Democracy in America is farcical, illegitimate, more fantasy than real. Voting is an exercise in futility. Dirty business as usual always wins. Most federal, state and local office holders in the country represent establishment interests, not the electorate, not ordinary voters.
Jones: no reason for jubilation.
Virtually the entire US Senate (a millionaire’s club) and most House members were chosen by powerful interest groups. Candidates representing ordinary people have no chance to become president or hold a leadership congressional position. The same holds for states and cities. Rare exceptions prove the rule.
America is a plutocracy, not a democracy, its debauched political system money-controlled, its agenda much the same on war and peace, corporate empowerment, and police state toughness against nonbelievers no matter which wing of duopoly governance holds power.
Undemocratic Dem. establishment candidate Doug Jones defeated GOP alleged sex offender Roy Moore in the just concluded Alabama US Senate race. Former US Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama Jones will take office in January. He’ll fill the seat vacated by Jeff Sessions, chosen by Trump as attorney general.
His victory narrows the GOP Senate majority to a razor-thin 51 – 49 margin, giving undemocratic Dems a better chance to win control of the body in November 2018 elections.
He’s the first Alabama Dem. senator since Howell Heflin left office in January 1997, Republicans largely dominating the state.
Jones defeated Moore in a close race by a 49.9 – 48.4% margin – 23,000 votes separating both candidates. The race could have gone either way.
"Differences between both parties are political, not ideological, each one seeking to hold power over the other, governing much the same on major issues, consistently betraying the public interest..."
Moore is a former chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, removed from office in November 2003 by the Alabama Court of the Judiciary for refusing a federal court order to remove a Ten Commandments monument he installed in the lobby of the Alabama Judicial Building.
In 2006 and 2010, he lost GOP gubernatorial primary races, was again elected chief Justice of Alabama’s Supreme Court in 2016 – suspended in May last year for ordering probate judges to enforce the state’s ban on same-sex marriages, despite it having been ruled unconstitutional by the US Supreme Court.
In a 5 – 4 ruling, the High Court said the ban violates 14th Amendment protections.
Following an unsuccessful appeal of his suspension, Moore announced he’d run for the US Senate.
During his campaign, nine women accused him inappropriate sexual or social conduct. Three women, aged 14, 16 and 28, said he sexually assaulted them.
Moore denied the charges, admitting he approached or dated teenaged girls. Witnesses said he had a reputation for approaching them in public, asking them out on dates.
One woman said Moore sexually assaulted her when she was aged-14 and he was 32 years old. Moore denied knowing her.
Another woman accused him of sexually assaulting her when she was aged-16, claiming Moore said “(y)ou’re just a child. I’m the district attorney. If you tell anyone about this no one will ever believe you.”
Moore denied the accusation. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan urged him to drop out of the race. He refused. Trump initially asked him to step aside, then endorsed him in late November. Now defeated, it remains to be seen if a narrower GOP Senate majority matters in 2018 legislative battles.
Differences between both parties are political, not ideological, each one seeking to hold power over the other, governing much the same on major issues, consistently betraying the public interest.
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STEPHEN LENDMAN was born in 1934 in Boston, MA. In 1956, he received a BA from Harvard University. Two years of US Army service followed, then an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in 1960. After working seven years as a marketing research analyst, he joined the Lendman Group family business in 1967. He remained there until retiring at year end 1999. Writing on major world and national issues began in summer 2005. In early 2007, radio hosting followed. Lendman now hosts the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network three times weekly. Distinguished guests are featured. Listen live or archived. Major world and national issues are discussed. Lendman is a 2008 Project Censored winner and 2011 Mexican Journalists Club international journalism award recipient. His new site is at http://stephenlendman.orgS. LENDMAN—Virtually the entire US Senate (a millionaire’s club) and most House members were chosen by powerful interest groups. Candidates representing ordinary people have no chance to become president or hold a leadership congressional position. The same holds for states and cities. Rare exceptions prove the rule.
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You nailed it. The only point I would add is the question about how we would define “ordinary people” today, when the “masses” are so deeply divided — middle class vs. poor, workers vs. their “brothers and sisters” who were already phased out of the job market as the US shipped out millions of jobs. But that’s another discussion for another day.
As usual, Lendman is a straight-shooter, a no-nonsense guy who calls it like it is: adeptly and cogently.
Herewith, I think he states the gist of his case in the first half of his article; i.e., our “democracy” is “farcical”; America is a “plutocracy,” “money-controlled,” etc.
The second half of this article is mostly a strong case against Roy Moore. All of Mr. Lendman’s points are valid, of course, but they don’t speak to the hypocrisy of the System that he carefully noted before. I do hope he’ll expatiate on that theme in subsequent works of his.