Thursday, January 12, 2023

The Coalition Of The (Very) Willing

MrSaturdayNight
NotBorkVille


Robert Reich, who first served in the US'ian presidential administrations of Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter before he became Bill Clinton's Labour Secretary, knows of what he speaks:

The two parts of the Republican Party — the MAGA cultural warriors and the economic oligarchs — need each other. 

The oligarchy — billionaires, top CEOs, and moguls of Wall Street — wants lower taxes (which requires less government spending) and fewer regulations. Most basically, it wants to continue to siphon off more of the economy’s total gains.

To do so, it needs the MAGA cultural warriors to keep America divided over non-economic issues (abortion, gay rights, immigration, voting rights, religious freedom) so most Americans won’t look up and see where all the money has gone.

And the MAGA warriors need the oligarchy’s money for their campaigns. 

This was the coalition and the strategy Trump relied on. The oligarchy financed Trump Republicans. In return, the oligarchs got lower taxes and regulatory rollbacks, while Trump and his MAGAs distracted the public with culture wars and warriors...


And who else needs this 'coalition'?

I would suggest it is the US'ian corpMedia outlets, especially the cable news versions, to ensure that all that oligarchy campaign money, in the form of never ending ad buys, keeps on rolling in. Not to mention all the eyeballs, hits and ratings they garner while they 'cover' the spectacle. 

And, to be absolutely clear here, we're not just talking about Fox News.

To wit, the following historical snippet from March of 2021:
  • CNN had record-breaking viewership during the finals months of Trump's presidency (in late 2020).
  • There has been a dramatic decline in ratings since Inauguration Day (in January 2021), according to new research.
  • CNN has lost 36% of its primetime viewers since January 21 (2021), the Nielsen Media Research data said.
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4 comments:

Anonymous said...

So what’s bad for CNN is good for America?

Evil Eye said...

God, where is an "open window" when you need one.

As the USA teeters into a fascist dictatorship, we sit back and complain about the little stuff.

In Canada, we have one of the most corrupt and useless government, with an equally inept Prime Minister, running the country, but the other politcal parties and their leaders tend to make Trudeau look good.

One cannot help but to speculate that it is by design.

And then there is the Canadian media, the best media money can buy.

Welcome to the sad and long road to oblivion.

jurassicpork said...

Dude, Robert Reich was Clinton's Labor Secretary, not the Treasurer, something I'd think even a Canadian would know.

RossK said...

jp--

Ha!

'even' a Canadian should know?...sure thing.

Anyway, thanks and it's now fixed (including with the requisite 'u' in labour).


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