John R. MacArthur

Clinton vs Bush — again

The American political establishment looks increasingly like an oligarchy

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[/audioplayer]America is much less threatened by right-wing extremists than by the oligarchic rule of the two major political parties. The mainstream right, however, is wedded to the absurd notion that the Democrats are a party of the ‘left’ that is in authentic ideological competition with ‘conservative’ Republicans. Meanwhile, the orthodox left clings to the equally absurd belief that Barack Obama really means to reform the United States and redeem it from the sins of slavery, genocide against the Native Americans, and God knows what other crimes against humankind and nature.

I’ve been arguing this for years. Now, however, I might finally have a chance to be heard. Nearly two years before the Iowa caucuses, and three years ahead of the general election, the party bosses have been busy, brazenly arranging a presidential rematch between the Bush and Clinton clans so that no one else gets a chance to compete and no other political ideas or personalities receive serious consideration from the electorate.

Hillary Clinton has been anointed her party’s nominee by nearly everybody in the Democratic and media establishment. Even on the so-called left, where someone might be expected to do more than squeak their objection to dynastic rule, the Obama–besotted Nation magazine has conceded the inevitable, saying only that it would do its level best to introduce ‘fresh ideas’ into the 2016 presidential conversation. Heaven forbid anyone might think they were encouraging an insurgency like Eugene McCarthy’s in 1968 against Lyndon Johnson, or George McGovern’s in 1972 against Edmund Muskie, choice of the party leadership. ‘To be clear: this is not a “stop Hillary” exercise,’ declared the Nation. So what if Hillary supported the Iraq invasion? So what if she signed off on every piece of financial deregulation her reckless husband initiated as President in collaboration with the Republicans? So what if Bill Clinton’s current scam, the Clinton Global Initiative, is designed to shake down every sleazy potential contributor to a Hillary 2016 campaign?

Among the Republicans, Jeb Bush is easily leading the pack, since no one in the party can match his name recognition or fundraising appeal to Texas oilmen and Saudi royalty.

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