Greg Palast: The War Between the Billionaires, And Election Theft

[NCR85]

http://www.opednews.com/articles/int...21105-930.html

I spent almost an hour talking with one of the best investigative reporters in the world, Greg Palast, about his newest book, Billionaires and Ballot Bandits. And we got into something very interesting-- that there's a war between two kinds of billionaires-- The vampire squids and the Vultures. And yes, this affects the elections and the nine ways they are going to be stolen and corrupted.

This is quite an interesting interview on billionaires and voting fraud. I'll spare you guys the screen dump, just click the link and start reading. It's worth it all the way.

Part 2 is not available yet unfortunately.

[don]

Re: Greg Palast: The War Between the Billionaires, And Election Theft

Der Spiegel weighs in . . .

Destroyed by Total Capitalism

America Has Already Lost Tuesday's Election

A Commentary by Jakob Augstein

Germans see the US election as a battle between the good Obama and the evil Romney. But this is a mistake. Regardless of who wins the election on Tuesday, total capitalism is America's true ruler, and it has the power to destroy the country.

The United States Army is developing a weapon that can reach -- and destroy -- any location on Earth within an hour. At the same time, power lines held up by wooden poles dangle over the streets of Brooklyn, Queens and New Jersey. Hurricane Sandy ripped them apart there and in communities across the East Coast last week, and many places remain without electricity. That's America, where high-tech options are available only to the elite, and the rest live under conditions comparable to a those of a developing nation. No country has produced more Nobel Prize winners, yet in New York City hospitals had to be evacuated during the storm because their emergency generators didn't work properly.

Anyone who sees this as a contradiction has failed to grasp the fact that America is a country of total capitalism. Its functionaries have no need of public hospitals or of a reliable power supply to private homes. The elite have their own infrastructure. Total capitalism, however, has left American society in ruins and crippled the government. America's fate is not just an accident produced by the system. It is a consequence of that system.

Obama couldn't change this, and Romney wouldn't be able to either. Europe is mistaken if it views the election as a choice between the forces of good and evil. And it certainly doesn't amount to a potential change in political direction as some newspapers on the Continent would have us believe.

A Powerless President

Romney, the exceedingly wealthy business man, and Obama, the cultivated civil rights lawyer, are two faces of a political system that no longer has much to do with democracy as we understand it. Democracy is about choice, but Americans don't really have much of a choice. Obama proved this. Nearly four years ago, it seemed like a new beginning for America when he took office. But this was a misunderstanding. Obama didn't close the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, nor did he lift immunity for alleged war criminals from the Bush-era, or regulate the financial markets, and climate change was hardly discussed during the current election campaign. The military, the banks, industry -- the people are helpless in the face of their power, as is the president.

Not even credit default swaps, the kind of investment that brought down Lehman Brothers and took Western economies to the brink, has been banned or even better regulated. It is likely the case that Obama wanted to do more, but couldn't. But what role does that play in the bigger picture?

We want to believe that Obama failed because of the conservatives inside his own country. Indeed, the fanatics that Mitt Romney depends on have jettisoned everything that distinguishes the West: science and logic, reason and moderation, even simple decency. They hate homosexuals, the weak and the state. They oppress women and persecute immigrants. Their moralizing about abortion doesn't even spare the victims of rape. They are the Taliban of the West.

The Winner Makes No Difference to Europe

Still, they are only the symptom of America's failure, not the cause. In reality, neither the idealists and Democrats, nor the useful idiots of the Tea Party have any power over the circumstances.

From a European perspective, it doesn't matter who wins this election. Only US foreign policy is important to us -- and Obama is no dove and Romney no hawk. The incumbent president prefers to wage his wars with drones instead of troops, though the victims probably don't care if they're killed by man or machine. Meanwhile, despite all the criticism, his challenger says he wouldn't join Israel were the country to go to war with Iran because the US can now no longer afford such a thing.

In any case, it is wrong to characterize Republicans as the party of warmongers and Democrats as the party of peace -- or even to call the latter a left-wing party at all. After all, it was Democratic presidents Harry S. Truman, John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson who started the wars in Korea and Vietnam. Republican presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and Richard Nixon ended these wars. And Ronald Reagan, who Europeans see as the embodiment of both the evil and absurd aspects of American politics, was a peaceful man compared to the standards we have since become accustomed to. He only ever invaded Grenada.

The truth is that we simply no longer understand America. Looking at the country from Germany and Europe, we see a foreign culture. The political system is in the hands of big business and its lobbyists. The checks and balances have failed. And a perverse mix of irresponsibility, greed and religious zealotry dominate public opinion.

The downfall of the American empire has begun. It could be that the country's citizens wouldn't be able to stop it no matter how hard they tried. But they aren't even trying.

[lektrode]

Re: Greg Palast: The War Between the Billionaires, And Election Theft

The downfall of the American empire has begun. It could be that the country's citizens wouldn't be able to stop it no matter how hard they tried. But they aren't even trying.

they = congress.

we'll see what happens now.
the question - is it a question?
how high will AU go tween now and xmas = the ONLY question.
i expect a 'santa clause' rally and what? gold drops or ALL GOES UP TWEEN NOW AND the cliff

[LorenS]

Re: Greg Palast: The War Between the Billionaires, And Election Theft

We want to believe that Obama failed because of the conservatives inside his own country. Indeed, the fanatics that Mitt Romney depends on have jettisoned everything that distinguishes the West: science and logic, reason and moderation, even simple decency. They hate homosexuals, the weak and the state. They oppress women and persecute immigrants. Their moralizing about abortion doesn't even spare the victims of rape. They are the Taliban of the West.

Wow, talk about hate.

[Master Shake]

Re: Greg Palast: The War Between the Billionaires, And Election Theft

If interesting = venom spew then yeah, it's interesting.

[radon]

Re: Greg Palast: The War Between the Billionaires, And Election Theft

Wow, talk about hate.

Of all the political wackos the ones on the left seem to be the most spiteful. I think that it boils down to deep seated insecurity.

[Ghent12]

Re: Greg Palast: The War Between the Billionaires, And Election Theft

If interesting = venom spew then yeah, it's interesting.

Yeah, all I saw was mindless vitriol and garbage in the "article" in question.

[Raz]

Re: Greg Palast: The War Between the Billionaires, And Election Theft

Der Spiegel weighs in . . .

Destroyed by Total Capitalism

America Has Already Lost Tuesday's Election

A Commentary by Jakob Augstein

Germans see the US election as a battle between the good Obama and the evil Romney. But this is a mistake. Regardless of who wins the election on Tuesday, total capitalism is America's true ruler, and it has the power to destroy the country.

The United States Army is developing a weapon that can reach -- and destroy -- any location on Earth within an hour. At the same time, power lines held up by wooden poles dangle over the streets of Brooklyn, Queens and New Jersey. Hurricane Sandy ripped them apart there and in communities across the East Coast last week, and many places remain without electricity. That's America, where high-tech options are available only to the elite, and the rest live under conditions comparable to a those of a developing nation. No country has produced more Nobel Prize winners, yet in New York City hospitals had to be evacuated during the storm because their emergency generators didn't work properly.

Anyone who sees this as a contradiction has failed to grasp the fact that America is a country of total capitalism. Its functionaries have no need of public hospitals or of a reliable power supply to private homes. The elite have their own infrastructure. Total capitalism, however, has left American society in ruins and crippled the government. America's fate is not just an accident produced by the system. It is a consequence of that system.

Obama couldn't change this, and Romney wouldn't be able to either. Europe is mistaken if it views the election as a choice between the forces of good and evil. And it certainly doesn't amount to a potential change in political direction as some newspapers on the Continent would have us believe.

A Powerless President

Romney, the exceedingly wealthy business man, and Obama, the cultivated civil rights lawyer, are two faces of a political system that no longer has much to do with democracy as we understand it. Democracy is about choice, but Americans don't really have much of a choice. Obama proved this. Nearly four years ago, it seemed like a new beginning for America when he took office. But this was a misunderstanding. Obama didn't close the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, nor did he lift immunity for alleged war criminals from the Bush-era, or regulate the financial markets, and climate change was hardly discussed during the current election campaign. The military, the banks, industry -- the people are helpless in the face of their power, as is the president.

Not even credit default swaps, the kind of investment that brought down Lehman Brothers and took Western economies to the brink, has been banned or even better regulated. It is likely the case that Obama wanted to do more, but couldn't. But what role does that play in the bigger picture?

We want to believe that Obama failed because of the conservatives inside his own country. Indeed, the fanatics that Mitt Romney depends on have jettisoned everything that distinguishes the West: science and logic, reason and moderation, even simple decency. They hate homosexuals, the weak and the state. They oppress women and persecute immigrants. Their moralizing about abortion doesn't even spare the victims of rape. They are the Taliban of the West.

The Winner Makes No Difference to Europe

Still, they are only the symptom of America's failure, not the cause. In reality, neither the idealists and Democrats, nor the useful idiots of the Tea Party have any power over the circumstances.

From a European perspective, it doesn't matter who wins this election. Only US foreign policy is important to us -- and Obama is no dove and Romney no hawk. The incumbent president prefers to wage his wars with drones instead of troops, though the victims probably don't care if they're killed by man or machine. Meanwhile, despite all the criticism, his challenger says he wouldn't join Israel were the country to go to war with Iran because the US can now no longer afford such a thing.

In any case, it is wrong to characterize Republicans as the party of warmongers and Democrats as the party of peace -- or even to call the latter a left-wing party at all. After all, it was Democratic presidents Harry S. Truman, John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson who started the wars in Korea and Vietnam. Republican presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and Richard Nixon ended these wars. And Ronald Reagan, who Europeans see as the embodiment of both the evil and absurd aspects of American politics, was a peaceful man compared to the standards we have since become accustomed to. He only ever invaded Grenada.

The truth is that we simply no longer understand America. Looking at the country from Germany and Europe, we see a foreign culture. The political system is in the hands of big business and its lobbyists. The checks and balances have failed. And a perverse mix of irresponsibility, greed and religious zealotry dominate public opinion.

The downfall of the American empire has begun. It could be that the country's citizens wouldn't be able to stop it no matter how hard they tried. But they aren't even trying.

So the 99% (or perhaps the 47%) live under Developing World conditions - no reliable Cell phones, electrical blackouts on a weekly basis, only one or two television channels, lack of clean, even potable, drinking water? PULEEEEEEEZE!

Romney voters ride around looking for homosexualists to assault? Women to harrass for not wearing burkhas?
(Now I readily confess to waging "war on women" because I do NOT want to pay for their birth control!)

It was North Korea that invaded South Korea - not Harry Truman. And though he's mostly correct about who owns the American Government (he forgot to mention the Public Employee Unions), has he taken a good look at Brussels lately? The Banksters aren't doing too badly in his back yard.

What an arrogant, ignorant, lying Eurosnob.

Der Speigel has gone fecal.

[dcarrigg]

Re: Greg Palast: The War Between the Billionaires, And Election Theft

So the 99% (or perhaps the 47%) live under Developing World conditions - no reliable Cell phones, electrical blackouts on a weekly basis, only one or two television channels, lack of clean, even potable, drinking water? PULEEEEEEEZE!

Romney voters ride around looking for homosexualists to assault? Women to harrass for not wearing burkhas?
(Now I readily confess to waging "war on women" because I do NOT want to pay for their birth control!)

It was North Korea that invaded South Korea - not Harry Truman. And though he's mostly correct about who owns the American Government (he forgot to mention the Public Employee Unions), has he taken a good look at Brussels lately? The Banksters aren't doing too badly in his back yard.

What an arrogant, ignorant, lying Eurosnob.

Der Speigel has gone fecal.

You know, I was just thinking this morning that Europeans tend to think of themselves as further to the left than Americans. They like to think of their right-wing parties as more to the left than either of the two major parties in America.

But we live in an age where gay marriage is legal in several states in the US, and where it is not in France. This is a time where marijuana is decriminalized, made legally available for medical use, and now perhaps even legal for recreational use, in some states, but it is not in Germany. Muslim girls and women may not wear headscarfs to school in France, something that would be unthinkable in the US. Even in labor-friendly Germany, there is no minimum wage, and some end up working for less than what is allowable in the states.

So much for Europe being eminently more left-wing than America. It looks like federalism and shared authority can accomodate a wide range of views. Was that what that Madison guy was on about?

Next there is the idea that the Average American is poorer than the average European. But the median income of the US is 150% that of Germany or France. So much for third-world Americana.

And then there is the whole "America's more anti-woman than Europe" bit. Well, if America's so anti-women, why is the pay-gap between men and women higher in Germany than the US? Should we even get into womanizing in France?

And then there is the "America's more racist than Europe" routine. Wake me up when France actually elects Harlem Désir their first black president. If it happens, it will be decades before Germany anyhow.

And then there is the wooden telephone pole criticism. Europeans have been doing this since the beginning of the republic, when Tocqueville asked some far less educated and cultured yankee sailors why they build boats to only last a few years rather than build hulking ships meant to last 50 years like the Europeans did. The yankee sailor told him that the technology changes so fast that there will be a better one in three years anyways. Then the yankee asked him why you'd want to sail around on an outdated, 50 year old ship.

It's a lot easier to string some brand new 10 gigabit fiber optic cable along pre-existing above ground poles and fix it when it breaks than it is to go around burying the stuff then waiting for it to go obsolete in 5-10 years only to have to dig again.

But still the European meme seems to be that Americans are backwater hicks who are dirt-broke, racist misogynists with no concept of issues, and who are mostly inherently anti-science. I see no evidence of this either.

If I had to hazard a guess, it would be for two reasons.

First, it would be because America flexes its military muscle, and somehow that's barbaric to a continent that has not provided its own security of 70 years.

Secondly, it would be because Americans are generally more religious. But American scientific progress really has not suffered because of this. It's not as if scientific progress in the states is slower than in Europe.

Sure, Americans probably do have more public debate about religion, science, and their respective roles in society and education. But to assume that that means Americans are ignorant is a mistake. And to assume that public debate isn't healthy is probably also a mistake.

And I'm in no way anti-European. I enjoyed the time I spent working in Germany. There were plenty of good people, just like in the states. And sometimes they get things right that we might learn from.

But the American stereotype that Europeans have is just wrong. And when I read pieces like this I'm reminded of how warped it actually is. And Americans that fall into the trap of believing that their country is in some permanent decline, or is worse off than anywhere else in the world are also wrong.

Sometimes I think it's important for Americans to take note of what's right with their country, what is working compared to others, and to stop being so negative and depressed all of the time (as of the last 5 years).

So, to sum it all up:

[llanlad2]

Re: Greg Palast: The War Between the Billionaires, And Election Theft

But still the European meme seems to be that Americans are backwater hicks who are dirt-broke, racist misogynists with no concept of issues, and who are mostly inherently anti-science. I see no evidence of this either.

If I had to hazard a guess, it would be for two reasons.

First, it would be because America flexes its military muscle, and somehow that's barbaric to a continent that has not provided its own security of 70 years.

Secondly, it would be because Americans are generally more religious. But American scientific progress really has not suffered because of this. It's not as if scientific progress in the states is slower than in Europe.

Without doubt the US is a GREAT country but haven't you seen Jerry Springer? This is what most Europeans idea of what an average American is and allows Euros to feel culturally superior which is pretty much all Europeans have to cling onto. Arnold, Stallone, Willis and Seagal didn't help much either.

The other things in the European consciousness are the US murder rates,the mass incarceration rates, inequality and obesity. All this in the richest country in the world and leader in fad diets.

To sum up "Normal Americans" aren't news.

[Ghent12]

Re: Greg Palast: The War Between the Billionaires, And Election Theft

Without doubt the US is a GREAT country but haven't you seen Jerry Springer? This is what most Europeans idea of what an average American is and allows Euros to feel culturally superior which is pretty much all Europeans have to cling onto. Arnold, Stallone, Willis and Seagal didn't help much either.

The other things in the European consciousness are the US murder rates,the mass incarceration rates, inequality and obesity. All this in the richest country in the world and leader in fad diets.

To sum up "Normal Americans" aren't news.

Blanket generalizations are always wrong [irony intended]. Sometimes you'll find contradictory generalizations held simultaneously about a people, such as Americans being super-skinny like in the magazines and TV, yet also obese. The truth is that you can't come up with anything useful to say if you rely on generalizations that don't reflect the whole reality, and this is a major reason why this article is horseshit.

[llanlad2]

Re: Greg Palast: The War Between the Billionaires, And Election Theft

Blanket generalizations are always wrong [irony intended]. Sometimes you'll find contradictory generalizations held simultaneously about a people, such as Americans being super-skinny like in the magazines and TV, yet also obese. The truth is that you can't come up with anything useful to say if you rely on generalizations that don't reflect the whole reality, and this is a major reason why this article is horseshit.

I totally agree with you. I was explaining why many Europeans mistakenly think the way they do.

[metalman]

Re: Greg Palast: The War Between the Billionaires, And Election Theft

Of all the political wackos the ones on the left seem to be the most spiteful. I think that it boils down to deep seated insecurity.

that explains it... or greg palaast was dropped on his head at childbirth.

[metalman]

Re: Greg Palast: The War Between the Billionaires, And Election Theft

You know, I was just thinking this morning that Europeans tend to think of themselves as further to the left than Americans. They like to think of their right-wing parties as more to the left than either of the two major parties in America.

But we live in an age where gay marriage is legal in several states in the US, and where it is not in France. This is a time where marijuana is decriminalized, made legally available for medical use, and now perhaps even legal for recreational use, in some states, but it is not in Germany. Muslim girls and women may not wear headscarfs to school in France, something that would be unthinkable in the US. Even in labor-friendly Germany, there is no minimum wage, and some end up working for less than what is allowable in the states.

So much for Europe being eminently more left-wing than America. It looks like federalism and shared authority can accomodate a wide range of views. Was that what that Madison guy was on about?

Next there is the idea that the Average American is poorer than the average European. But the median income of the US is 150% that of Germany or France. So much for third-world Americana.

And then there is the whole "America's more anti-woman than Europe" bit. Well, if America's so anti-women, why is the pay-gap between men and women higher in Germany than the US? Should we even get into womanizing in France?

And then there is the "America's more racist than Europe" routine. Wake me up when France actually elects Harlem Désir their first black president. If it happens, it will be decades before Germany anyhow.

And then there is the wooden telephone pole criticism. Europeans have been doing this since the beginning of the republic, when Tocqueville asked some far less educated and cultured yankee sailors why they build boats to only last a few years rather than build hulking ships meant to last 50 years like the Europeans did. The yankee sailor told him that the technology changes so fast that there will be a better one in three years anyways. Then the yankee asked him why you'd want to sail around on an outdated, 50 year old ship.

It's a lot easier to string some brand new 10 gigabit fiber optic cable along pre-existing above ground poles and fix it when it breaks than it is to go around burying the stuff then waiting for it to go obsolete in 5-10 years only to have to dig again.

But still the European meme seems to be that Americans are backwater hicks who are dirt-broke, racist misogynists with no concept of issues, and who are mostly inherently anti-science. I see no evidence of this either.

If I had to hazard a guess, it would be for two reasons.

First, it would be because America flexes its military muscle, and somehow that's barbaric to a continent that has not provided its own security of 70 years.

Secondly, it would be because Americans are generally more religious. But American scientific progress really has not suffered because of this. It's not as if scientific progress in the states is slower than in Europe.

Sure, Americans probably do have more public debate about religion, science, and their respective roles in society and education. But to assume that that means Americans are ignorant is a mistake. And to assume that public debate isn't healthy is probably also a mistake.

And I'm in no way anti-European. I enjoyed the time I spent working in Germany. There were plenty of good people, just like in the states. And sometimes they get things right that we might learn from.

But the American stereotype that Europeans have is just wrong. And when I read pieces like this I'm reminded of how warped it actually is. And Americans that fall into the trap of believing that their country is in some permanent decline, or is worse off than anywhere else in the world are also wrong.

Sometimes I think it's important for Americans to take note of what's right with their country, what is working compared to others, and to stop being so negative and depressed all of the time (as of the last 5 years).

So, to sum it all up:

+++++1

[debu]

Re: Greg Palast: The War Between the Billionaires, And Election Theft

Some of the above responses to Augstein's remark that "The downfall of the American empire has begun. It could be that the country's citizens wouldn't be able to stop it no matter how hard they tried. But they aren't even trying." pretty much confirm his point. A bit of thou doth protest too much it seems. Wonder why...