As I’ve mentioned before on previous posts I’m reading “The Bully Pulpit” by Doris Kearns Goodwin which is focused on the administrations (and lives) of Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft.  I recommend the book (Goodwin also authored “A Team of Rivals” about the administration of Abraham Lincoln among others).  What’s probably the most interesting about this book are the parallels from the so-called “Gilded Age” or the age of the “Robber Barons” to today’s America.  A couple of my recent posts are focused on the now infamous “Koch Brothers” who seem to be cronies to the likes of JP Morgan and JD Rockefeller and there’s much more in this book that makes the reader think of today’s “current events.”

For example, (I’m getting toward the end of the book) at some point near the end of Roosevelt’s administration and the first year or two of Taft’s administration Congress passed the “Tillman Act” (this was in 1907 toward the end of Roosevelt’s terms in office) and the “Federal Corrupt Practices Act” (this was passed in 1910 during the 2nd year of Taft’s administration) with both pieces of legislation aimed at curbing the influence of corporate money in federal elections and creating limits and disclosure on contributions.  What is so interesting to me is, as I look back on American politics since the Supreme Court appointed GW Bush as president in 2000, watching the roll back of reforms (such as these two) by the right wing “machine” that has flourished since 9/11.  This movement initially gained serious momentum and has progressively evolved in America since the election of Ronald Reagan.  In essence, the Bush appointees to the Supreme Court – Chief Justice Roberts and Judge Samuel Alito – were the driving force behind “Citizens United” – the Supreme Court decision (debacle) which overturned the Roosevelt and Taft accomplishments (along with another 100 years of Congress trying to regulate money in politics).  Click HERE if you’d like to read more about these two laws (well, former laws :o(

The ultimate irony here is that these laws were designed to prevent EXACTLY what is presently transpiring in America – and, that is a corporate/government partnership.  (The definition, ultimately for this “partnership” – over time – becomes fascism)  If you’ve been paying any kind of attention to the past few election cycles in America you can see the incredible influence of the money now being thrown at political leaders by the “boatload.”  Just last week it was announced that the Kochs (and their brethren) are planning to spend $900 MILLION to buy (and “own”) the next President.  And, if you think I’m kidding, just look at the obvious evidence from the 2014 mid term elections.  Republicans gained control of both houses of Congress and, wouldn’t you know it, the FIRST item on their agenda was to repay the Koch’s by passing a bill authorizing the Keystone XL pipeline.  And, to the dismay of many “liberals” like me, our so-called “liberal media” didn’t seem to notice the obscene connection.  I mean, this is the MOST obvious form of political payback – BLATANT – that I can imagine.  I mentioned the other day that I wasn’t surprised to hear Joni Ernst – one of the “Tea Party” beneficiaries of mounds of Koch money which even she admitted made her candidacy possible – when giving the response (? – it didn’t seem like a “response” to me) to President Obama’s State of the Union Address making a pitch for the Keystone pipeline instead of talking about ALL the other issues facing Americans.  The Keystone pipeline will not benefit more than a few Americans, it is a MAJOR threat to our environment, and ALL the oil (and dirty byproducts) will be shipped abroad (everything goes overseas but the pollution associated with gathering and refining the tar sands).

These politicians who will follow the wishes of the “puppet masters” are, to me, nothing more than political prostitutes.  And, as I’ve mentioned before many times on this site, I feel the same way about a large percentage of people who come off implying to the American public that they are journalists.  I’m not talking about the radio talk hosts like Rush Limbaugh, Michael Savage, and lessor characters like Lars Larsen – because they’re more like entertainers.  However, they’re doing the same thing – they’re SAYING things they are told to say by the puppet masters, whoever they are, for the money.  They are part of the Goebbels like propaganda scheme that’s been republican policy for over 30 years (and, obviously, it’s working)  I’m really talking about people like the Sean Hannity’s and Bill O’Reilly’s who work for a network that calls itself a “news” network.  If you haven’t figured this out yet, Fox “news” should be called “GOP news.”  Unfortunately, I know way too many adults who actually believe they get “fair and balanced” information from Fox.  They are almost impossible to dialogue with because the false information has been DRILLED into their brains by this effective propaganda scheme –  a “scheme” that also seems to avoid the “eye” of others in the “mainstream” media.  This is what earlier politicians (FDR and JFK) were warning us about when they cautioned us about the “war” from within.  (Now that I’ve said this, I have to admit that I rarely watch any network “news” anymore – because, it almost always turns out to be “tainted” – no matter where it comes from –  although I do like Al Sharpton).

These “news” people, or pundits, or actors (like Hannity and O’Reilly) are allowing (I should probably say “helping”) the corporate assault on America that is threatening the very foundation of our republic.  They are all about the money.  And, they’re obviously valuable to their sources because they’re getting a lot of money!  I read somewhere a couple years ago that Limbaugh was making $400 MILLION per year – yikes!  That considering there’s a HUGE abandonment of his show by major sponsors due to his repeatedly making racist and/or misogynist comments, not to mention all the “pants on fire” lies he’s been held to account for over the years.  So, what does that tell us?  Well, to me it says that Limbaugh keeping his “ditto heads” in line is worth it to whomever is giving him access to so many major channels in America – so, they’ll pay the “freight” whether he’s got corporate sponsors or not.  He’s said stuff WAY MORE offensive than Don Imus did when Imus was essentially removed from the airwaves – but, Limbaugh is keeping a large audience in line – voting right wing republican no matter what those right wing policies do to his audience.  The audiences of Limbaugh and Fox “news” are reported to be the most misinformed Americans!

So, we’ve got corrupted politicians doing the bidding of their corporate benefactors and a media that is more interested in ratings than true investigative journalism and the result is people like Charles and David Koch are being very successful in their attempt to take us (America) back to the Gilded Age.  What’s the scariest to me in all of this is that the two “bastions” that “we the people” would want to be able to count on to give us a defense against this corporate overreach would be the Courts and the media.  Well, the Supreme Court has shown clearly where it stands with “Citizens United” and, more recently, the “McCutcheon” decision which helped to open the “spigot” of money wealthy Americans are willing to spend to buy our political leaders even wider.  Additionally, the Court GUTTED the 1965 Voting Rights Act – by some accounts enabling right wing governors (and Secretary’s of State) across the nation to impose voting suppression laws that will disenfranchise 5 MILLION plus voters – and, I’ll give you three guesses (and the first two don’t count) who most of those voters would be voting for. (or what color their skin is – a quick addendum here – I HIGHLY recommend the movie “Selma” if you’re interested in getting a better view of what the Court did in gutting section 5 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act)  You can count on this court favoring corporate interests at the expense of “the least of these” (in the words of Jesus Christ) for the foreseeable future. (Roberts and Alito will be there for MANY years to come! ugh!!!)

In “The Bully Pulpit” the role of investigative reporting is made very clear.  Much of the “progressive” agenda that Roosevelt (and Taft) was able to enact was the result of the public being “informed” about the TRUE dealings with, what at the time was called, the “trusts.”  Others referred to the political powers as the “machine” – does that remind you of anything?  Today we’ve got the “too big to fail (or jail)” banks in Wall Street that control a massive amount of America’s wealth, less than 1% of the American public owning a HUGE majority of the nation’s assets, people (and groups) that are focused on their self-interest (like the Koch’s, the Walton’s, numerous multinational corporations, etc.) “investing” in our politicians, too many politicians willing to accept the “investment,” and a media that seems intent on “looking the other way.”  EVERYONE I know who has any interest in politics is sickened by the OBVIOUS level of CORRUPTION in our nation’s capital.  Yet “we the people” are feeling less and less able to do ANYTHING about this – explaining why 63% of Americans boycotted the last election.

When the “liberals” in the broadcast media are people like Chris Matthews and Chuck Todd – well, to me, it’s kind of depressing.  (I’m getting pretty old, I know things will turn at some point, I’m just hoping to be able to witness it when it happens)  Todd is the one who bothers me the most.  Over the times I’ve watched him he seems to come off as if he believes himself to be an expert political observer.  To me, Chuck Todd is the perfect “pigeon” for those on the “right” attempting to manipulate the media.  I focus on Todd because I thought he played a significant role in helping republicans gain control of the Senate in the 2014 election – even to the point where he allowed himself to be part of Mitch McConnell’s campaign attack on McConnell’s opponent.  Todd characterized McConnell’s opponent as “unqualified” because she wouldn’t share her vote in the previous Presidential election (you know, the vote that is supposed to be on a “secret ballot”) yet he FAILED to mention the MYRIAD reasons why it was ACTUALLY McConnell who should have been unqualified.  I don’t know if people like Todd are afraid of powerful “leaders” coming after them or simply LAZY in their reporting.  But, to me, his actions make him “unqualified” to be a “moderator” on national TV.

I’ve written a few posts about Matthews – who knows better – but, can’t seem to resist “lifting up” republican wacko’s with the idea that it will make for interesting “Hardball” episodes.  Not evidently understanding the damage this nation will endure if one happens to succeed with the help of the BILLIONS that will be spent convincing America that the republican “wacko” is “for the people” and reporters who fail to REPORT the TRUTH about his/her candidacy.  (for example, no one seemingly wants to use the term “racist” in regard to why republicans continue their HATE barrage against Barack Obama whose administration has led to massive income for many of their benefactors – like the Koch’s who’ve gained BILLIONS during Obama’s terms in office – these attacks seemingly being limitless and needing no factual basis)  I still remember one of Matthews’ “shoot from the hip” rants, essentially lambasting President Obama, at the beginning of the Ebola “crisis.”  Of course, as it turns out, our president was ahead of EVERYONE else. He made thoughtful, calculated decisions that have gone a long way in helping to curb the outbreak, and yet I haven’t heard ONE PERSON who attacked him, admit that they were wrong and he was right.  Unfortunately, that’s the way our system works!  And, Matthews ends up as a tool of the Obama “haters” every time he thoughtlessly makes a “gut reaction” to a “crisis.”  He did this during the VA “crisis” – insisting that someone be blamed (not mentioning – or researching – the culpability of a Congress which refuses to fund the VA) and essentially challenging Obama’s leadership – with the result being General Shinseki (a great friend of Veterans) being forced to resign and – still today – a crisis not resolved because the REAL problem (today as then) is a Congress that says with their mouths “support our troops” and then with the “purse string” says “FU” to our troops – by underfunding VA Hospitals and medical staffing.  Evidently, issues like this are only “interesting” to people like Matthews when Fox or their ilk feel as if they can use them to attack the President.

In my view, what we need is another Roosevelt type president – and, I don’t see one on the horizon without a change in our “fourth estate” – the media.  Theodore Roosevelt gained prominence with the help of media reporters who were willing to “uncover” the damage being done to the average Americans by the greedy corporate “masters” at the turn of the 19th Century into the 20th.  In 21st Century America we seem to be reliving a similar scenario, but this time, the “masters” have apparently studied HISTORY more thoroughly than the progressives – and, if “we the people” don’t get a wake up call before 2016’s election, the damage could last well into this century.  The America that we leave to our children and grandchildren won’t resemble what our parents and grandparents fought so hard to leave to us! (I’m speaking from the perspective of a “baby boomer”)