Democrats, Republicans Speak the Corporate Language: Change Not Evident

Senior Staff Writer

As the Democrats and Republicans confront each other in the mudslinging wars and empty-promises campaigns, other presidential hopefuls are confronting the issues and concerns facing the nation.

America’s two major parties sold their allegiance to the American people to Big Business decades ago. As another election looms in front us, Barack Obama and John McCain diligently pursue the campaign to distort reality as they line their pockets with corporate greed behind the smoke screen of “change.”

There is no America. There is no democracy. There is only IBM and ITT and AT&T, and DuPont, Dow, Union Carbide and Exxon. Those are the nations of the world today. … We no longer live in a world of nations and ideologies, Mr. Beale. The world is a college of corporations, inexorably determined by the immutable bylaws of business. The world is a business, Mr. Beale. It has been since man crawled out of the slime.

– Arthur Jensen, “Network” (1976)

According to the New York Times, by the end of August, Sen. Obama raised over $468 million in funds, while Sen. McCain raised over $224 million. While it is necessary to raise funds in order to campaign in an election on this scale, it seems almost dastardly to raise so much money and spend so much of it on negative campaigning at a time when the economy is in shambles and the nation is hurdling towards another depression.

Though both candidates are spouting nonsense about “change,” the truth is the only real change will come through a shift in power. For too long, the Democrats and Republicans have dominated the political scene, as other parties fight for even the most minuscule amount of media coverage. While other party candidates work to make a difference, the Republicans and Democrats work for the corporate lobbyists. In essence, both are only puppets on the strings of corporate America.

If you doubt that the government dances at the hands of corporate puppet masters, then consider the recent government bailouts for sinking corporations. It seems to me that if the government had the American peoples’ interests in mind, the corporate owners responsible for the disaster that ruined the lives of millions of people would receive a jail sentence rather than billions of dollars. What about the Americans whose lives were ruined at the hands of these corporate debacles? Who’s going to bail them out?

No one. Instead, the government again showed its allegiance to Big Business by bailing out those responsible for the Main Street Crash-and-Burn. All the while, Americans are racking up massive amounts of debt everyday. The creditors, which are nothing more than glorified loan sharks, lure people in, jack up interest rates, and subsequently destroy lives and what’s left of the American Dream through credit. When was the last time you received a check from the government to fix your debt and still afford you a nice luxurious trip to relax after your recent troubles?

You didn’t? Well, that’s exactly what American International Group received. After the government gave A.I.G an $85-billion check, the company awarded its “top earners” (i.e. those scumbags who mislead and manipulated American citizens) with a $440,000 trip to a California resort. So, where do you think your government’s allegiance lies? If you think it’s for the people of the nation, you have been blinded by the media’s shiny light show.

Like it or not, the media plays a major role in the presidential campaigns and elections, and ultimately the state of our nation. Unfortunately for the American people, the media is also owned and manipulated by corporate ownership. As American journalist A.J. Liebling stated, “Freedom of the press exists only for those who happen to own one.”

These distraction-oholics. These focus-ophobics. Old George Orwell got it backward. Big Brother isn't watching. He's singing and dancing. He's pulling rabbits out of a hat. Big Brother's holding your attention every moment you're awake. He's making sure you're always distracted. He's making sure you're fully absorbed ... and this being fed, it's worse than being watched. With the world always filling you, no one has to worry about what's in your mind. With everyone's imagination atrophied, no one will ever be a threat to the world.

– Chuck Palahniuk

Today, corporations own the majority of the media produced in the United States. Ten percent of corporate conglomerates own 90 percent of television and other commercial media entertainment, according to Dan Butts and Mike Whitty in “ Media, Truth and Democracy." When major parts of the media exist within a small section of one giant conglomerate, citizens must be aware of the possible conflicts of interests involved. This giant corporate hand in the cookie jar of American politics and media is leaving American citizens empty-handed.

The media exists to provide its public with the facts of a broad scope of issues in order for the citizens of a nation to make well-informed decisions. Yet the American media is becoming increasingly propagandist and sensational. While the media fails to focus on the major issues facing our nation, it has unleashed a media frenzy over the historical context of race and gender in this particular election.

The hype from this historical turn in democratic and republican representation is detracting from more important historical aspects of this election. The media focuses on the ideas of race and gender, which really have minimal impact, instead of focusing on the issues that matter to our nation, and even the world in some respects.

First, history is merely repeating itself within the television-age of republican and democratic campaigns, as being one of the dirtiest campaigns in recent history. The main two presidential hopefuls spend more time and money attacking the credibility and character of each other rather than attacking the issues. While the main two candidates for president engage in banal and elementary tiffs over Joe the Plumber and who's more like Paris Hilton, American citizens are facing a future of devastation on several fronts.

The issues that our nation is currently facing are equally historical and more important than the hue or anatomy of a person. Our nation is currently facing the devastation of two wars, a financial crisis, a health care crisis, an energy crisis and environmental crises, including the natural disasters that have ravaged parts of our country ... Not to mention the problems with education, employment and debt that are plaguing the nation. On all fronts, the country is facing unprecedented problems partly due to the actions of the current administration and partly due to the changing world and a natural progression of events.

The fact that this election is historical in terms of race and gender only further complicates the problems facing the American voters. No man, no woman, no race, creed or religion is going to change America. The race or gender of a person does not necessarily mean they will have solutions to the problems we face, or that they even care. In truth, the power to change this nation lies in the hands of the American people - not the mega-parties, not big business, not the media, but the every-day working-class citizens of this nation.

We must put aside our emotions and convictions based on moral issues and focus on the issues that affect all of us as a nation. We are all suffering the same woes despite our sexual orientation, our stance on abortion, our religious background, our heritage, our political affiliations, and even despite our race and gender. It doesn't matter how much money you have or what church you go to, we are all in this debacle together - for better or for worse. Until the American people can put aside petty differences such as these, we will never harness our potential to make this great nation what it was intended to be. As long as we vote to party or moral/religious beliefs, as long as we vote to gender or race or sexual orientation, or vote with our friends and family members, this nation is doomed. People need to wake up and get educated in what's going on in this country -

Corporate Crime, like the recent crimes involving Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and other mega corporations;

Media Propaganda, like the media's role in leading Americans to support the Iraq War with false information, outright lies and obvious fear tactics;

Environmental Crimes, like the practice of mountain-top mining, which blows the tops off mountains to get to the coal beneath more cheaply and quickly, then dumps the debris in rivers and lakes destroying habitats and life;

Crimes against Humanity, like George W. Bush's policies on torture and the devastation of incidents like Abu Ghraib, not to mention the number of innocent civilians killed in the Iraq War since the 2003 invasion.

The list could really go on and on, and the question becomes, how long is America going to allow this type of maliciousness and greed be swept under the rug? How long are Americans going to allow these types of actions to go on unpunished?

Instead of focusing on these issues and others, the media focuses on the historical significance of a black man, Obama, and women, Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin, reaching the forefront of this election. However, the media has yet to bring up the historical significance of race and gender within the third parties. Is it only historical that a different race and gender made it into the political arena of the Republicans and Democrats? What about Cynthia McKinney, Rosa Clemente and Gloria La Riva? What about Stewart Alexander, Eugene Puryear and Alan Keyes? Are these candidates not also breaking historical ground in terms of their gender and race?

One must ask, "Is the American media really providing its citizens the appropriate information for voters to make informed decisions for their country?"

I think not. Not just in this election, but all previous elections, the media has failed to shine light on any other political party or presidential candidate that is outside the sphere of the Democrat and Republican parties. While some Americans are crying for a bipartisan effort, they need to be screaming for options. The only difference between the elephants and the donkeys is language. They are preaching the same ideologies with different sermons. As Ralph Nader said, America has "one corporate party with two heads."

A real historical significance in this election would come from a shift in power. The democrats and republicans have ruled the roost for too long, and look at where it has led the country. Our nation now faces some of the greatest obstacles it's faced in recent history. While it is the media’s job to provide Americans with well-balanced information to make informed decisions for the betterment of our country, they have dropped the ball.

Therefore, it is up to the real source of change – the American people – to inform themselves on all the candidates and all the issues in order to make informed voting decisions. Without the informed votes of the American people, this country will never change.

In addition to the Republican and Democrat parties, there are at least 11 other parties involved in this election, with two of the major third parties being the Independent ticket with Ralph Nader and Matt Gonzalez and the Green Party ticket with Cynthia McKinney and Rosa Clemente. The media (and other voters) will purport the fear-mongering belief that voting for any candidate other than a Republican or Democrat will detract from the best of these two parties getting into office. This fear tactic is based on the assumption that you are so afraid of the greater of two evils that you will settle for the lesser. However, realize that under this ideology, you are still signing your life over to evil.

In addition to the Republican and Democratic candidates, Arkansas also features five other candidates on the ballot. Please review these candidates and their platforms before you decide your vote. If you are not an Arkansas citizen, please visit this link to see what third parties are represented on your state ballot. Once you know which candidates are on your state ballot, you can view this Web site to find links to each of those candidates' Web sites to read more about their positions and platforms.

I ask, as a fellow American, that you review all the presidential candidates in this election and not limit your vote to Republican, Democrat, race, gender or moral issues. Abortion and same-sex marriage are not the only issues facing the American people. You need to set aside your emotions and ask yourself, “Who is going to address the issues facing all Americans and provide feasible solutions and put those ideas into practice?”

Obama does have it right in at least one aspect - It is time for change in America, and these other presidential hopefuls might just have the gumption to actually bring change to the White House.

POLITICAL PARTY	PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE	RUNNING MATE	ISSUES & PLATFORMS
Constitution Party	Charles O. Baldwin (Fla.)	Darrell L. Castle (Tenn.)	Campaign Issues Party Platform
Green Party	Cynthia McKinney (Calif.)	Rosa Clemente (N.Y.)	Campaign Issues Party Platform
Independent Party	Ralph Nader (Conn.)	Matt Gonzalez (Calif.)	Campaign Issues
Libertarian Party	Robert L. Barr (Ga.)	Wayne Root (Nev.)	Campaign Issues Party Platform
Socialism & Liberation Party	Gloria E. La Riva (Calif.)	Eugene Puryear (D.C.)	Campaign Issues Party Platform