P. J. Sullivan
P.J. offers a direct commentary on “democracy” in the USA. The sham “democracy” of the plutocrats has sown the seeds of nascent nationalist fascism with this election of a domestic “Il Duce,” like the strutting Italian megalomanic Mussolini. The American version is not only “unpopular,” but he seems temperamentally unqualified for the job. Voting may not deliver the high of an “opiate,” but it is a convenient mask for our self-serving “leaders” to hide behind in their claim that they represent the “people’. – b. traven
How could someone as unpopular as Donald Trump be elected president in a democracy? It makes no sense. The answer is simple: America is not a democracy. Doesn’t this election prove it? In fact, the U.S. has never been a democracy. Democracy is myth. Democracy is a buzzword. Long ago, James Madison said that the purpose of government is to protect the rich. That is not democracy; that is plutocracy, and don’t the plutocrats always win? It was the plutocratic 1% that selected the Donald, not the 99%. FDR said that presidents are selected, not elected, and they are not selected by the voters. It was the plutocrats who selected Hillary Clinton. They gave voters a choice, between Tweedledum and Tweedledee. Don’t call it democracy.
The election was rotten with corruption. More than enough to change the outcome. Maybe the Russians meddled in it, maybe not, but voter suppression certainly did. The voting machines were hackable and programmable. The gerrymandering, the long lines at the polls in Democratic districts, the purging of voters by Interstate Crosscheck and needless ID requirements. The provisional ballots issued by the thousands to African-Americans and Hispanics who thought they had voted but whose votes will never be counted. The election was a criminal farce.
The most popular candidate, Bernie Sanders, never had a chance. As a socialist he was unacceptable to the plutocrats of both parties who decide these things. Never mind that the people wanted him. The U.S. has never elected a socialist. The people be damned. Money prevailed. Big Money had its way, and this is not the first election it has stolen. In fact, most presidential elections in this century have been stolen. It is a pattern. When will it end? Who will stop it, now that the voting rights act has been repealed, opening the floodgates to Big Money corruption. Heaven help us!
So let’s have no more talk of democracy. It is a fairy tale. Voting is the opiate of the people, nothing more.
The Contrary Perspective 
I fully agree that “American democracy” is sheer poppycock…probably a genuine oxymoron as a phrase. But if “Voting is the opiate of the people” then not all that many of our citizens are addicted to the substance. Even this past November, I understand the percentage of eligible voters who “exercised the franchise” was relatively underwhelming. But the Trump supporters were the ones sufficiently energized and mobilized to gain the victory via the Electoral College tomfoolery. No help from “Russian hackers” required. By offering such a pathetic candidate, the Dems sealed their fate as losers. Yes, the Plutocrats will always win…until they’re overthrown. How I wish I could believe I’d see it in my own lifetime!
Yes, the voter turnout on the progressive side was underwhelming. But remember that many progressive voters were suppressed from the polls by various means, and as many as a million provisional ballots were cast but will never be counted.
P.J.–I strongly suspect that upping Clinton’s lead in popular vote by a million would not change the outcome in the Electoral College. What Nixon’s advisors originally called “the Southern strategy” continues to pay off for the GOP. So now we’re saddled with a POTUS who apparently never sleeps. No wonder his brain misfires constantly and he trips himself up (not that this appears to bother him in the least when he’s called out on his self-contradictions!). Friday he issued his Executive Order freezing immigration from seven predominantly Muslim countries. He said “It’s not a ban. It’s ‘extreme vetting’ of would-be immigrants.” The very next day, Saturday, he declared “The BAN [emphasis mine] is working wonderfully.” Looks like his master plan is to exhaust everyone on the planet who can still think straight as they struggle to stay abreast of his latest absurd actions and statements. Should we even still give a damn? Well, we have no choice, since he’s in a position to wreak so much damage here, there and everywhere. It was certainly refreshing to learn that a Federal (I assume) Judge was willing to put a stay on at least some aspects of the Muslim ban. If this matter gets on a fast track to SCOTUS, it’s possible Trump would not prevail there. If Madeline Albright, who is anything but “progressive,” can speak out so forcefully against these actions, who knows how the way-right-of-center SCOTUS Justices will vote?
THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
If ever the time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin. -Samuel Adams, revolutionary (1722-1803)
A.W.A.D. 1/23/17
I must congratulate our editor for his selection of the graphic picture juxtaposing the two smug faces at the top of this page. Most of our readers are probably too young to recognize Benito Mussolini, the Italian dictator who led his country into the Tripartite Axis with Fascist Germany and military dictatorship in Japan. The Axis tried to make each country “great again” by conquering the world. Instead they brought the catastrophe of WW II that killed millions in Europe and Asia and left their countries devastated by their ill advised actions..
Of the three Mussolini was the most pompous and the least capable leader. He was filled with acting like he knew it all as his country floundered. Earlier he had launched wars in Ethiopia and Libya against ill equipped native regimes and felt that inflated his prestige and made Italy “great again”.
Italy was the first of the Axis gang to fall and Mussolini ended up hanging by his feet along with his mistress in the Italian Alps. He fell to an Italian partisan group.
Do you see a similarity in the smug faces of the two?
As a veteran of the war they started I gave my youth to that effort. Now, at 93 , I feel the American people have turned their back on history and seem ready to accept a “Mussolini”. Did I, and the 16 million Americans who served and our 500,000 dead waste our time?
Trump’s Inaugural Address positively dripped with quasi-fascist (uber-nationalist) pseudo-populism, language we can easily imagine coming from Hitler or Mussolini. “Populism.” The term is taking a real beating these days. He threw in a little sop to civility with his comment on prejudice. Sincere? Just review his rhetoric on the campaign trail. And of course he can’t attack Jews publicly, because he is so deeply in bed with the Zionist extremists in Israel. They are deliberately ramping up tensions in the Middle East because violence begets more violence, and that will allow US military action to be “justified.” Apparently Donald J. Trump sincerely believes he can do anything he wants because…he’s Donald J. Trump.
Why is there a picture of mussolini? Benito was a genious, he had a perfect campaign and always knew what to say so people put their trust in him. trump is nothing like that. trump is a discrace to all conseravtives. he is a clown. benito mossulini won his elections fair and square and he revolutionalized and modernized italy. benito survived countless assasination attempts, he was a genious like lenin and marx.
May I say, on behalf of Karl Marx and V.I. Lenin: Gee, thanks a heap for the “compliment”!! :-)