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Alternative hypothesis: political populism is rising to popularity levels which endanger the plutocratic and military rulers. Don't think they won't set the sta

Alternative hypothesis: political populism is rising to popularity levels which endanger the plutocratic and military rulers. Don't think they won't set the stage for future wars just so they can stay in power.

danmaz74 10y ago
How is Trump not a plutocrat?
- rrggrr 10y ago
  Because now that he is President the Constitution and Congress are his source of power. There's nothing his money can buy him right now that trumps the power of the office and the Congress.
  - urbanj 10y ago
    I guess the billions his family will make out of his Presidency is a pure coincidence.
  - seppin 10y ago
    I'll try again: How is Trump not a plutocrat riding populist anger into power to enrich himself and his friends?
    - rrggrr 10y ago
      You are arguing that Trump is a kleptocrat, not a plutocrat. A plutocrat derives power from wealth. A kleptocrat uses power to create or enrich her wealth. So, for example, HRC used her power as Secretary of State to enrich her wealth. She is Kleptocrat. WJC used wealth to wield power in Haiti and elsewhere. He is a plutocrat. We don't yet know what Trump is because he hasn't actually done anything and its seriously questionable if he ever will. On the other hand, he prevented a Kleptocratic/Plutocratic duo from running America, so he could retire on top today and it would be for the best.
emodendroket 10y ago
Why would they bother when all of Trump's cabinet is plutocrats and they're pursuing a radical pro-business agenda?
- rukittenme 10y ago
  What do you consider a "radical pro-business" agenda to be?
  - emodendroket 10y ago
    Deregulation, tax cuts, and anti-union legislation on a massive scale. e: Also probably cuts to social spending.
    - emodendroket 10y ago
      I guess I should have also mentioned privatization.
- wallace_f 10y ago
  Douglas Adams: /* “It comes from a very ancient democracy, you see..." "You mean, it comes from a world of lizards?" "No," said Ford, who by this time was a little more rational and coherent than he had been, having finally had the coffee forced down him, "nothing so simple. Nothing anything like so straightforward. On its world, the people are people. The leaders are lizards. The people hate the lizards and the lizards rule the people." "Odd," said Arthur, "I thought you said it was a democracy." "I did," said Ford. "It is." "So," said Arthur, hoping he wasn't sounding ridiculously obtuse, "why don't people get rid of the lizards?" "It honestly doesn't occur to them," said Ford. "They've all got the vote, so they all pretty much assume that the government they've voted in more or less approximates to the government they want." "You mean they actually vote for the lizards?" "Oh yes," said Ford with a shrug, "of course." "But," said Arthur, going for the big one again, "why?" "Because if they didn't vote for a lizard," said Ford, "the wrong lizard might get in. Got any gin?" / Trump is the wrong lizard.* 95% of the media you see and hear (more if you just read the paper and watch cable news, which I gather is the vast majority of the US population) is owned by one of five corporations. CNN is telling us, verbatim, that "it's illegal to read Wikileaks," while civil and human rights abuses go on every day in America while the media remains silent on many of them. Look, HRC and DT are both evil, awful people. Let's stop fighting about which lizard gets in--after all, that's what they want--and start thinking about how we can make it so you don't have to be a lizard to get in. The real people that hold power are the ones that win after every election. One example: https://theintercept.com/2016/12/09/trump-makes-america-goldmans-again-maga/ https://theintercept.com/2016/12/09/trump-makes-america-gold...

danmaz74 10y ago

How is Trump not a plutocrat?

rrggrr 10y ago
Because now that he is President the Constitution and Congress are his source of power. There's nothing his money can buy him right now that trumps the power of the office and the Congress.
- urbanj 10y ago
  I guess the billions his family will make out of his Presidency is a pure coincidence.
- seppin 10y ago
  I'll try again: How is Trump not a plutocrat riding populist anger into power to enrich himself and his friends?
  - rrggrr 10y ago
    You are arguing that Trump is a kleptocrat, not a plutocrat. A plutocrat derives power from wealth. A kleptocrat uses power to create or enrich her wealth. So, for example, HRC used her power as Secretary of State to enrich her wealth. She is Kleptocrat. WJC used wealth to wield power in Haiti and elsewhere. He is a plutocrat. We don't yet know what Trump is because he hasn't actually done anything and its seriously questionable if he ever will. On the other hand, he prevented a Kleptocratic/Plutocratic duo from running America, so he could retire on top today and it would be for the best.

emodendroket 10y ago

Why would they bother when all of Trump's cabinet is plutocrats and they're pursuing a radical pro-business agenda?

rukittenme 10y ago
What do you consider a "radical pro-business" agenda to be?
- emodendroket 10y ago
  Deregulation, tax cuts, and anti-union legislation on a massive scale. e: Also probably cuts to social spending.
  - emodendroket 10y ago
    I guess I should have also mentioned privatization.
wallace_f 10y ago
Douglas Adams: /* “It comes from a very ancient democracy, you see..." "You mean, it comes from a world of lizards?" "No," said Ford, who by this time was a little more rational and coherent than he had been, having finally had the coffee forced down him, "nothing so simple. Nothing anything like so straightforward. On its world, the people are people. The leaders are lizards. The people hate the lizards and the lizards rule the people." "Odd," said Arthur, "I thought you said it was a democracy." "I did," said Ford. "It is." "So," said Arthur, hoping he wasn't sounding ridiculously obtuse, "why don't people get rid of the lizards?" "It honestly doesn't occur to them," said Ford. "They've all got the vote, so they all pretty much assume that the government they've voted in more or less approximates to the government they want." "You mean they actually vote for the lizards?" "Oh yes," said Ford with a shrug, "of course." "But," said Arthur, going for the big one again, "why?" "Because if they didn't vote for a lizard," said Ford, "the wrong lizard might get in. Got any gin?" / Trump is the wrong lizard.* 95% of the media you see and hear (more if you just read the paper and watch cable news, which I gather is the vast majority of the US population) is owned by one of five corporations. CNN is telling us, verbatim, that "it's illegal to read Wikileaks," while civil and human rights abuses go on every day in America while the media remains silent on many of them. Look, HRC and DT are both evil, awful people. Let's stop fighting about which lizard gets in--after all, that's what they want--and start thinking about how we can make it so you don't have to be a lizard to get in. The real people that hold power are the ones that win after every election. One example: https://theintercept.com/2016/12/09/trump-makes-america-goldmans-again-maga/ https://theintercept.com/2016/12/09/trump-makes-america-gold...