Abe Lincoln would probably tear up the old draft, rewrite his Gettysburg Address. He would see it nowadays as not “government of the people, by the people, for the people“. He would probably see it now more as “Government of the Moneyed Interests, by the Moneyed Interests, for the Moneyed Interests“. And that is largely bi-partisan, although it leans more one way. 

He would be amused by the uninspiring and possibly harmful oratory of his successors. They gave us gems like: “defeat the terrorists by going out and shopping” (that one by W contributed to the 2008 economic crash), and “corporations are people, my friend” (That one by the Least Interesting Man in Politics  in 2012. The fallout from that one is building up as I write).

The people still make their free choices. But they don’t have a chance to make real ‘choices’ while bombarded with so much money and all the misleading distortions that it can buy and sell. So they vote for candidates who are openly against what they stand for, against what the polls tell us most Americans support. Which elicits a loud WTF, but politely expressed, from the media pundits who scramble to explain it with prepared plan A or plan B explanations.

It is the money, estúpido……….

Cheers
Mohammed Haider Ghuloum

[email protected]