Category Archives: plutocracy

Trump has nothing to lose


Reporters and White House insiders seemed to agree yesterday that Donald Trump was “losing it” I wondered what they were talking about. Did they mean his ability to put aside personal problems and focus on the welfare of others? Was … Continue reading

Posted in history, mainstream media, plutocracy | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

We’ve got a long way to go, baby


Last week Johnnie Walker Black Label, the scotch company, introduced “The Jane Walker Edition” in an effort to persuade women to drink more scotch and …to coincide with Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day celebrations. In a multi-faceted attempt … Continue reading

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A big victory for vile-but-discreet


Last week, after Roy Moore lost the race for a Senate seat in Alabama, I wrote “Old-guard Senate Republicans don’t like over-the-top vile. They like guys who are vile but discreet.” In other words, they prefer colleagues who are like … Continue reading

Posted in mainstream media, mid-term elections, plutocracy, Politics, taxes | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Why Comcast sucks, in case you need a reminder


The Swamp Rabbit and I were weatherproofing his new shack in Tinicum Swamp and discussing the repeal of net neutrality rules. There is no end to a plutocrat’s money lust, I said, or to an oligarch’s lust for power. “What’s … Continue reading

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It takes a village of ‘experts’ to craft Hillary’s POV


The headline — “Economic plan is a quandary for Clinton ’16” — was provocative. The lede was downright bizarre: With advice from more than 200 policy experts, Hillary Rodham Clinton is trying to answer what has emerged as a central … Continue reading

Posted in campaign finance reform, economic collapse, humor, liar, mainstream media, New York Times, plutocracy, The New Depression, unemployment, Wall Street | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

If Comcast’s CEO had sucked up to Teddy Roosevelt


Swamp Rabbit had an interesting thought today. You’ve got to wonder, he said, how many media companies Comcast CEO Brian Roberts would have gobbled up if recent U.S. presidents hadn’t been stooges for big business. Net neutrality is only one … Continue reading

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‘Deflategate’ a bigger story than state of union


I was on the porch at the shack with Swamp Rabbit, critiquing Barack Obama’s sixth State of the Union address. Obama was the embodiment of magical thinking for American liberals, an icon of hope because he was an articulate outsider. … Continue reading

Posted in Congress, economic collapse, globalization, Great Recession, humor, mainstream media, Obama, plutocracy, unemployment | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Regarding Rushdie and the limits of satire


Salman Rushdie has issued an eloquent denunciation of the fanatics who slew 12 in Paris in the name of their god: I stand with Charlie Hebdo, as we all must, to defend the art of satire, which has always been … Continue reading

Posted in arts, fiction, history, humor, mainstream media, plutocracy, terrorism, Wall Street | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Preaching to the choir about the GOP


I read to Swamp Rabbit part of Charles Pierce’s reaction to the Republicans’ successful effort last Wednesday to block a Senate vote on whether to raise the minimum wage to $10.10: Can we just drop the pretense now and admit … Continue reading

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Adelson is like a stream of bat’s piss


What would Alexis de Tocqueville think of democracy in America in 2014? How would Thomas Jefferson describe it? I doubt that either man would know what to make of the fact that one mind-numbingly greedy gnome might have the power … Continue reading

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