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submitted 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) by TokenBoomer@lemmy.world to c/progressivepolitics@lemmy.world

A lesson in where political power really lies in America

Robert Reich is a Professor, writer, former Secretary of Labor, author of The System, The Common Good, Saving Capitalism, Aftershock, Supercapitalism, The Work of Nations. Co-creator of "Inequality for All" and "Saving Capitalism." Co-founder of Inequality Media

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[-] Veraxus@lemmy.world 19 points 1 month ago

It was the first time any modern president has admitted that the elites of the party are the millionaires (and billionaires) who fund it, which gives them extraordinary political power — perhaps enough to push Biden out of the race.

In truth, the Democratic Party is little more than a national fundraising machine, as is the GOP.

Ding ding ding ding ding.

Political parties are poison to democracy… and our two-party system is nothing more or less than cancer of democracy.

And why do any of these problems exist at all? Capitalism, and the millionaires and billionaires that such a system enables.

[-] WatDabney@sopuli.xyz 9 points 1 month ago

This is an odd essay that manages to somehow combine diagnosing the problem with engaging in the problem.

Yes - at heart, the problem with the Democrats (and with US politics broadly) is the outsized influence of the donor class. And Reich does a good job of isolating the problem.

But along the way, all he really does is contrast the influence of the donors with the influence (or lack thereof) of other narrow elitist groups - party officials, other politicians, elder statesmen and the like. Other than a passing mention that "The polling data I’ve seen suggests that concerns about Biden’s age and evident decline worry a wide swath of the public," he doesn't even really acknowledge the idea of the public at large having any influence.

So really, his criticism boils down not to a complaint that elites have too much control, but simply that the wrong elites have too much control.

[-] retrospectology@lemmy.world 8 points 1 month ago
[-] TokenBoomer@lemmy.world 6 points 1 month ago

Pretty much. Except for the chuds on here that definitely don’t want him to stay in the race so that Trump has a better chance. 🤞

[-] goferking0 1 points 1 month ago
this post was submitted on 11 Jul 2024
26 points (86.1% liked)

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