Sometimes you have to wonder, as politicians balance their desire to serve the public and other pressures, why you don't hear some uncomfortable truths more.
Well, Sen. Durbin did just that today, sayingabout Congress that the banking industry frankly (and a pun for Rep. Barny Frank is deserved) "owns the place".
Here is an exccellent article by Glenn Greenwald on the quote - and much more.
He even hit on one of my favorte observations, that our public far too often misdirects their 'rage', and protects the ultrat wealthy/corporate classes.
I've long referred to it as a sort of 'poorer person's mentality', meaning not 'poor' people, but meaning that many poor and middle class people tend to seem to almost have some sort of Stockholm Syndrome in the way they *hate* the government they elect while almost worshipping the other 'ruling class', the ultra wealthy, making endless excuses for them. But this article mentions a label has been created for that - "peasant mentality".
The article has a lot of good info about the problem and effectively notes such recent history as a senior Barney Frank staffer leaving to become the top lobbyist for Goldman-Sachs (a company I've singled out for years for harmful business practices and one who has done very well with its political connections in the current crisis and especially before).
It also notes something else I've noted - the ineffective organization of the public to protest against these things.
IMO, we need not the Libertarians, who are the beneficiaries of the vacuum who pick up all the outrage, but better organization for 'good government'.
Luckily, I think the Democrats are a lot closer to this in many cases - but as I've always said, they are largely compromised as well.
I think we need to get the public better informed on excatly these issues in the article - lest the outrage as it oes come, be aimed more at democracy itself, not the imperfections.
Just as 9/11 was used by those in power to get changes in place that they normally were unable to, public rage over these issues can be used to get harmful changes made, if the wrong people grab ahold of it and get people blaming the wrong things - not unlike the way Obama's stimulus bill is getting the blame more than the real problmes with many voters.
It's very refreshing for a Senator, much less one second in command, to say something like this, at perhaps some political cost and perhaps upsetting other Senators.
Though as Greenwald notes, will the medicover it as the important story it is, the way they cover unimportant 'gaffes' of politicians, or Air Force One buzzing New York? hardly.
I called Sen. Durbin's office and thanked him for his comments. You might too.
CHeck out the article. It's another reason why I say reenwald is the best blooger.
Well, Sen. Durbin did just that today, sayingabout Congress that the banking industry frankly (and a pun for Rep. Barny Frank is deserved) "owns the place".
Here is an exccellent article by Glenn Greenwald on the quote - and much more.
He even hit on one of my favorte observations, that our public far too often misdirects their 'rage', and protects the ultrat wealthy/corporate classes.
I've long referred to it as a sort of 'poorer person's mentality', meaning not 'poor' people, but meaning that many poor and middle class people tend to seem to almost have some sort of Stockholm Syndrome in the way they *hate* the government they elect while almost worshipping the other 'ruling class', the ultra wealthy, making endless excuses for them. But this article mentions a label has been created for that - "peasant mentality".
The article has a lot of good info about the problem and effectively notes such recent history as a senior Barney Frank staffer leaving to become the top lobbyist for Goldman-Sachs (a company I've singled out for years for harmful business practices and one who has done very well with its political connections in the current crisis and especially before).
It also notes something else I've noted - the ineffective organization of the public to protest against these things.
IMO, we need not the Libertarians, who are the beneficiaries of the vacuum who pick up all the outrage, but better organization for 'good government'.
Luckily, I think the Democrats are a lot closer to this in many cases - but as I've always said, they are largely compromised as well.
I think we need to get the public better informed on excatly these issues in the article - lest the outrage as it oes come, be aimed more at democracy itself, not the imperfections.
Just as 9/11 was used by those in power to get changes in place that they normally were unable to, public rage over these issues can be used to get harmful changes made, if the wrong people grab ahold of it and get people blaming the wrong things - not unlike the way Obama's stimulus bill is getting the blame more than the real problmes with many voters.
It's very refreshing for a Senator, much less one second in command, to say something like this, at perhaps some political cost and perhaps upsetting other Senators.
Though as Greenwald notes, will the medicover it as the important story it is, the way they cover unimportant 'gaffes' of politicians, or Air Force One buzzing New York? hardly.
I called Sen. Durbin's office and thanked him for his comments. You might too.
CHeck out the article. It's another reason why I say reenwald is the best blooger.