The current state of the political system in the United States makes a mockery of its own Constitution and the intentions of the Founding Fathers as a democracy for the people. While we are witnessing a disturbing number of geopolitical and economic stories across our world today, no modern day political drama better illustrates the multitude of political malfeasance than the story of former President Donald Trump and his current efforts to get re-elected in 2024. Do we really have a government and electoral system so far detached from the interests of its country, its society and its people? Yes, we do.
In examining these issues we would be wise to focus our efforts on first identifying the particular and specific underlying issues rather than biased rhetorical opinion too much of which is found in today’s mainstream and online social media platforms. I have noted two case examples to set the stage. With our understanding that wealth and power surely go hand in hand, we must begin by noting the repeal of two provisions of the Glass Steagall Act in Nov 1999 during the administration of then President Clinton. While to this day, the politicians and bankers will rationalize their malfeasance, this moment was the financial coup de gras of a decades-long deregulation effort lobbied for by the financial industry and executed by our politicians.
We can quickly recognize how such decisions favored the investment banks and individual elite billionaires like Donald Trump. The same system is now trying desperately to take him down before the 2024 Presidential Election cycle begins.
Second, further pushing along the US political system’s shift from democracy to plutocracy, we had the little discussed US Supreme Court landmark ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission in 2010. British economist and highly influential Chief Economics commentator at the Financial Times, Martin Wolf said of the 2010 ruling, ”the Supreme Courts perverse decision…has proved a big step on the journey of the US toward becoming a plutocracy.” Yet, Wolf’s declaration of the United States as a plutocracy was immediately buried by its mainstream media and political apparatus. The elites of the United States can’t have its citizens knowing it’s a plutocracy, can they?
With the stage now set, we understand the plutocrats are in charge and abusing the political system more than ever and in the case of Trump, true or otherwise, the accusations are the further weaponization of the legal system to prevent Trump’s re-election campaign. I want to point out that over the past two decades, regardless of who holds the Presidential office, both sides have been engaging in these despicable maneuvers rather than actually doing their jobs to run the country for the benefit of the society and its people. So regardless of the merits and details, guilt or innocence, their goal is to tie up and constrain Trump’s efforts in every way possible which also serves the purpose of creating a bad impression in the eyes of the American people, thus influencing the vote.
According to CNN reports, former emperor Trump has no clothes. The three-judge panel of the Eleventh Circuit US Court of Appeals is one of the more conservative federal appeals courts in the country. They looked at the Mar-a-Lago search and the broader criminal and national security investigation into the former President and could not “see any evidence in the record” to support the claim that the Biden administration was using its law enforcement authorities to harass Trump — as opposed to conducting a genuine, above-the-board investigation.”
Recent filings by US Attorney General Durham clearly indicates the weaponized efforts to destroy former President Trump go back many years including the now debunked Steele Dossier, once again with even CNN noting in a September 14th article, “many of the key claims have fallen apart in the five years since it burst into public view” along with Steele’s own admission the document needed additional vetting. This is tantamount to admitting the document was a fabrication from day one.
“Fear and desperation are the lynchpins between the latest lawsuit against the entire Trump family and the FBI raids on Mar A Lago…along with January 6th kangaroo committee headed by outgoing Congresswoman Liz Cheney.”
Dr. Steve Turley, Durham University professor, ardent patriot, conservative Christian and host of Youtube channel with over one million subscribers
The Mar A Lago raid itself serves better than any other as an icon of the deeply flawed state of affairs in the US political system. US District Court Judge Aileen Cannon who appointed Special Master Raymond Dearie in the case to review the files seized by the FBI, pointed out the need to ensure “the integrity of an orderly process amid swirling allegations of bias and media leaks.” Under such circumstances, there is zero hope that the most important constituent of all, the American people, will be able to separate the wheat from the chafe as they consider their vote.
As American citizens, it can be said we see how both parties are wrong in countless ways. With regard to the saga of Trump and Mar-a-Lago, we don’t know yet which side is right or wrong about the particular issues and that’s the point. The goal of those in power is not to settle these matters fairly in the best interests of the country, they only care about perpetuating their own identity and existence in their endless power struggles. We are now sitting square in the middle of Ayn Rand’s “mutant capitalism” and the malign politics that goes hand in hand with it, sure to be reflected in the results of any coming elections.
Mario Cavolo, Senior Fellow, Center for China & Globalization
October 10, 2022
