It seems that some of Trump's partisans are beginning to wake up to the fact that they've been conned, big time. Of course they're reluctant to admit it and they still rationalize Trump's many betrayals and about faces as due to his "capture" by the Deep State Clintonites, but I think that misses the point.
First of all, he wasn't supposed to be elected. The fact that he won enough electoral votes, not popular votes, to ascend to the Throne came as a shock and surprise to everyone, including Himself.
I truly expected a coup of some sort before he ascended the Throne, but apparently those who might perpetrate such a thing backed off -- repeatedly.
I attributed that to dissidents within the ranks who essentially said, "No deal" because nobody had a clue to what was to come next if a coup was successful.
They chose instead to let things play out.
Of course chaos ensued.
Trump has no idea how to president. It's all bluster and optics with him. Show Business if you will. He's way out of his depth, and he seems to know it. A coup became unnecessary when he turned the wars over to his generals to do as they wanted without his active input, and he turned over everything else to Jared and Ivanka to do as they will -- or can. Which isn't much.
This happened by the end of February. I notice, however, that some of his partisans think it happened toward the last week of March. At least they noticed.
Trump is not in charge. He literally can't do anything independently, prolly not even take a piss, and it appears that the government itself is hamstrung to the point that nothing (much) can happen while The Powers That Be sort out some kind of future path.
I would say this is a least-worst outcome. Not that it's any good. It isn't. It's terrible. Another shade of terrible.
Yet mob rule -- as in gangsters -- is on the ascendance and there seems to be nothing we can do about it.
Even some of Trump's partisans have noticed parallels between the Corleones and Trump's attempts at ruling from the Throne. It's not just the movie versions of gangsters, though. Our governments have long had a parallel operational model that is not that different from the operations of a large scale crime family -- mob. In fact, I think the two go hand in hand, and essentially always have. The Genius of our Founders.
But we note with interest that El Jefe is tied down almost as securely as Gulliver was in Lilliput.
What gives, and who is really running this battle wagon?
It's not Trump -- he could go into retirement at any time now, become President Emeritus like Pope Benedict and I doubt many people would notice. It's not Jared or Ivanka. Not President Bannon, They say even Gorka is being forced out of the Inner Circle in the White House. The little fascist pissant Miller is still stalking the corridors of power, but to what object remains unclear.
So who is running things? My guess, based on his frequent junkets abroad and his nearly constant presence on the teevee, is Pence. He's not acting on his own, however. He's acting on behalf of...
who(m)?
Ah, there's the question. Who actually constitutes the Shadow Government, and what are their objectives?
I long ago noticed that We, the Rabble, have no champions among the Masters of the Universe. None. This is quite unlike the situation during the previous Gilded Age. Then, quite a few of the Gentry and High and Mighty Titans of Industry, yadda yadda, were at least ostensibly on the side of the People, calling for reform -- gradually, of course -- and doing Good Works in the teeming slums, blah blah blah. Some spoke out, loudly and frequently, against the horrible conditions too many of the Rabble were forced to endure, just so some Vanderbilt somewhere could erect yet another pseudo-palace.
Action was taken, too, with any number of experimental projects launched (mostly funded from private fortunes) to ameliorate the conditions of the poor and working class.
It was not enough, but it was something, something practical that inculcated civic virtue, improved public infrastructure, and bettered the lives of millions. At least for a while.
There's nothing like that today. It seems that every one of Our Betters (so they think of themselves) lives to exploit and oppress the Lower Orders and can't conceive of not doing so. The idea of Good Works is alien to their class.
They can't imagine...
And this, I think, is one of the reasons a false champion like Trump could achieve the White House, despite all the efforts of the Powers That Be to thwart his rise.
Even a false champion is better than no champion at all -- at least it is emotionally fulfilling.
Trump's attempts at rule -- mostly inoperative -- are those of a crime family boss, not those of a President. And yet some of what he commands/orders from On High does get implemented -- such as the deportation efforts carried out by his personal Gestapo ICE.
The killing spree in the Middle East and elsewhere has accelerated under Trump as well.
Anything that benefits the exploiter class appears to be fast tracked, while anything that might benefit the Rabble is put on hold or not bothered with at all. After all, what can the Rabble do about it? Right?
The Mob takes care of itself first, right?
The rest can take care of themselves. Or not.
Showing posts with label Gangsters. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gangsters. Show all posts
Monday, May 1, 2017
Tuesday, September 20, 2016
The Essentials of Disruption/Destruction
I've said I'm not much interested in the presidential campaign this year largely because the two main candidates are.... simply appalling. That's not to say that one or the other doesn't have some positive qualities, that's not the point. The point is that both of them represent ideals of the State and society that are loathsome. They are both ideologically neoLibCon. They are both exploiters and oppressors. Neither has a shred of faith in or genuine interest in the well-being of the masses.
Hillary is the avatar of the perpetuation of the status quo, and under other circumstances, that might be enough to get her back into the White House all by itself. After all, we've been propagandized for years that "everything's fine," the world is a better place, the economy is steaming along nicely, everyone who wants a job can find one, and now we are learning that incomes for the Lesser People are rising for the first time since 2007!!!! Yay!!!!!
Whut? Think about it. Household incomes are rising for the first time since 2007... what does that imply? Obvious, isn't it? Household incomes have been declining or flat since 2007. Ah, now that makes sense, because that's clearly the case. Actually, statistically, the median household income has been in decline since 1997. There may -- or may not -- have been a slight uptick in 2015 over 2014, but the overall trend is downward, and that hasn't changed.
Think. When was Obama elected on a promise to halt/reverse the Great (for the Rabble, the Endless) Recession? Ah. 2008. And guess what? He hasn't done it. At least not for the Rabble, not even close. The High and the Mighty, however, have made out like the bandits they are.
For many of them, there never was any Recession at all.
And Obama made sure that situation was institutionalized.
Hillary represents the continuation of, indeed the intensification of, the policies that make it so.
Thus, of course, the majority of the Highest of the Mighty support her candidacy over that of one of their own class, Donald Trump.
At least they have until recently.
Now after Hillary's Unfortunate Incident at the 9/11 Memorial, they seem to be hedging their bets. Trump may not be The One -- yet -- but if Herself craps out, who they gonna turn to? And after all, Trump has long been One of the Tribe and he seems to be picking up steam among the Ignorant Rabble, soooooo.... why not?
After all, he is a Disruptor/Destructor. And that's important to the success and well-being of his class. Part of their culture is the disruption and destruction of rivals below them. Trump is a master at that. He showed it on his TV show for years and years, and he is certainly adept at it in life. Not only does he disrupt and destroy, he often gets his victims to like it. Now that is a highly desirable skill among the rich and powerful. In fact, it is a necessary one given the ideological foundations of the modern political economy.
Obama has that skill too, though he's far more subtle about it than The Donald. He's been soothing the savage beast of the Rabble throughout his entire reign at the top, and he's better at it than any politician I know of.
Hillary simply does not have that skill, though her husband does, though that can't overcome some of his other qualities that we need not get into here.
Hillary inspires resistance, not so much because she's The Devil Incarnate (as she's been characterized by a large segment of the Internets) but because she tends to scold rather than uplift, tends to negatively characterize her opponents, tends to be less than inspirational in large gatherings, tends to be so wedded to preserving and extending the status quo, she's all but unable to recognize that the status quo hasn't worked for the majority for a generation or more.
She can see discreet elements of failure, but not the whole, basically because she's wedded to the whole picture, a picture which from below is horrendous.
She doesn't seem to see that, nor can she grasp it.
On the other hand, Trump sees it clearly -- because he's profiting from it -- and seeks to exploit the Rabble to the maximum degree he can, first by being elected, and then who knows what will follow?
No one. No one can be sure, and that is a big part of his appeal. This was also part of Reagan's appeal. There were lots of dog whistles for those who were attuned, and there was his (suddenly forgotten and ignored by the media) governorship of California that clued some people into what his governance as President would become, but it was an era of hailing the hero, in contrast to the "failed" status quo represented by Carter, and in the public eye, a celebrity is almost always Heroic, no?
But nobody could be sure what Reagan would do, anymore than they could be sure what Trump will do in the White House.
Hillary, like Carter, they already knew all about -- too much about. And they could anticipate policies that would do little or nothing on their behalf, or would actually make things worse for the many while ensuring that things would get better and better for the few.
Trump on the other hand can play the Rubes like a room full of marks much like the hucksters who sell real estate courses do. They dazzle the Rabble with the promise of getting rich! rich! rich!. But when it comes to it, the only one who really gets rich! is the course promoter. Gee, who'd a thunk?
Trump is pure show business, pure con-man. But that's what it takes anymore. Obama is more cerebral, but he's just as much a con-man, as too many people found out after he was elected. The con was that he held out such promise to the Rabble, but he delivered mostly to the High and the Mighty whom he served.
Trump is a different kind of con-man; he serves no one but himself. No one. The concept of "public service" is anathema to him -- something he makes clear if you cut through his gobbledygook. He's in this for himself alone, period. End of discussion.
OK. So why does that appeal to anyone else? Well, why are gangsters often held in high esteem? Because, at least for those on their side, they hold out a promise of well-being, even prosperity, so long as you don't cross them. In other words, if you're on their side, you'll be OK -- until you aren't.
Gangster rule works, at least it can, but it is also disruptive and destructive of the Established Order.
Gangster rule is a rival and a threat to the Establishment. And the Establishment has to make deals with the Gangsters or be uprooted and destroyed by them. "Deals" are what Trump promises. "Deals".
Hillary offers essentially nothing new at all. She started her campaign with the implied slogan: "No you can't," and she really hasn't budged an inch since then. It's still a "No you can't" campaign, and it's hard to see any resonance among the People. She offers the Rabble nothing but a long-hard slog to gain marginal improvements -- eventually. "Stronger together," indeed, but to what object, when ultimately her message is that "nothing can be done," and "there is no alternative." (h/t Baroness Thatcher, may she burn in Hell.)
Further, Hillary posits that she knows best, and the rest of y'all need to go along with it. It's for your own good after all.
Sigh.
Trump promises to upend and overturn all that, sweep t all away, and in the end rule as a dictator, strongman, gangster. This is the ideal of his class after all. Whether this is the time for that, I can't say, but I was shocked to the bone in 1980 when Reagan won against arguably one of the nation's best presidents -- one who was, however, incapable of controlling the pile on of negative forces that undermined his authority and ability. Reagan just swept all that aside. This is what Trump promises to do as well.
If the status quo doesn't work for the majority -- and arguably it doesn't -- then a quasi or literal revolution is required.
But as I've long maintained, if the Revolution is to come, it will come from the Right.
I didn't think it would be quite as openly gangsterish, but that's what it looks like is in the offing.
Oh boy.
Hillary is the avatar of the perpetuation of the status quo, and under other circumstances, that might be enough to get her back into the White House all by itself. After all, we've been propagandized for years that "everything's fine," the world is a better place, the economy is steaming along nicely, everyone who wants a job can find one, and now we are learning that incomes for the Lesser People are rising for the first time since 2007!!!! Yay!!!!!
Whut? Think about it. Household incomes are rising for the first time since 2007... what does that imply? Obvious, isn't it? Household incomes have been declining or flat since 2007. Ah, now that makes sense, because that's clearly the case. Actually, statistically, the median household income has been in decline since 1997. There may -- or may not -- have been a slight uptick in 2015 over 2014, but the overall trend is downward, and that hasn't changed.
Think. When was Obama elected on a promise to halt/reverse the Great (for the Rabble, the Endless) Recession? Ah. 2008. And guess what? He hasn't done it. At least not for the Rabble, not even close. The High and the Mighty, however, have made out like the bandits they are.
For many of them, there never was any Recession at all.
And Obama made sure that situation was institutionalized.
Hillary represents the continuation of, indeed the intensification of, the policies that make it so.
Thus, of course, the majority of the Highest of the Mighty support her candidacy over that of one of their own class, Donald Trump.
At least they have until recently.
Now after Hillary's Unfortunate Incident at the 9/11 Memorial, they seem to be hedging their bets. Trump may not be The One -- yet -- but if Herself craps out, who they gonna turn to? And after all, Trump has long been One of the Tribe and he seems to be picking up steam among the Ignorant Rabble, soooooo.... why not?
After all, he is a Disruptor/Destructor. And that's important to the success and well-being of his class. Part of their culture is the disruption and destruction of rivals below them. Trump is a master at that. He showed it on his TV show for years and years, and he is certainly adept at it in life. Not only does he disrupt and destroy, he often gets his victims to like it. Now that is a highly desirable skill among the rich and powerful. In fact, it is a necessary one given the ideological foundations of the modern political economy.
Obama has that skill too, though he's far more subtle about it than The Donald. He's been soothing the savage beast of the Rabble throughout his entire reign at the top, and he's better at it than any politician I know of.
Hillary simply does not have that skill, though her husband does, though that can't overcome some of his other qualities that we need not get into here.
Hillary inspires resistance, not so much because she's The Devil Incarnate (as she's been characterized by a large segment of the Internets) but because she tends to scold rather than uplift, tends to negatively characterize her opponents, tends to be less than inspirational in large gatherings, tends to be so wedded to preserving and extending the status quo, she's all but unable to recognize that the status quo hasn't worked for the majority for a generation or more.
She can see discreet elements of failure, but not the whole, basically because she's wedded to the whole picture, a picture which from below is horrendous.
She doesn't seem to see that, nor can she grasp it.
On the other hand, Trump sees it clearly -- because he's profiting from it -- and seeks to exploit the Rabble to the maximum degree he can, first by being elected, and then who knows what will follow?
No one. No one can be sure, and that is a big part of his appeal. This was also part of Reagan's appeal. There were lots of dog whistles for those who were attuned, and there was his (suddenly forgotten and ignored by the media) governorship of California that clued some people into what his governance as President would become, but it was an era of hailing the hero, in contrast to the "failed" status quo represented by Carter, and in the public eye, a celebrity is almost always Heroic, no?
But nobody could be sure what Reagan would do, anymore than they could be sure what Trump will do in the White House.
Hillary, like Carter, they already knew all about -- too much about. And they could anticipate policies that would do little or nothing on their behalf, or would actually make things worse for the many while ensuring that things would get better and better for the few.
Trump on the other hand can play the Rubes like a room full of marks much like the hucksters who sell real estate courses do. They dazzle the Rabble with the promise of getting rich! rich! rich!. But when it comes to it, the only one who really gets rich! is the course promoter. Gee, who'd a thunk?
Trump is pure show business, pure con-man. But that's what it takes anymore. Obama is more cerebral, but he's just as much a con-man, as too many people found out after he was elected. The con was that he held out such promise to the Rabble, but he delivered mostly to the High and the Mighty whom he served.
Trump is a different kind of con-man; he serves no one but himself. No one. The concept of "public service" is anathema to him -- something he makes clear if you cut through his gobbledygook. He's in this for himself alone, period. End of discussion.
OK. So why does that appeal to anyone else? Well, why are gangsters often held in high esteem? Because, at least for those on their side, they hold out a promise of well-being, even prosperity, so long as you don't cross them. In other words, if you're on their side, you'll be OK -- until you aren't.
Gangster rule works, at least it can, but it is also disruptive and destructive of the Established Order.
Gangster rule is a rival and a threat to the Establishment. And the Establishment has to make deals with the Gangsters or be uprooted and destroyed by them. "Deals" are what Trump promises. "Deals".
Hillary offers essentially nothing new at all. She started her campaign with the implied slogan: "No you can't," and she really hasn't budged an inch since then. It's still a "No you can't" campaign, and it's hard to see any resonance among the People. She offers the Rabble nothing but a long-hard slog to gain marginal improvements -- eventually. "Stronger together," indeed, but to what object, when ultimately her message is that "nothing can be done," and "there is no alternative." (h/t Baroness Thatcher, may she burn in Hell.)
Further, Hillary posits that she knows best, and the rest of y'all need to go along with it. It's for your own good after all.
Sigh.
Trump promises to upend and overturn all that, sweep t all away, and in the end rule as a dictator, strongman, gangster. This is the ideal of his class after all. Whether this is the time for that, I can't say, but I was shocked to the bone in 1980 when Reagan won against arguably one of the nation's best presidents -- one who was, however, incapable of controlling the pile on of negative forces that undermined his authority and ability. Reagan just swept all that aside. This is what Trump promises to do as well.
If the status quo doesn't work for the majority -- and arguably it doesn't -- then a quasi or literal revolution is required.
But as I've long maintained, if the Revolution is to come, it will come from the Right.
I didn't think it would be quite as openly gangsterish, but that's what it looks like is in the offing.
Oh boy.
Friday, March 9, 2012
Counter-G8 Strategy for May: "Global People's Summits"
Cumbre de los Pueblos, May 2010, Madrid
[Note: While noodling the other day on the topic of Strategies, I started playing with various Counter-G8 notions and came up with this one which I posted over at the Occupy National Strategy discussion group. The "People's Summit" idea, of course, has been around for a long time, indeed, it's been done in connection with previous G8, G20, WTO and other such con-fabs of Power in the past, if my memory serves. Of course, previously, there wasn't an Occupy Movement to coordinate something like a Global GA (OMG) to hammer out what should be done in the People's Interests rather than what will be done as a consequence of the Camp David G8 Summit. From what I can determine, a People's Summit was being planned for Chicago, and perhaps it is still in the process of development. My idea is a little different in that it would involve all the local Occupys -- and others, why not? -- that want to participate; it would be for the entire month of May, not simply a weekend, and its deliberations would be made available in real time and archived through web-video livestreaming.]
As we know, the Leaders of the World have decided to move their annual
meeting from Chicago to Camp David, a location so private and
inaccessible that said Leaders will have to be helicoptered in and
out, thus bypassing the People who might otherwise display their
displeasure at their Leaders. This tendency to hide their
deliberations and decisions behind layers of secrecy and to conduct
their business in ever more remote and inaccessible locations has
reached an absurd level in this move from Chicago to Camp David. Why
are they hiding, and what are they so afraid of?
A big part of the overall strategy for the Occupy Movement has
involved the delegitimization of established centers of power. There
is hardly a more "established" center of power than the G8. The fact
that these Leaders have turned their backs on the People and will be
hiding away in the mountains of Maryland while they plot how to
implement their next rounds of austerity and other cruelties on the
increasingly restive masses is as clear a demonstration as anyone
should need that We, the People and our interests do not figure at all
in their vision of the future.
As a contrast the secrecy and inaccessibility of the G8 Leaders, the
various Occupys around the country -- indeed around the world -- might
want to consider conducting a series of open, public, relatively
informal "Peoples' Summits" through the month of May, perhaps
arranging to interconnect these discussions and demonstrations through
web-video links -- particularly during the period the G8 will be
meeting at Camp David (weekend of May 19).
The Peoples' interests are not simply being neglected by our corporate
and political leaders, they are being actively thwarted, dismissed and
suppressed. By coming together through local Occupys and establishing
-- and maintaining enduring connections with our comrades all over the
world -- we can demonstrate an alternative to the secrecy and
inaccessibility of the Leaders who have turned their backs on the
People.
By demonstrating an open, public alternative to the secrecy and
inaccessibility of the G8 Leaders, it is possible to further their
delegitimization.
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