers, whether it could be different, whether they’re getting the raw end of the deal.

In Obama, the PTB have what seems to be a sound, level-headed approach that will stabilize the financial markets, keep the sheep in their homes and not rioting in the streets. Most importantly, he is very likely to maintain the status quo vis-a-vis the military-industrial complex, keeping the money flowing and the army growing, an itchy finger on the trigger and a shifty gaze on Pakistan and Iran.

This is the nice, safe cocoon to which the PTB would like you to return. One advantage to enduring the harsh clanging tribulations of an exclusively Republican-run country is they do bring all the ugliness inherent in the system so near to the surface. Because, in contrast to the PTB and the Democrats, the Republicans don’t see why they should have to hide anymore. They think there is no risk in simply strutting out from behind the curtain and proclaiming “bow down before me”. They seem to want to not only have all the wealth and power, but also the ego-kick of knowing that everyone knows that they have all the wealth and power. The PTB realize that you have to give people a chance to fool themselves into thinking that they are in charge of their own fates before they concede their power and wealth.

So, there’s your choice: elect the guy who will drive the country further toward ruin or revolution or elect the guy who will maintain the status quo that quietly screws you and yours over every day of your life.

Red pill or blue pill?[1]