March 14, 2015

 

Be proud, America!  You have the very best Congress that money can buy.

It’s no secret that many in the House and Senate have long been  corrupted by money and special interests.   The constant need to advertise on TV makes all politicians slaves of the money lenders and other big donors. 

The great Mark Twain called Congress “America’s only native criminal class.”  Nothing much has changed.

Members of Congress are held in even lower public esteem than murderers, lawyers and…journalists. It’s often cheaper to buy a legislator than a second-hand car.

One of the biggest outrages has been the way Wall Street money lenders swindled the public and wiped out the nation’s retirement savings – yet escaped all punishment thanks to their huge political contributions to Congress and the White House.

But then came the triumphant visit to Congress by Israel’s rightwing prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.  Congress put on a truly revolting display of sycophancy, servility and brownnosing for Bibi that included 23 rapturous standing ovations. 

This for a foreign leader who had come to insult and humiliate America’s president and drive the US into war with Iran.

Not since a groveling Roman Senate voted to approve Emperor Caligula’s favorite horse, Incitatus, as imperial consul has there been such a embarrassing  spectacle.  

Like the Roman senators, members of the US Congress were motivated by fear and greed.  They know that basic truth of US politics: failure to follow instructions of the mighty Israel lobby means certain loss of your next election,  attacks by the media,  and the end of your political career. 

Former Rep. Paul Findley’s book, “They Dare To Speak Out” is a textbook for what happens to politicians and journalists  who put America’s interests first.  I keep a copy near my desk.

Just as Caligula reportedly watched the Senate vote from behind a screen, so America’s political Golem, casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, watched the Senate proceeds from a balcony perch.   Adelson, one of America’s richest men, made his fortune through gambling, something Dr. Johnson aptly called “a tax on fools.” 

Gambling preys on the poor and addicted just as much as do drugs.   Thanks to his huge profits, Adelson has managed to buy most of the Republican Party.  Its presidential candidates flock to his palace in Las Vegas to kiss his feet and vow eternal allegiance to Israel.  

Adelson, who has reportedly called for nuking Iran,  is also Bibi Netanyahu’s primary political and financial sponsor.  So Adelson can say he owns the US Congress and Israel.  Some Israelis, who will vote next week in a very tight election, are uneasy that Netanyahu is “owned” by the American gambling mogul Adelson.  Is this the Zionist dream of a state built on morality, social fairness, and honesty?

Democrats are now largely owned by Israeli-American billionaire Haim Saban who calls himself somewhere to the right of the late Ariel Sharon.  Saban, a media mogul, recently gave $5-10 million to the Clinton Library and is Hillary’s principal backer. 

Bibi’s visit to Congress was clearly intended as pre-election political grandstanding.  Marketing fear of Islam, Iran, ISIS, Hezbollah, Syria, al-Shebab and Boko Haram are now the stock in trade for embattled politicians in Israel, Canada, Australia and France.

Fear sells.  Moderation does not.  But cash always talks.  Forty-seven Republican senators clapped like trained seals when urged to send a nasty letter to Iran asserting the next president would veto any nuclear deal with Tehran.  The letter was widely condemned as dumb in the US.  Iran rightly termed it an example of the moral decline of American politics.  Sen. John McCain allowed he should have read the draft letter more carefully but was in a rush to leave due to an impending snow storm.  On such stuff hangs the fate of the Mideast.

Many Israelis are more concerned by their economic and social problems than the bogeyman of Iran.   So there’s a possibility that the opposition Zionist Union (formerly Labour Party), led by Isaac Herzog,  may win more votes than Netanyahu’s rightwing Likud Party and its further right allies. 

But forming a coalition in Israel’s ever fractious politics will be very difficult.  A handy, last-minute “crisis” with one of Israel’s neighbors might tip the election to Likud.  A few rockets from Gaza could swing the election.

Herzog says he favors creation of a viable Palestinian state on the Israel-occupied West Bank after some border rectifications.   Netanyahu came out last week and finally admitted he totally opposes a Palestinian state and is determined to hold on to most of the West Bank, including the Jordan Valley, and Syria’s former Golan.

Israel’s right, led by Likud, is not only determined to continue colonizing the West Bank and Golan,  but many of its members harbor expansionist impulses. Syria is in turmoil and largely destroyed.  Some Israeli rightists look at Syria as a  tempting target for Israeli expansion. Now that Israel, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia are increasingly tacit allies,  and the subservient US Republicans almost in power, why not create Greater Israel-Adelsonia.

 

copyright Eric S. Margolis 2015

 

 

 

This post is in: International Politics, Iran, Israel, Syria, USA

5 Responses to “The Best Congress Money Can Buy”

  1. solum temptare possumus says:

    “The individual is handicapped by coming face-to-face with a conspiracy so monstrous, he cannot believe it exists.”
    .
    J. Edgar Hoover 1st Director of the FBI

  2. KeninCanada says:

    Now that the US Supreme Court has said there are no limits to contributions or spending, it will take a constitutional amendment to fix the US political system….pretty unlikely with Republican controlled states. All we can do is wait for one of two outcomes: either the US will collapse under the weight of it’s pork barrels, or the Evangelical takeover will occur (as outlined in Chris Hedges “American Facists: The Christian Right and the War on America).

  3. There’s not much to add… we have the same problem in Canada… a useless and mostly corrupt Senate… and the House of Commons isn’t much better.
    .
    I had an old engineering mentor who commented that elections weren’t of much use… the trough stays the same, only the pigs change… and this was 45 or so years ago… with apologies to Paul K.

    Dik

  4. Steve_M. says:

    Thank you, Mr. Margolis, for being bold enough to speak the truth about the Zionist-controlled US Congress. Canada has a government that is also beholden to Zionist interests, thanks to Stephen Harper, who needs the Jewish voters and their money to win the 2015 election.

  5. It seems to me that Isareli leaders have been saying that Iran was only 6 months away from building a nuclear device….and this was back in the early 90’s.I must say that in all honesty,a LOT of 6 months have come and gone since then.

    It is a known fact that Israel owns America…Netanyahu once quoted…”I have America in my back pocket”.The recent visit by PM Netanyahu,after inviting himself,to give his speech and propaganda about the “bad Iranians’…who haven’t started a war with anyone in the last 300 years or so,is clearly in the crossfire by Israeli leaders.I say leaders because many Israeli citizens and Jews around the world are paying the price for this.In Europe,hatred toward Jews is very evident and growing….unless Israel elects moderate leaders,who are truly interested in peace,absolutely nothing will change.

    As long as AIPAC and Zionist Jews run America and dictate to Washington,their marching orders….NOTHING will ever change and the hatred will keep on growing until some nutcase is going to use a nuclear device to show who’s in charge.In the past…nuclear weapons have been strictly used as a deterrent to other countries who also possess the bomb….so why should Iran not be allowed to have a nuclear bomb?They have made it clear that they are more than willing to sign a NPT….whereas Israel is still today refusing to sign it….could they be hiding something….yes….about 300 or 400 nuclear devices believed to be stored in the Negev Desert.PEOPLE…..open your eyes!

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