For the past five years -- through illness and divorce, cross-country moves and failed business start-ups -- the one thing that kept me sane was trend watching. I know, sounds ridiculous. But let's just say it was a singular, private oasis that was untouchable from the outside world. Pop culture, fashion, and the absurd have a clever way of masking heartache. But a troubling trend, one that I can no longer ignore -- and why I've been absent from trend blogging -- finally snatched my attention: fighting corruption on Wall Street, and in Washington.
You might call me a weekend political warrior. During the Obama campaign, I was pounding the pavement to make sure everybody and their grandmother voted. And when Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart beckoned me to DC for their "Rally to Restore Sanity," I hopped on a bus for an 8 hour ride without batting an eyelash. But my weekend warrior days have amounted to little, if anything. Because, what I didn't realize at the time was this: The game is rigged, from all sides -- Democrat or Republican -- by the unfair influence of big money. (A fact brilliantly laid out in the video below.)
I, like many others, believed that the game was left versus right. That, if you could just get the right number of "your party" into Congress, the Senate, etc. you'd come out ahead. But this is not the case. A prominent Harvard Law Professor, Lawrence Lessig, recently wrote:
We came together around a simple point of agreement: From the Right and the Left, citizens increasingly believe that our Republic does not work. Reform of any kind is stalled by a status quo that profits from blocking change. No side in the political debate benefits from this inertia. We have a Congress that's so thoroughly captured by narrow interests, subject to so many perverse incentives, that it's overwhelmingly disdained by the people whom it's supposed to represent -- with recent polls showing only 12% confidence ratings. Whether you want smaller government or more effective government, this system is not working. And it is foolish to expect Congress on its own to institute the necessary changes -- as it is, by identity, composed entirely of people who've found success playing under the current rules.
You see, it's no longer the left and the right fighting over ideology. They're now fighting one another for campaign funding. A scary statistic on OpenSecrets.org confirmed that 94% of the people who win in DC have the most money, not necessarily the best ideas. And this very obvious form of legal bribery was made worse, thanks to the Citizens United ruling two years ago that allows unlimited contributions by corporations. It's not about legislation, it's about re-election. So, once in office, they begin rigging policy in the favor of the corporations and special interests that will put the most money into their campaign. As Cenk Uygur artifully points out below, you work for the person that pays you. And in Washington, special interests turn politicians into multi-millionaires. Even Obama, who I believe went into the White House with the best of intentions, finally caved into the game he spoke out so vehemently against. Only one week after the Wall Street crash, Obama attended a $30K per plate fundraising dinner -- held by Goldman Sachs -- one of the biggest transgressors in the U.S. financial collapse.
So, where does this leave me? Leave us? Why am I even bothering to write about this on a trend blog? Well, the issue (in my mind) is crystal clear. This economy is headed into the shitter, once again. The Dodd-Frank bill passed to protect us against Wall Street greed was watered down by Obama's top campaign contributors. So badly so, that the "Too Big To Fail" banks are still just that -- too big to fail. They are still able to fail, and taxpayers will still have to foot the bill.
Last week, another prominent figure -- Columbia University Professor, Jeffrey Sachs -- wrote in the following in a New York Times article:
Both parties have joined in crippling the government in response to the demands of their wealthy campaign contributors, who above all else insist on keeping low tax rates on capital gains, top incomes, estates and corporate profits. Corporate taxes as a share of national income are at the lowest levels in recent history. Rich households take home the greatest share of income since The Great Depression. Twice before in American history, powerful corporate interests dominated Washington and brought America to a state of unacceptable inequality, instability and corruption. Both times a social and political movement arose to restore democracy and shared prosperity.
The new progressive era will need a fresh and gutsy generation of candidates to seek election victories not through wealthy campaign financiers but through free social media. A new generation of politicians will prove that they can win on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and blog sites, rather than with corporate-financed TV ads. By lowering the cost of political campaigning, the free social media can liberate Washington from the current state of endemic corruption. And the candidates that turn down large campaign checks, political action committees, Super PACs and bundlers will be well positioned to call out their opponents who are on the corporate take.
And, this, my friends, is where the story ends. I found that candidate in Governor Buddy Roemer, a moderate progressive with a populist message. A candidate you probably haven't heard of, because he's been systematically silenced by the powers-that-be. The candidate not extreme enough for the GOP to consider as a 'serious' player. (Which, by the way, is why he's considering running as an Independent - YAY!) Do we agree on everything? Probably not. He's a fiscal conservative. But, according to PolitiFact, his social voting record leans to the left of Obama on many issues. And his stand against unfair trade, combined with his serious bank reform, tax reform, and foreign policy views are remarkably refreshing. He takes no PAC or Super PAC money, limits individual contributions to $100, and has made sweeping anti-corruption reform that would remove the unfair influence of money in politics his focus. (And, he openly supports Occupy Wall Street!) So, instead of looking for the next big trend, my eye is on the White House in 2012. No, not for myself. But for a Harvard Economist, former Governor, and 4-term Congressman who's spent his entire career fighting corruption.
Won't you help me spread the word about Buddy Roemer? America needs a Buddy in 2012!
