r/politics • u/Winter-Gift1112 • 11h ago
Possible Paywall A Blue Wave Won’t Wash Away Our Oligarchy Problem
https://newrepublic.com/article/216850/blue-wave-2026-oligarchy-problem1.5k
u/MiddleAgedSponger 11h ago
Extreme wealth inequality is the problem. American democracy will not be safe as long as the Epstein class can buy elections with their pocket change.
421
u/JMurdock77 11h ago edited 11h ago
We’d need a new or expanded Supreme Court and a hell of a case to overturn Citizens United.
Or a time machine, which would almost be easier.
313
u/BrewChef333 11h ago
We don’t need a case to overturn Citizens United. Congress makes laws. They have, and have had, the ability to make laws that would make CU irrelevant.
139
u/TheBlanc0ne 11h ago
plus, the states can change what a company is defined as on paper, which many states are investigating as a way around Citizens United/SpeechNow
68
u/TaterForming 10h ago
Hawaii passed Act 11 in May (or maybe it was just their senate) and it redefines companies as "artificial persons"
Of course it's being challenged already.
59
14
u/TheBlanc0ne 10h ago
I almost hope it doesn't end up in front of this Supreme Court, but likely will.
18
u/MiddleAgedSponger 8h ago
SCOTUS has been corrupt longer than Citizens united. Remember when they handed Bush the election vs Gore?
•
u/TaterForming 7h ago
Justices Who Assisted Team Bush
• John Roberts: Flew to Florida to advise and help prepare the legal team handling the state-level proceedings.
• Brett Kavanaugh: Worked on the legal team, specifically assisting with the Volusia County recount dispute.
• Amy Coney Barrett: Provided brief research and writing assistance to the Republican legal team during the aftermath of the election.
11
14
u/Ok-Mycologist-3829 Massachusetts 10h ago
Also on the state level, there are things to do. Corporations are formed at the state level, and states can withhold powers from them. I forget which state was trying to do that at the moment, but we are not without options.
4
3
u/IrritableGourmet New York 8h ago
Wouldn't affect Citizens United. It applies to any association of individuals, whether in corporate form or not, and states can't take away their right to speak collectively. No matter what powers a state gives or doesn't give to a corporation, it can't take that away.
What we need is an FEC that is actually able to do stuff. If they investigated and enforced anti-cooperation/collusion laws that are already on the books and still allowed under Citizens United, most of these problems would go away. The FEC currently don't have quorum (because of Trump), so they can't do any enforcement or even investigative actions, and even when they did they used a very light hand on corruption.
5
u/FeldsparSalamander America 8h ago
Until the court says its unconstitutional since their rulings are paid for
13
u/BernieBrother4Biden 10h ago
Laws that this Supreme Court would strike down on First Amendment grounds?? Which is exactly what happened under Citizens United???
•
u/Michael_G_Bordin 7h ago
People don't know what Citizens was about or what it did. It did not invent the notion that corporations have the rights of private citizens. It was striking down a law (Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act) which sought to use a ruling in the 90s to regulate 'electioneering' by private corporations. There was a conflict between the 90s ruling (Austin, I think?) and the rulings in the 70s regarding the Act that had regulated federal elections (idr the name, Federal Elections Act or something). SCOTUS decided that the 90s ruling was wrong, and thus the BCRA had no basis for constitutionality. A private corporation can express themselves politically as much as any private citizen, and private citizens are allowed to spend their money as they see fit on running ads and distributing electioneering materials.
What fucking blows my mind is, the 90s case was decided based on real concern that the massive resources private corporations can employ in electioneering could not only create a disparate ability to influence elections, but this influence would cause people to lose faith in our federal elections; and SCOTUS just said, "nah, that's not actually something to worry about." Literally just bullshitting (iirc, it was Kennedy who wrote the majority).
I'm pulling from memory here, so I may be incorrect about a few things, but it wasn't "corporations are people" which was decided in Citizens, but that regulating their electioneering efforts was a violation of the 1st Amendment. What I'm getting at with all of this is: we need a Constitutional Amendment to address this problem, stating corporations do not have the rights of citizens and are subject to more strict regulation of their political speech and spending. Or the Court could strike down Citizens, the "corps are people" ruling, and then reinstate the 90s case to allow Congress to make laws regarding corporate electioneering.
•
u/KinkyPornAcct2 4h ago edited 4h ago
First of all, excellent write-up!
The 1970s case you're likely thinking of is Buckley v. Valeo (1976).
It struck down limits on independent expenditures under the Federal Election Campaign Act. Two years later, First National Bank of Boston v. Bellotti extended that reasoning to corporations.
One small detail: CU invalidated section 203 of the BCRA and the corporate spending ban it extended, not the entirety of the Act. You're likely already aware of this, based on the excellent depth and detail you provided. That's more of an FYI for any interested readers.
→ More replies (2)6
u/MiddleAgedSponger 10h ago
Good luck, the Democrats couldn't even get their members to rally around a voting rights bill during the Biden Admin.
8
u/UnmeiX 10h ago
If the DSA sees more successes, they may not have a choice but to fall in line.
"Get with it or we'll find someone who will."
:D
→ More replies (20)→ More replies (6)4
u/CoatsRi 9h ago
Not really. Political money was made a 1st amendment right. Need a consitutional amendment or court case to change that. Plus, dems haven't been given a 60+ majority in the senate to get over the filibuster since Obama's first term. Serious, non-budget legislation is basically impossible until then.
→ More replies (8)9
8
10
u/MiddleAgedSponger 11h ago
Trump is probably going to get another justice before the ned of his term. America is cooked. The wealthy got everything they wanted and it destroyed our democracy.
4
→ More replies (10)4
u/NelsonHawkinsGhost 11h ago
CU codified something that was already present and corrosive. A time machine won't fix that. Going through the struggle of actually amending the Constitution is the only fix.
→ More replies (1)36
u/civil_politician 10h ago
It has been for a long time and people expected Obama to address it in 2008 and the disillusionment when it just kept getting worse as he stuck with centrist incrementalism is part of why we are where we are now. He had congressional wipe out because he governed as more of the same instead of hope and change.
32
u/RedLanternScythe Indiana 10h ago
Obama backed off as soon as he got accused of "class warfare" by the media. Which shows which side they are on in the class war currently being waged.
21
u/SolPlayaArena 9h ago
He deliberately appointed members to his cabinet that directly contributed to the financial mess that lead to the crash of 2008. So he basically lied and did an about face on his campaign promise of holding Wall Street accountable. And I say this as someone who volunteered for his 2008 campaign and voted for him twice.
•
u/guamisc 6h ago
You mean appointing Eric "I literally wrote the too-big-to-prosecute memo about the financial institutions that just crushed the world economy worse than anything since the Great Depression" Holder to USAG was a bad move?
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (8)6
u/boxdkittens 10h ago
Did he stick with centrist incrementalism, or was he hindered by an uncooperative congress?
→ More replies (2)12
u/PersonalAmbassador 8h ago
He didn't have to choose Timothy Geitner as Treasurey Secretary
→ More replies (2)63
u/Continental__Drifter 10h ago
Extreme wealth inequality is the symptom.
Capitalism is the problem.
Capitalism is an anti-democratic way to structure an economy, a society. Capitalism and democracy work against each other. Eventually, given enough time, one will win out at the expense of the other.
Capitalism or Democracy.
Pick one.→ More replies (53)4
u/Awatts2222 8h ago
Hopefully the "comic book" nature of their final takeover can lead people to take action.
It really is Mario Savio time--"throw your body on the gears."
7
u/MiddleAgedSponger 8h ago
They were caught being a part of a prolific sex trafficking ring and the people did nothing. The same people that were mad that Obama wore a tan suit are now cool with kiddy rape. America is cooked. All the bravado and patriotism is purely performative, Americans are mostly lazy cowards sitting on their hands while their democracy and futures are being destroyed.
•
u/xxxxNateDaGreat 1h ago
While this is extremely true, we also have a republican/conservative problem that needs to be swiftly and thoroughly dealt with.
•
2
•
u/Ricothebuttonpusher 5h ago
It won't be safe for as long as stupid republicans defend billionaires like they're Jesus
7
u/Bakedads 11h ago
I think you first have to deal with republican terrorism, since they are the ones largely standing in the way of legislative progress.
→ More replies (18)7
144
u/drollia 11h ago
Elon has become a bigger problem then just the US.
No one should have that much money.
78
u/Rich-Pomegranate1679 10h ago
Elon is the enemy of everyone in the world who loves democracy, liberty, and justice.
•
u/drawkward101 5h ago
Elon is the enemy of everyone in the world
Shortened it for you. Whether they (they being everyone on earth) realize it or like it or not, Elon is a threat to the globe and the continued existence of humanity.
10
u/Everythings_Fucked North Carolina 8h ago
If only James Bond weren't fictional. He'd have solved the problem years ago.
•
u/Gettingyounger70 6h ago
I keep waiting for Batman or any of those do good super people who everyone likes to watch at the movies. The idea that it will take a Batman bothers me though.
→ More replies (1)•
→ More replies (2)•
u/drifting_signal 3h ago
I always wondered what would happen if an absolute idiot suddenly gained a lot of money. Now I know.
To be fair though, there are more idiots than Elon that are ruining everything, one of them is pretending to be the president.
234
u/Groovychick1978 10h ago
That's because this election isn't the end, it's the fucking beginning. And Americans really need to get their heads wrapped around that.
We do not win if we take over the house and senate in November. It just means we get to line up at the starting blocks. This is not the end of the race, this just assures that we get a spot in the fight.
We have to immediately begin to dismantle everything he has done to us in the last 10 years. It's going to take twice as long, minimum. We are in for the long haul, it's the only way.
We have to abolish ICE We have to abolish DHS. Immigration enforcement will go back to INS, where it belongs.
We have to dismantle the flock system in America.
We have to reform our Supreme Court.
We have to purge, prosecute, and execute some of the officials responsible for the treason.
We have a dozen impeachments that we have to move through, outside of prosecutions.
We set our country back 50 years, and it is going to take all of us to dig ourselves out.
33
u/nezukoslaying 9h ago
And somehow, through all of that and the tough times to come, convince and educate people that the tough times are because of THIS administration and Republicans, not the Dems...otherwise people will just go back to voting republican because they cant comprehend how 4 years of bad decisions can continue creating problems over the next decade
•
u/rezelscheft 5h ago
We also don't just need a majority, we need enough of a majority that when the inevitable Manchins, Sinemas, and Fettermans turn up to obstruct reform efforts for personal gain, we still have enough votes to make progress without them.
→ More replies (9)20
u/JakeInDC 9h ago
Fucking thank you. Voting accomplishes little. The people need to be paying attention the whole time and holding those we elected accountable. The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.
•
u/NelsonHawkinsGhost 7h ago
What does holding them accountable look like? Is it withholding your vote over certain issues?
→ More replies (15)
375
u/Tiny_Structure_7 North Carolina 11h ago
Maybe not. But it's an excellent start.
57
u/ZeroAxelx7 11h ago
Yep like pulling out the hose and sponges don’t actually get the car washed, but you don’t get those supplies out unless you’re going to do something
40
u/Nynaeve_al_meowra 11h ago
This isn't getting out the hoses and sponges, this is stopping throwing mud on the car. Next step is looking at it like "damn I should clean that up"
11
u/6ix7even6ixty9ine 10h ago
Best we can expect is leaving the car a filthy mess, but not making it any dirtier.
→ More replies (6)26
u/Sptsjunkie 10h ago
This is true, but the article does not disagree with that at all, and does not once make the point that we should give up on the election or not elect Democrats.
In fact that explicitly states that despite a ton of spending from billionaires like Musk, we are likely to get a good outcome and elect more Democrats.
But it also makes the correct point that the victims of money are limiting the amount of losses that Republican should be taking, especially when you consider how much Democrats are out raising them in direct donations from grassroots donors.
And of course that’s some of the Democrats are running and getting the big money with strings attached which leads to watering down what Democrats do and then leads to Republicans rising again because we are not able to pass an actual agenda.
→ More replies (28)6
137
u/Zulmoka531 11h ago
No it probably won’t, but you can’t climb a mountain without taking a few small steps.
40
u/GlasgowSpider 9h ago
This exactly and moreover, there is never a final fix for this. This is a forever fight that requires continued engagement, voting, and whatever it takes to make things better over time.
Democracy is not "set it and forget it"
18
•
u/Fun_Success_3283 7h ago edited 7h ago
It absolutely will, if the people are persistent, and also vote with their wallets. There's blue wave of voting, but people seem to think all we can do is vote for politicians.
However, You can choose not to give zuckerberg or Elon any of your business. Includes using things for free. You can abandon instagram. Even if everyone is on it, take a stand. Why would you fund the people aiming to rob you of all your freedom? fuck those people.
You don't like billionaires? Shop at mom and pops. Small stores. Is that less convenient? yes. Do you get stuff cheaper if you buy from huge corporations? you sure do.
But, now you're exchanging freedom for wealth, which is the definition of corruption.
Purchase your freedom. It's YOUR money that makes the oligarchs rich, not just your money, but the only value instagram has, is that YOU are on it. All of Zuckerberg's money is tied up in stocks that have value, because YOU use his products. You can send him to the poor house.
Even if just you makes no difference, you can take a stand and do the right thing.
Think of the video with one dancer on a hill at a festival. Dancing alone. Then another joins, then a third, and it takes those few critical people early, especially the first, to get it started, then when people see it happening they jump in. People are followers. They don't like to be different. People think their actions alone are not enough. That's true, but we will never get the momentum for the followers, if the leaders don't act with conviction first.
You don't have to let them have this power to use all of this money to destroy democracy, and take away all your rights.
Nothing these companies offer are worth your rights and freedoms.
Also, if you see a company, an artist, a person, who has your interests in mind, who will fight for you, give THEM money. Bezos, Zuckerberg, Musk, and all the oligarchs kissing Trump's ass, they will all use their money to rig the system for the rich and against regular people. Don't give them money. Give money and business to CEOs that will use it to fight FOR you.
5
→ More replies (15)17
u/darth_wasabi Texas 11h ago
But at some point we need some big steps. The vast majority of democrats in Congress don’t want to change the status quo
There’s articles out today the FBI has been investigating Clyburn for pay to play bribes. I guarantee you he isn’t the only one in the party doing it
34
u/Ketzeph I voted 10h ago
You can’t solve those problems if you keep immediately voting them Dems out of power after a year and a half and vote in a group that wants to burn down everything they did.
It’s like complaining a contractor isn’t building your house fast enough when every six months you pay an arsonist to toss a Molotov cocktail into it
→ More replies (16)•
u/vandreulv 6h ago
You can never have big steps if your steps involve stepping away and letting Republicans continue to win because of expectations of perfection otherwise.
•
u/wuuuuutaaaang 6h ago
But at some point we need some big steps
i agree. and also i'd like a lamborghini.
we may not be able to have big steps. the other side made their thing happen by doing tons of small steps. That seems to be the meta.
8
u/much_to_say 9h ago
Instead of complaining that nothing ever changes, get involved at the local level and be the change you want to see. Nothing will change if all you do is sit behind a screen and whine about Democrats in Congress. Get out there and campaign for good candidates you believe in in local elections, and do the same for your preferred candidates in national primaries.
→ More replies (5)→ More replies (1)8
u/Indrigotheir 8h ago
You really don't. Dozens of small steps over a decade is more progress than advocating for "big steps" and failing to convince enough people to make it happen.
→ More replies (3)•
u/darth_wasabi Texas 7h ago
We’re going further right. If you think small steps is winning you’re not an honest actor of you’re oblivious to the state we are in
•
u/Indrigotheir 4h ago
Yeah; it sure does seem like we are leaning right after 2024 when a bunch of leftists didn't vote for moderates and allowed conservatives to win instead.
Let's just ignore that we're on the back of decades of leftward progress at the hands of liberals.
16
u/MelatoninFiend 10h ago
Awful lot of "EVEN IF YOU WIN YOU STILL LOSE" articles coming out of the billionaire-controlled media lately.
They're scared, and it shows.
40
u/AnswerAdorable5555 9h ago
How about we have the wave first before we start complaining about what it can’t do.
→ More replies (6)13
u/ComradeJohnS 8h ago
yeah the media saying voting wont remove their billionaire owners is ironic
•
u/rezelscheft 5h ago
It's less ironic if you view this more as oligarchs using the media they own to say, "Voting won't help you," because they are actively trying to discourage you from voting.
11
u/ElysiumSprouts 11h ago
We've got a major backlog of anti-trust legal actions building up. I could be wrong, but I feel like the last major US anti-trust monopoly busting was done in the 90s vs Microsoft. We're overdue.
43
u/zenbowman 11h ago
I agree, we need more than a blue wave.
However, Canada is currently run by an oligarch friendly banker, and however horrible their situation may be, it's still 100x better than being run by a drug-addled toddler with a Napoleon complex.
We absolutely need to defeat the oligarchs, but that cannot happen until we no longer have an insane person in the White House. But that is just the start.
→ More replies (2)
42
u/Potential-Fan-6148 10h ago
We need a constitutional amendment limiting personal wealth to like 0.0001% of GDP or something. Anything else will get gamed.
Same goes for company size. We need to limit the size of a company both in terms of wealth and size of market control.
This shit is bad for democracy and bad for our country. It reduces opportunities.
31
•
u/bimbuppy Florida 5h ago
Careful, a whole bunch of people who live just above the poverty line but think they're one scratcher away from being a billionaire are about to dogpile you
→ More replies (1)•
u/Potential-Fan-6148 5h ago
One thing the left needs to get better at is offering an inspirational vision for the future.
For me it’s the Star Trek ideal but that’s hard to communicate.
→ More replies (2)•
u/puff_of_fluff 2h ago
I don’t think it needs to be an inspirational future, it needs to be a believable and achievable NOW.
21
u/0202_tihssitidder 8h ago
> We need...
Look how China handles it. They put to death a corrupt politician (who took in millions).
They gave a life sentence (in a real prison, not a resort) to the former richest man in China.
Look how Norway and Germany and many, many, many other countries handle all of this.
And...maybe...just maybe...finally address the buckets of shit that is US Police Departments.
Too many Americans are 100% devoted to Profits...and nothing else. 100 million dead? Doesn't matter if profits go up. Profits above all. It is an amoral country.
•
u/GiveMeGoldForNoReasn 7h ago
Look how China handles it. They put to death a corrupt politician (who took in millions).
They gave a life sentence (in a real prison, not a resort) to the former richest man in China.
Russia operates the same way. That's not civil justice, it's one group of oligarchs consolidating power over another.
I don't disagree with your main point, but China isn't a system we should be looking toward to solve our problems. Punishing a few specific billionaires who step out of line while the rest maintain power in a totalitarian regime is not the end goal we should be aiming for.
•
u/Desperate-Till-9228 6h ago
That's not civil justice, it's one group of oligarchs consolidating power over another.
This is what our oligarchs don't understand when they get tight with Russia. Unlikeable guy like Elon isn't going to last long in that environment.
•
u/TheCoelacanth 2h ago
Yes, they need to learn that they are dismantling the rule of law at their own peril.
•
→ More replies (2)4
u/ProfRefugee 8h ago
They did these things for largely political reasons though, most of the current regime is guilty of exactly the same crimes in one way or another. It’s working as intended. A perk of the job for loyal party members, an easy bloodless political assassination for any disloyalty. Putin does this shit too, it’s just easier to see.
9
→ More replies (11)•
u/JournalistRecent1230 6h ago
We need to abolish citizen united, add terms and term limits to supreme court justices, increase the house of representatives, implement laws that no politician can have personal financial stake in a social media platform, no politician can have a controlling interest in a crypto currency, reform campaign finance laws, actually indict any politician for insider trading, re-implement a fairness doctrine that includes social media company regulations on cracking down on fake news and conspiracy theory peddled as truth.
Million other things we need to do, but this would be a good start.
•
u/DependentShop3882 5h ago
Citizen’s United was singlehandedly the worst piece of legislation for this country, just narrowly beating the Patriot Act,
→ More replies (1)•
7
5
u/Zeddo52SD 11h ago
Sure, but it’s a small step in the right direction given the blatant corruption going on in this administration.
5
u/FredFredrickson 10h ago
One election will help, but we need a sustained, life-long effort to reject Republicans if we really want to see things get better.
6
5
u/MonkeyInnaBottle 8h ago
You can’t just spray once and call it done. You have to change the traps every so often too. Alongside this you must remove the things that make them comfortable like policies that encourage data centers near residential areas and using stocks as collateral in lieu of a salary.
•
u/jamesisaPOS 6h ago
Way to encourage voter apathy right before midterms, interesting "progressive" move guys! But can't expect much more from "New Republic" lol.
→ More replies (15)•
u/jamesisaPOS 6h ago
Also this "journalist" literally only writes anti-left slop. This shit is so fucking tired. Elect Dems, then critique them. Anything else and you're helping fascists drag this country back. Get fucked.
→ More replies (6)
9
u/SandersSol 11h ago
A progressive wave will, its why bloomberg came out of his cave to donate to neoliberal campaigns this week.
4
5
u/All_Hail_Hynotoad California 9h ago
That happens through legislation, which a blue wave could facilitate.
4
u/First_Bar_8024 8h ago
The US has always been an Oligarchy; ask the Morgans, the Rockefellers, the Kennedy's.
•
9
u/rotates-potatoes 10h ago
Sure, and going to the doctor doesn’t cure cancer. But it beats the hell out of not going to the doctor.
7
u/TheAsianTroll 10h ago
Correct. It wont. Not immediately.
But letting Republicans maintain control will make the oligarchy problem worse, seeing how they're the party that enabled it to begin with.
A blue wave will not fix our problems immediately but itll put people in power who are more likely to fix it than not.
3
u/sophietehbeanz 11h ago
Elon should be in jail for the shit he did in the gov’t without being vetted by congress.
3
u/OuisghianZodahs42 10h ago
Maybe not, but it's better than just sitting there with our collective thumbs up our asses. It is a step in the right direction. Fuck doomer-ism.
3
u/SenorDongles 10h ago
It'll make it easier to handle, though. I'll take it. Not every step forward needs be a bound. The wave itself would already be one.
3
u/almazing415 10h ago
No, but it’s a start. ‘Quick fixes’ aren’t fixes. And will never be. People also need to accept that the change they want, vote for, and have been protesting for may not happen in their lifetime. Life is hard. You pay taxes. Then you die. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to make the world a better place. Even if you won’t get to see it.
3
u/somecisguy2020 10h ago
So, one election won’t solve all of the problems? Duh!
But if we do it hard enough and strong enough, it’s a start!
3
u/Rusalka-rusalka 10h ago
It will be a nice morale boost for much of the country. Lets hope it happens and is worth all of our efforts!
3
u/sjogerst I voted 10h ago
Exponential taxes on all income including stock, options, and realized value based on collateral for debts will.
3
3
3
u/PeopleNose 9h ago
Correction:
The leaders we put into office can absolutely change things with enough political will
Let's get to willing ya'll
3
3
•
•
u/Fluid_Expression_247 7h ago
I'm old enough to remember all those predictions of blue waves and red waves, only for election night to arrive and the results to look nothing like what the forecasters promised. You'd think people would have learned by now that elections aren't won by predictions. They're won by actual votes.
•
•
u/Aggravating-Big3858 7h ago
That's true, but it'll be a start
The ability to investigate conflicts of interest, no-bid contract awards, government insider dealing, monopoly powers abuse in certain markets, etc. These last 2 years have been an absolute free for all ... and the country is worse for it.
•
u/Evajellyfish 6h ago
Okay? Nobody said it would. But it is a step in the right direction and that’s what matters. Not everything’s going to be solved in one election. Apparently a lot of bad shit can come from just one though.
•
•
u/absolutelynotagoblin 6h ago
It's a start. And I'll take it considering the balls-out crazy horseshit we've seen from this administration for two years.
•
3
u/Spooky2spoons 10h ago
A blue wave with a majority of progressive candidates can certainly help start solving this problem instead of corporate Democrats that bend over for the same billionaire oligarchy
4
u/MeatMullet 10h ago edited 10h ago
This is the underlying rot in the United States. Trump is just the scab. Tech oligarchs, CEO pay and shareholder expectations and the horded wealth of baby boomers all add up to a perfect storm. Plus Democrat and Republican leadership all taking a cut to maintain the status quo.
3
u/h1storyguy Oklahoma 10h ago
Trump is just the driver of the Ugly American Truck.
Other Presidents spent their time building it, tweaking the engine, and filling the tank with gasoline. Trump just jumped in the seat and started driving the Ugly American Truck.
We need to stop that truck, and remove its driver. Then, we need to get rid of the apparatus that allowed the Ugly American Truck to be designed, tested, built, and set loose on the world.
6
u/wishbeaunash 11h ago
The oligarchs wouldn't be so intent on supporting Republicans if it didn't matter
3
u/jiveturker 11h ago
We aren’t trying to fix everything here in one midterm election. We are fighting for survival of the republic.
3
u/MajorDrain 11h ago
No A blue wave won't wash away our oligarchy problem, but if the voters continue to vote blue the oligarchy problem will be reduced.
When Eisenhower was President the top marginal tax rate was 91%, the USA still had an oligarchy problem.
If we eliminate deficit spending and get the national debt moving in the right direction, without crushing the social safety net, ( Social Security - Medicare - Medicaid - SNAP ) I would be satisfied.
Half of that would be Medicare for all, some say Medicare for All would cost less and save money over our current system.
I think it's worth looking at, perhaps a public option choice for health insurance. Give people a choice, though I doubt the private market could compete.
4
u/SpockShotFirst 10h ago
Because Citizens United and campaign spending is actually the smaller problem.
The bigger problem is the 1978 Supreme Court (5-4) decision Bellotti that allowed for-profit corporations to engage in political speech. Musk spent $44B to control Twitter's algorithm. Corporate and right wing media dictate content.
We need to both place greater controls on SuperPACs (overturn Citizens United) and criminalize election interference by for-profit corporations (overturn Bellotti).
•
u/Photochromism 7h ago
A DSA wave will. Tax these parasites into oblivion. No more billionaires, none. Tax their wealth.
5
u/cwilly57 10h ago
Oh it wont? Guess we should just keep the status quo and cave into the oligarchs and christofascism.
Vote.
7
u/conniefrancis 11h ago
Hakeem and Chuck will send strongly worded letters to the oligarchs though.
4
2
u/SeaWitch1031 11h ago
Billionaires should not exist. It's why we need a marginalized tax rate like we used to have and a wealth tax.
I know we can get there, we just have to keep voting out the people who are in the way.
2
2
u/DopamineSavant 10h ago
All the billionaires, minus musk, will just swap their red hat for a blue hat.
2
u/Ok_Blacksmith_3030 10h ago
Exactly, we need another Teddy Roosevelt who broke up the trusts (monopolies) of the Gilded Age robber barrons. We also need some new Amendments to overturn pernicious law like Citizens United and Presidential Immunity. We also need an Amendment to be able to recall rogue or incompetent elected officials.
2
u/Kioskwar 10h ago
Aren’t oligarchies inevitable in any society? They are essentially the coming together of the richest members to scheme for their own benefit and gain. This can happen in any group. Short of isolating these wealthiest people from each other, I’m not sure how to fight the problem of oligarchy. It should be fought, but how?
2
u/starliteburnsbrite 10h ago
Honestly, it'll entranch it further so long as the Big Democrats that run the party squash progressive voices in favor of liberal corporatism. There's no way to steer the party left without mass denial of their current platform and actual, real protest to their bad policies. But we have seen Democrats are as likely to violently crush protests as anyone else.
You can't even get the blue team to deny their incredibly tight association with Israel after years of human rights abuses they funded. They're not going to suddenly bite the hands that feed them.
2
u/Initial-Relation-696 10h ago
Would like to hear nothing from our politicians except , when i get elected my first role will be ethics for supreme court, because stacking wont work. And no president needs more than two executive orders a year. We want our 3 branches to work for all of us, not just this fake hate pushed on us about our neghbors.
2
2
u/NlghtmanCometh 10h ago
You need an international wealth tax. Good luck getting Ireland to sign on to that.
2
u/aagaash2001 I voted 9h ago
My only hope is that the Blue Wave will have senators that aren't beholden to corporate donors (El Sayed, Flanagan, Jackson, Talarico, Ossoff) so there will be more scrutiny on corporations.
2
u/uhs23 9h ago edited 9h ago
I like how the media is already pre-emptively saddling the Democrats with responsibility for deep seated structural problems even before they have enough political pull to do anything about it.
Where is the comparative criticism of the RED MENACE party that has done more for the American Oligarchy than any other definable group in America?
2
u/insomniac8994 9h ago
A lot needs to be done to address this problem but I don’t think the Democratic Party’s establishment will do much if anything. They’re just as captured by corporations/lobbyists as the Republicans, that’s why you guys need more actual leftists in the party.
2
2
2
u/Everythings_Fucked North Carolina 9h ago
But on the other hand, it probably won't make it worse. Can't say that for the other guys.
2
2
2
2
2
•
u/bacon-squared 7h ago
America was broken before Trump took office. It will be still broken after unless there are people held accountable and the government changes its ways.
•
u/hungry_sabretooth 7h ago
No, it won't. But it is a prerequisite to having any chance of dealing with the oligarchy problem.
•
u/Badger8812 7h ago
I think a blue wave is a start. It won't be over night, but it's a start and we need to start somewhere.
•
•
u/hoops_n_politics 7h ago
Overturn Citizens United. Nationalize Starshield. Tax the hell out of billionaires.
•
u/FearNoEvilx 7h ago
seeing as both parties bow to the $$, that sort of stuff is not looking good in the future either way.
•
•
u/Crombus_ 6h ago
Getting Republicans out of office is the only thing that will end the oligarchy problem.
•
•
u/Jaanrett 5h ago
A Blue Wave Won’t Wash Away Our Oligarchy Problem
No, I suspect only education over the long term would do that.
•
•
•
•
5
u/VGAddict 11h ago
What happens when Republicans just refuse to certify the election results or refuse to seat Democrats?
"B-but they can't do that, because they won't be in Congress anymore!". Can we stop acting like rules mean anything to these fascists?
2
u/Impossible_Ad7432 8h ago
Huh, interesting you are spending your energy insisting voting doesn’t matter…..right before the election. And getting upvotes. Those data centers must be back up.
→ More replies (10)2
u/zeroman987 11h ago
The money is why it won’t happen.
Why would any country trust the US re: money if they can arbitrarily refuse to seat the winners of elections.
There is a difference between using a complicated legal process to challenge election results, and seizing power they do not have to deny legitimate winners their seats.
At that point, anyone holding US dollars is going to make a run for the exits because the next step is seizing assets arbitrarily. The risk becomes too high. It will also make borrowing money astronomical, even more so than it is now. The stagflation of the 70s will look like a bump in the road.
Whether they realize it, the ability of the US government to engage in normal operations monetarily is 100 percent tied to the legitimacy of the US government.
Do you really think there was a non-zero chance of 1/6 ever being successful? The people with money did not want it to be successful. Thus it was not successful. It’s as simple as that.
→ More replies (1)2
u/kindamymoose 8h ago
It’s always been about money. Trump is a billionaire. He thinks of America as a means to extend his wealth.
His ego is of course a factor. He doesn’t like being embarrassed. I think he values his wealth slightly more, though. It’s the great divider between he and a man with no wealth who behaves similarly to him. Nobody likes that guy. But give a man a few more zeroes in his bank account and suddenly all bets are off.
4
5
3
u/DirtyDee78 11h ago
Ignore most of what you read about the midterms and make sure you go vote!!!! Nothing is guaranteed, especially with the current administration.
2
u/Baz_Daddy 11h ago
Yes but it will help our fascism problem which is currently our biggest threat.
Put out the fire first. Then you can work on rebuilding.
2
5
2
u/tachophile 10h ago
Voting blue just to vote a bunch of weak willed professional politicians in to play lip service won't solve anything if they aren't on the same page to: 1) systematically reverse and fix the last two terms of Trump's presidency as they did nothing about issues caused by the former term; 2) prosecute all the laws broken, claw back billions in political racketeering, emoluments, and bribes, and enact new ones so that someone like Trump can never come along and do what he has done; 3) listen to the voices of the red states and serve them as well so their grievances don't accumulate to the point they vote some other authoritarian cult leader into office
5
4
3
u/The_Pandalorian California 9h ago
Nobody -- and I mean nobody -- claimed it would.
Stupid fucking article.
3
u/CyberFireball25 10h ago
And the downplaying is in full force
The more I see these types of headlines, the more convinced I am that it's going to be a tsunami. The media is now trying to temper the narrative to prime the populace to get pissed at Democrats for not fixing literally everything
•
u/AutoModerator 11h ago
As a reminder, this subreddit is for civil discussion.
In general, please be courteous to others. Argue the merits of ideas, don't attack other posters or commenters. Hate speech, any suggestion or support of physical harm, or other rule violations can result in a temporary or a permanent ban. If you see comments in violation of our rules, please report them.
Sub-thread Information
If the post flair on this post indicates the wrong paywall status, please report this Automoderator comment with a custom report of “incorrect flair”.
Announcement
r/Politics is actively looking for new moderators. If you have an interest in helping to make this subreddit a place for quality discussion, please fill out this form.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.