OpEdNews
Original Content at
http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_bruce_mo_070721_the_real_reason_bush.htm--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
July 22, 2007
The REAL Reason Bush and Cheney Will Not Face Impeachment
By Bruce Allen Morris
...To understand why Bush and Cheney will never face the type of serious impeachment hearings Clinton suffered, you need to first look back at the 2004 Presidential “election” (further if you like, but 2004 is a particularly pointed illustration.) Our “choices” were between (1) a 60-something multi-millionaire white male graduate of elite Yale University, member of an established Eastern seaboard politically and financially elite family and member of the ultra elitist, ultra secret ethnocentric Skull and Bones Society at Yale and (2) a 60-something multi-millionaire white male graduate of elite Yale University, member of an established Eastern seaboard politically and financially elite family and member of the ultra elitist, ultra secret ethnocentric Skull and Bones Society at Yale......They were presented as nearly caricature opposites – a Massachusetts liberal and a Texas conservative. But, it was nothing more than a charade that they belonged to different parties and occupied opposite poles of the policy spectrum. They agreed on the one thing that matters to our true masters: preserving essentially unfettered capitalism (Kerrey would have only nibbled a few edges) and protecting and enabling the wealthy in getting wealthier no matter what. (This is not a conspiracy-theory piece, by the way. I am not arguing collusion. This is just the way it actually is.)
Now, think about the “revolutionary” election of 2006, a mass uprising of populist fury sweeping out a tide of stale, elitist Republicans and sweeping into a position to counter balance President 60-something multi-millionaire white male graduate of elite Yale University, privileged son of an established Eastern seaboard politically and financially elite family and member of the Skull and Bones Society at Yale.... A 60-something multi-millionaire graduate of private Trinity College in D.C.* daughter of an established, politically and financially elite Eastern Seaboard family who was driven to elementary school in limousine. And guess how she and Bush are portrayed? As nearly caricature opposites: a San Francisco liberal and Texas conservative. You already know the one thing they agree on. *(Currently 27K/year with room and board, not outrageous by today’s inflated standards, to be fair)...... Whatever mythology you may have heard about Pelosi, and however much you (like me) agree with many of her positions and think she and her genius daughter Alexandra generally rock, she rose to prominence in the Democratic Party in California and then nationally by raising more money for Democrats than just about anyone else. Money is why she is successful in politics. She is a multi-millionaire heir married to a multi-millionaire and she raises multi-millions for people to win elections that cost multi-millions.
You may argue, but what about Harry Reid!? He is not one of these elitists. And to an extent, he is not. But Reid is the Senator from Nevada, probably the most purely capitalistic State in the nation. He also happens to own land and gold claims valued at up to 1.39 Million Dollars* and is anti-abortion, anti-gun control and anti-gay marriage. So he’s a millionaire social conservative – hardly a strong counterbalance to the millionaire social conservative President.
*
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/06/14/politics/main2929234.shtmlCongressional Millionaires
But let’s keep going. In the last Congress, at least 123 of 435 Representatives and 1 in 3 Senators were millionaires.* I say at least, because some believe the number is more like 45 Senators or even higher.** Just to make the top 50 richest in Congress in 2006, one needed a personal fortune of 4.67 Million.*** Numbers are not digested yet for this Congress, but one can only assume overall wealth went up.
*See, e.g.,
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0630-05.htm; http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article11104.htm**
http://www.cipa-apex.org/toomuch/Weeklies2005/June202005.html, citing “Millionaire Club Grows in Senate”, Roll Call (June 15, 2005)
***
http://kasusa.squarespace.com/interest/2006/9/11/the-50-richest-members-of-congress-roll-call.html Bush is President Because of Money
You know this, but it bears repeating. George W. Bush is President because the wealthiest people in this country decided to make him president. They then gave him, and only him, the outlandish amounts of money that made him the early prohibitive favorite to win the 2000 Republican primary and then gave him all the money he needed to actually win. Repeat for the 2000 general election (without all the cash, that assist from the Republicans on the Supreme Court would have never been invoked).
More Money Means Electoral Victory
Perhaps the most memorable moment for me in the media coverage on the eve of the 2004 elections was a comment by Jeff Greenfield, then of CNN. When asked what he believed was the most significant development in that election, Greenfield pointed to the fact that John Kerrey had surprisingly been able to raise enough money from various sources to remain competitive with Bush when most analysts had believed Bush’s financial advantage would bury Kerrey and put the election wholly out of reach by Summer.
Think about that for a minute. For the mainstream media, Greenfield is a pretty sharp political analyst with more than 25 years of experience, including reporting deeply respected by Ted Koppel when Greenfield appeared on Nightline in the 80’s and 90’s. In such an important election, with such incredibly high stakes of war and peace and global warming and a rapidly segregating economy, the most single most significant factor to a long-experienced observer and analyst was . . .
MONEY! MONEY!
NOT ISSUES.
NOT CHARACTER.
NOT THE WAR(S)
NOT THE ECONOMY
NOT EVEN “VALUES VOTERS”
MONEY.
IT WAS FUCKING MONEY!!!!
........
Oh, and the one thing that every political organizer knows is this: the only way to beat organized money is with organized people. (Hope)
Authors Website:
http://madnessofdivinity.blogspot.comAuthors Bio: Bruce is 46 year-old father of one, stepfather of three and grandfather of two, who left a lucrative law practice at a large national law firm to work, advocate and write for social justice and equality and find a way to incorporate a spiritual life into the material world. He now struggles along to make a decent living while holding true to his deepest principles in Portland Oregon.
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
