March 28, 2008
On Wednesday, Senator Mike Gravel announced his plan to join the Libertarian Party because the Democratic Party "no longer represents my vision for our great country," and "is a party that continues to sustain war, the military-industrial complex and imperialism.." He also expressed his disappointment with the Democratic leadership and how it "works in tandem with the corporate interests that control what we read and hear in the media."
Exactly. There is a good reason why CNN, FOX, and MSNBC all broadcast round-the-clock coverage of a meaningless horse race between two Democratic Party lapdogs who essentially have identical platforms: because that's where their bread is buttered. Where do you think most of that campaign money is going to be spent? Television advertising.
Did you even know that Senator Gravel was still running for president? He's a legitimate candidate with an exit strategy for Iraq, a Progressive Fair Tax proposal, a sound proposition for universal healthcare, and he's an advocate for an excellent piece of legislation called the National Initiative for Democracy. Why haven't you been hearing about him? Because he doesn't have a hundred million dollars to give to the corporations that own the mainstream news outlets, that's why.
You're watching bullshit. These Clinton/Obama theatrics are a diversionary drama designed to keep the American public from asking the serious questions: Why is the value of the American dollar continuing to drop around the world and how can we stop it? Which bankers are now profiting from all those subprime housing loans and why aren't they being prosecuted? Why does every move by the Federal Reserve seem to make the economy worse? If we had real journalists in this country who were genuinely concerned with the welfare of the American public, they would be demanding answers to these questions night and day.
But we don't have journalists like that anymore. We have a 21st century American corporate propaganda machine that would rather keep you focused on Barack's pastor and Hillary's misspoken recollections. It's not easy to be a real journalist. You have to have balls. You have to be willing to risk your access to a candidate by asking him or her questions that he or she does not want to answer. Then when the questions are avoided you have to ask them again in a more direct way. A good reporter on the presidential election beat should be a prick who demands the specifics of policy proposals, how they are intended to be paid for, and precisely how they will be implemented.
Here's a question you will never hear a CNN reporter ask: "Senator Obama, now that the investors at Goldman Sachs have contributed $522,228 to your election campaign, exactly what level of influence will they have over your monetary policy decisions?"
Copyright 2008 John Bizarre
|