As parvenu wrote here in his fine analysis of the Republican Party’s current main interest groups:
There are three major groups striving for control of the Republican Party. There are (1) the Christian Evangelicals/Southern Baptist group, (2) the Plutocratic Corporate Oligarchs, and (3) the Libertarians.
The odds-on favorite to win is #2. The Plutocratic Corporate Oligarchs.
The Plutocratic Corporate Oligarchs and their boy Romney.
Why?
Read on.
Because #2 controls the opinion-making system and it also controls the two major political parties. It will attempt to duck a strong, relatively intractable candidate like Ron Paul or a wildcard type…and Bachmann, Perry and Palin would all be potential wild cards once in power, bet on it…even if it means nominating a loser. Why? Because it will be quite happy to re-elect someone who has either chosen fealty to corporate aims over changes in the financial system and/or simply has not or will not be in any position to make any changes for four more years, and Obama fits both of those descriptions quite nicely.
Choose one or both.
Obama either:
!- Sold his ass down the corporate river in order to get the nomination in 2008.
2-Is in such a bad position vis á vis Congress that no matter how much he wants to do so he cannot create any changes in how the U.S. financial system is regulated.
or
3-Sold his ass down the corporate river and is in such a bad position vis á vis Congress that he cannot attempt to renege on the promises that he made in order to be (s)elected in the first place.
Any way you look at it, Corporate America has him in a controllable position.
Contrast that to the potential positions of most of the legit RatPub contenders…particularly Ron Paul who is basically preaching a financial revolution in this country.
Ron Paul has a certain power and charisma that is driven by his ideas? Ideas that threaten the entire financial power structure of the U.S….and quite possibly the world…as it now stands? All of the others save Romney have bases that are flat-out loony bin material? Then give Obama another tomato can like McCain to beat on. Possibly with a running mate that is also a tomato can.
Say…Romney and Bachmann.
OOOOOooooo…!!! Wouldn’t the Dems love that combo!
And the beat goes on.
Who’s providing that beat, the one to which the U.S. electorate dances? (Those beats, actually, because the so-called far-right, right, middle, and left all have their own corporate-owned rhythm sections to call the dance.)
Guess who.
The networks.
That’s who.
The “Networks.” An interesting choice of name.
Who’s providing the beat? The mass media “networks” are providing it. And they are so powerful that the number of those who manage to remain aware enough to dance to different drummers is so small as to be totally inconsequential in a general election. At the center of each network sits a spider or two or three who make sure that each particular web stays on message in order to capture a particular type of prey.
Who are those prey? As I said…the members of the so-called far-right, right, middle, and left voting blocs. (There is no far-left voting bloc. Too scary. The far-left specializes in web-busting and we can’t have that, can we.)
And there we are once again. Ready to make sure the business of America…big business, bet on it…remains relatively uncontrolled and thus fabulously profitable.
Chances of an upset?
Slim. Too much opinion-making power is concentrated in the media for an upset to happen. Only some unforeseeable disaster…total economic collapse, another major terrorist activity on U.S. soil, some sort of really serious environmental or weather disaster…could shake an upset loose from the current fix system. The fix isn’t in yet…it really wasn’t in last time until the media began imaging Obama as a new Superman and Hillary Clinton as a weepy, post-menopausal woman…but it’s already taking shape.
Ron Paul is being reduced to an afterthought, Rick Perry and Michelle Bachman are (quite justly) being treated as nutflakes, Sarah Palin has already been painted as a grasping, false candidate who is only out for the money, and the little mini-waves for people like Christie and Huntsman are just diversions. The Romney fix is taking shape. He could still totally blow it…he has all the charisma of a well-used corporate office couch…but that’s doubtful.
So it’s looking like it will be:
ROMNEY FOR PRESIDENT!!!
HOOray!!! HOOray!!! HOOray!!!
Followed by a swift ass-kicking from Obama and four more years of lame duck preznitcy.
Just as Corporate America likes it.
Watch.
AG