Both political parties in the United States are embroiled in a deadlock of massive proportions. As Mitt Romney and Barack Obama fight for the presidency, rumors run rampant as money flies from hand to hand. News stations spin stories in any way possible to hurt or help their chosen candidate, and in nearly all cases it becomes impossible to see the whole truth, or any truth at all for that matter. Even supposed "fact check" websites have some amount of bias these days. So what then, is the truth?
The truth is that our political system, and it's coupling with corporations on an intimate level, is both complicated and utterly fascinating in its intricacy. The conservative and liberal ideologies are still in place, to an extent, and calling them mere facades is not strictly true. It is instead how candidates are elected, and each uses the platform to appeal to the voters who's vote they want. The Republican Party still places their faith in small government, lower tax rates, traditional Christian religious values and lower federal spending. Democrats, by contrast, promote social and economic welfare programs, regulations on banks and Wall Street, and progressive social policy. These are their running points, and they are largely accurate. But the inner workings and true purpose of each party is far more than simple morals or policy.
Looking at the Obama Administrations actions over the last 4 years, it's easy to draw several different conclusions regarding what he has done. The various bailouts, particularly the billions spent on getting the auto industry back on its feet, have been touted as saving and creating hundreds of thousands of jobs, and conversely condemned as the very essence of socialism. Though the former may be true, the latter is not entirely accurate. The bailouts were corporatism at its finest, with the federal government giving gross sums of money to a private industry with few requirements. In turn, such mega corporations provide campaign money (particularly the unions, as far as the Democrats are concerned) in order to help the Obama administration get re-elected. The government runs the state, and the corporations run the government, with both fueling each other.
The internal workings of the Republican party are similar at their core, but differ in the way they get there. Instead of funding private businesses directly, they receive gargantuan sums of money in campaign contributions from the Koch brothers and their ilk. In return, the conservatives offer them tax breaks and softer regulations on large businesses. Supporting evidence to our dual corporatist party system is the mutual support of Goldman Sachs. GS has contributed millions to each campaign, making sure that whoever wins will play directly into their pockets. A widely accepted definition of a state or government is a ruling body that has a monopoly on force, but this ruling body seems to be controlled not by a greater application of force, but a greater application of money.
Even the news reports and media regurgitation of political ideology work to protect the corporate interests of both parties. Conservative media, down to the most local and obscure level, enjoy spreading the sense of "other" in President Obama. Whether it be the "birther" argument, the false claims of his Islamic religion, or rumors abound of his communist or socialist background, all of it turns a certain demographic of people against him. These people are not ignorant or stupid, but mainly trusting of their chosen news sources and unwilling to look anywhere else. The liberal media is no less devious in its presentations, though they are markedly more subtle. By presenting republican politicians and presidential candidates as being old fashioned, out of touch, and entirely against the worker or the common man, they solidify the divide between parties and turn their own constituency against the opposition.
So where does that leave us? Well, to be honest, pretty shit out of luck. We the people are caught between two parties who put corporations first at their core. Personally, I agree more with the outward ideology of the democrats, so in all likely hood I'll vote for Obama. One has to admire the brilliant complexity of all, though. The whole thing fits together perfectly when it really shouldn't. Beautiful.
However, a very smart man told me that there is a storm coming, with social unrest and political intrigue the likes of which we have never seen. Despite the horrifying implications of all this, I can't help but smile. I will come into my 30s and 40s right in the middle of this storm, and I will admit I was born for it. Politics and intrigue simply make sense to me, and any battlefield where charisma is the best weapon is a battlefield I'd want to be on.
I will love every minute of it. This is the greatest game ever played.
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