When the Host Dies, The Parasite Needs a New Host

[CAcyclist]

The corporatists are abandoning the Republicans and are infesting the Democrats. This is how the 1% at the top controls the bottom 99%.

I was wondering what was wrong - I knew it wasn't going to be this easy. The Republicans aren't going to rise again - the true evil that caused the Republican juggernaut is not Republican per se - it is corporatist and the moneyed elite. They used the Republicans to get what they wanted - lowered taxes, no-bid deals and other corporate welfare and now that they've used up the Republican Party and basically destroyed it, they are going to use the hooks they already have to expand their power and ensure their gains.

The newspapers are going to be the mouthpieces for this corporate invasion - we have to learn to be even more skeptical of the media than we are. Look at how the media so easily destroyed Angelides' candidacy and propelled Schwarzenegger to victory. Who was always right there, biching about Angelides to the reporters - sour grapes consultant Garry South and corrupt Willie Brown. Angelides ran a decent campaign, no matter what the official meme was - but the media refused to report on anything he did without a negative spin - even the AP got in on the act, calling Angelides' campaign theme of education tired, as if we in California who have consistently rated education as a number one priority , would ever be tired of a focus on education.

The difference between the way the races were covered in the Chronicle before the Hearst takeover and this last election was stark. No transcripts of the debates or campaign speeches or interviews were ever provided. You had to go the the website and have DSL or cable in order to see Angelides interview. There was no layout of Angelides plan comparing it to Schwarzenegger's plan. It was all about the horserace. There was some decent material about corruption in the Schwarenegger campaign but it was buried in the newspaper - things about how Amos Brown, a black leader who was touted as supporting the Schwarenegger campaign, was actually a paid consultant ($17,000 to Rev. Brown).

We have to learn to resist the memes.

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. Yah, we really need to get special interests money out of our govt

[NeverOddOrEven]

2. When the Host Dies, The Parasite Needs a New Host

"We have to learn to resist the memes."

Indeed. Sadly, people LOVE to be told what to think. That's why party attachment exists in the first place. It's no accident that when someone decides to leave one of the two parties, they're called "Independents" and are afforded little to no hope of political success.

Personally, I don't see much difference between the two major parties. They're both in service to the same moneyed interests that you mention.

[unpossibles]

3. I might have agreed until 2000

Dubya has shown me that there is a HUGE difference.

Maybe he is a uniter after all.

And on subject, anyone and any party can be corrupted by corporate interests, so... what solution do you suggest?

[NeverOddOrEven]

4. what solution do you suggest?

"anyone and any party can be corrupted by corporate interests, so... what solution do you suggest?"

1. Booting ALL lobbies from Capitol Hill.
2. Recognizing that corporations (and groups in general) have no rights. Only individuals have rights.
3. Revoking corporate charters when corporate officers engage in patterns of criminal activity.

There's a start.

[unpossibles]

7. I agree with every single one of those

and will go further. I am for public funded campaigns, with nothing but no-nonsense, no attack ad BS, information on issues and candidates.

I also think we need to get rid of the Electoral College, make election day a National Holiday, and make any kind of election fraud a high crime against the state. I see no reason why people should be discouraged from voting - if anything our turnout is sad enough as it is (and largely because a lot of people agree that there's no difference or that it doesn't matter).

Welcome to DU, by the way!

[NeverOddOrEven]

9. Thank you!

"Welcome to DU, by the way!"

Many thanks, unpossibles. I'm proud to say I was one of the first people kicked off of Free Republic after 9/11.

Upfront, I have no use for the Democrats or the Republicans in their current form. I'm looking for a new solution.

[enuffs_enuffs]

12. You hit the nail on the head my friend! n/t

[Brazenly Liberal]

17. If you have no use for the Democrats, you're on the wrong site, pal.

This is Democratic Underground. As in the Democratic party.

I imagine you'll last just until the mods finish dinner.

[sandyd921]

18. Many of us on this board believe the solution

is to move our Democratic party back to its progressive roots and to combat corporatism in both the party and in our government and that is what we are working toward through the netroots and grassroots and through organizations like Progressive Democrats of America, MoveOn, Democracy for America, etc. You should take a serious look at what we're doing. Although there's a way to go, I think we are making real inroads.

[NeverOddOrEven]

19. MoveOn and Soros

This is part of the problem.

MoveOn is financed by George Soros, one of the biggest corporate financial pirates in the world. To expect MoveOn to be free of corporate interests or to expect people with a modicum of sense to take them seriously is asking too much.

Soros eats countries for lunch. I wouldn't trust anything affiliated with him.

[CAcyclist]

22. Hmm, I take exception to that. I'm a MoveOn member

It's nice to know my instincts about you are spot on.

[NeverOddOrEven]

24. Re: I'm a MoveOn member

The first loyalty of George Soros is to money, not to you or me.

Remember that, please.

[blondeatlast]

27. Please do list your "liberal" resume.

The website is a little dense to get through.

[Odin2005]

32. You are maing the assumption that all rich people are Corporatists.

I find that a horribly simplistic analysis of class warfare, there are plenty of wealthy left-wingers.

[unpossibles]

38. thank you. To be completely honest I have a lot of faith

in what the Democratic party can become.

To use an analogy, if my car is not running right, I would rather fix it than throw it away.

[blondeatlast]

21. THEN LEAVE DU, you racist asshole. I've read your other posts and your website

sucks.

[NeverOddOrEven]

25. To blondeatlast

"I've read your other posts and your website"

I don't have a website. WTH are you babbling about?

[blondeatlast]

26. Yeah, sure. Funny, you didn't cchallenge my calling you a racist asshole.

Stand-up? Not sure. Comedian--nice try.

[Name removed]

36. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[CAcyclist]

5. That's not my point. Our only hope is to keep the corporate influence

from subverting to Democratic party the way it subverted the Republican Party. I've been a Green, but I am back to being a Democrat and I have to say - I agree with many Democrats who say the Green Party is just a stealth Republican ploy. The only power we, the public, can wield against the interests opposed to us lies in the Democratic Party.

[NeverOddOrEven]

6. The corrupting influence of corporations

"The only power we, the public, can wield against the interests opposed to us lies in the Democratic Party."

I must disagree. A Democrat, Woodrow Wilson, imposed the single most powerful and corrupting corporation on Americans some 93 years ago in the form of the Federal Reserve. The Fed is a private corporation that exerts its will so perniciously that most Americans, Republican or Democrat, don't even notice anymore.

I don't see any Democrats speakng against this monstrosity. The only voice in Congress that opposes the Fed is Ron Paul (R) and his own party marginalizes him for it.

As Thomas Jefferson said so eloquently:

"The eyes of our citizens are not sufficiently open to the true cause of our distress. They ascribe them to everything but their true cause, the banking system; a system which if it could do good in any form is yet so certain of leading to abuse as to be utterly incompatible with the public safety and prosperity. I sincerely believe that banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies... and that the principle of spending money to be paid by posterity, under the name of funding, is but swindling futurity on a large scale."

[Ikonoklast]

10. Oh my! Are you really serious?

Let's go back to the gold standard.


Funniest post ever, btw.


Welcome to DU. Enjoy your stay.:eyes:

[NeverOddOrEven]

11. Wrong solution

"Let's go back to the gold standard."

Wrong.

Let's go back to money issued as instructed by the Constitution. The last Democrat worth a damn was JFK. In June of 1963, he issued non-debt-bearing "United States Notes" to compete with the debt-bearing "Federal Reserve" confetti that we're still stuck with. There were $4 billion worth of them issued. They were withdrawn from circulation after he was murdered:

JFK vs. The Federal Reserve

[enuffs_enuffs]

13. May be taking the Fed reserve out of private hands...

might be a step in the right direction. Going back to any kind of "real-goods" standard is out of question... unless a global financial meltdown were to occur. Until that time, a revision of the system already in place is the best option, be it ownership or disclosure and or changes in the creation of money.

[thingfisher]

14. I always wonder

how this breach of our Constitution has been so well received. The Fed and other large corporate entities wield way to much power in public life and pose a grave danger to our liberties.

Until the government strips corporations of their status as "persons" and treats them as nothing but the money making enterprises that they are I see no solutions.

In the case of oil and other energy related industries, it may be time to nationalize such key enterprises as to important to national security to be allowed to function as private enterprises. WE have strugglrd with energy issues for decades and in the coming crunch for oil we need an agressive and agile energy policy to deal with the situation. If it can be dealt with.

Energy independence in 10 years (as per Pelosi)...rots a ruck!

[Ikonoklast]

15. Sarcasm is lost on you

The government of the United States ultimately controls its' own money supply. It does so through the Act of Congress that created the Federal Reserve. You are advocating going back to specie-backed currency.


The Articles of Confederation were never repealed, either. Should we assume that we can operate a government under their auspices?

[CAcyclist]

16. My thoughts, exactly

I'm sitting here, scratching my head - what did the Federal Reserve replace? The gold standard - umm, yeah,like we want that back again.

[Ikonoklast]

20. He didn't get it

The gold standard is exactly what he is proposing to replace the Fed. He is advocating silver certificates replacing federal reserve notes.

Specie-backed currency would destroy a modern industrial economy.

[CAcyclist]

23. Agreed nt

[Canuckistanian]

28. I know! Bimetallism!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bimetallism

[Cerridwen]

29. Actually, JFK is the one who wrote the EO to issue silver

certificates without reliance on the FED. link

and the text of EO 11110

AMENDMENT OF EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 10289 AS AMENDED, RELATING TO THE PERFORMANCE OF CERTAIN FUNCTIONS AFFECTING THE DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

By virtue of the authority vested in me by section 301 of title 3 of the United States Code, it is ordered as follows:

SECTION 1. Executive Order No. 10289 of September 19, 1951, as amended, is hereby further amended --

(a) By adding at the end of paragraph 1 thereof the following subparagraph (j):

"(j) The authority vested in the President by paragraph (b) of section 43 of the Act of May 12, 1933, as amended (31 U.S.C. 821 (b)), to issue silver certificates against any silver bullion, silver, or standard silver dollars in the Treasury not then held for redemption of any outstanding silver certificates, to prescribe the denominations of such silver certificates, and to coin standard silver dollars and subsidiary silver currency for their redemption," and

(b) By revoking subparagraphs (b) and (c) of paragraph 2 thereof.

SEC. 2. The amendment made by this Order shall not affect any act done, or any right accruing or accrued or any suit or proceeding had or commenced in any civil or criminal cause prior to the date of this Order but all such liabilities shall continue and may be enforced as if said amendments had not been made.

[Odin2005]

34. The anti-Fed nonsense is a Libertarian conspiracy theory.

I can't beleive intelligent left-wingers fall for that crap, it's just Libertarian "government is evil" paranoia.

[No Exit]

40. I agree we need to say no to the corporatists, and also the NEOCONS

Your original post said it all: when the host dies, the parasites must find another host. And the neocons who fed off the repuke movement are now either here, or on their way here.

They are the War Party. I refuse to support them in any way.

Of course, there is a great deal of overlap btw the War Party and the corporations-first group: defense contractor corporations, for example. We all know that "war is good for business". And we need only look to the history of, for example, United Fruit, to see how our military is used to make other people's countries "safe to do business in".

War is a racket. And corporations love rackets.

[Beacho]

8. Keep up the ground fight

I'm taking the rest of the year off, but after that I'm doing more party building, passing out literature, and voter registration.

we learned that corporate money only works if the rest of us don't show up.

[nicknameless]

30. Yes.

The chronicle and the sacramento bee both helped to smear our great SOS, Kevin Shelley, out of office.

We need honest, non-corporate news outlets.
The lobbyists are like remoras, looking for new sharks/politicians to attach themselves to... Or is it the other way around?

Getting money out of politics has to be a top priority, along with obliterating the notion of "corporate personhood.".

[Cha]

31. KNR~

You make sense..I like the way you get down to the fundamentals.

[formercia]

33. Back in the 30's and 40's they infested

the Democratic party. They're a cancer on this Nation. Give this Country back to the people who gave their blood, sweat, health and lives to make it what it is. The 'boys' are blood-sucking parasites.

The DLC are the receptors that can make the takeover happen. Don't let them. DLC=PNAC

[Phrogman]

35. They're heading to Washington with bags of money as we speak

Lets not tolerate it.

[Vidar]

37. Great post. Highly recommended.

[Orsino]

39. Very well said.

The Democratic majority will have the difficult choice between being fed intravenously by the lobbyists or actually working for a living. Most of them have already failed that test, and they will continue to do so unless we drown out the corporate dollar-speak with our own voices.

I do not want to have to vote R in 2010 just to get fresh faces in Congress. Let's keep our fighting Dems as pure as possible, by working every day to remind them of their duty to us.

[gulliver]

41. The magic word is "transparency".

If the Dems are good on their promises and make good on "ethical government," we will see a change. Of course the corporations and wealthy are trying to buy influence from the Dems. But the money folks will still invest heavily in the assets they already own, and that means, of course, Republicans.

It is in the Dems' best interest to eradicate corporate influence altogether. The Dems remember DeLay's K Street Project well. They won't start one of their own, but they will put in some "pest control" to keep the Republicans from starting another one.

If we get transparency, we will get ethics.