The real elite and what they don’t want discussed

ABC deserves every hit it has taken for the "debate" that focused on swift-boating Barack Obama, including a question fed to former Clinton intimate George Stephanopoulos by right-wing thug Sean Hannity. A couple of other points deserve our attention — indeed, they are the real story.

First, most television "news" stopped being journalism years ago. This has been aggravated by the elimination of the fairness doctrine and deregulation that allowed consolidation in the media. Now the owners of the public airwaves have no requirement to support the public trust by providing balanced news. They have a powerful interest in supporting the corporate tilt of Washington, which even manifests itself in Charlie Gibson’s flat-wrong assertions about the capital gains tax. Talk about elitists. The corporate electronic media are part of the elite (Charlie wants his tax breaks and completely understands man-of-the-people McCain with his eight houses and millions).

With silliness such as the taped "questions" by "average" uninformed (God help us) voters, such as the poor woman who asked about the flag pin, it’s obvious this elite has an agenda. They have chosen sides. Note McCain never gets questioned about his genuinely questionable ties. They want us stupid. The public schools have been destroyed. Even the conservative Economist says meritocracy is dead in America. Endless hours of television and cheap electronic distractions add to the mindness suckling at the Matrix. Just to be sure, we have "debates" such as the one in Philadelphia.

What on earth might we realize if we didn’t have our minds on flag pins and Obama’s pastor?

Where to begin?

–The United States faces a clear and present danger with global warming, from the peril awaiting the urban Southwest to the global instability that will not only cost the economy and involve more military adventures, but wash up on our shores in a refugee crisis of historic proportions. The Bush administration has spent its time denying, stalling and preventing action. McCain promises more of the same. Whatever proto-sexual fantasies the media have about McCain as a "maverick," his donors will not allow meaningful action on climate change. McCain’s record as a senator shows he is a "do nothing" official.

–There’s no end in sight in Iraq and any steps we take risk further destabilizing the region that is the heart of the world’s oil supply. The escalation has not succeeded in its own terms: providing enough peace for a political solution. The region is much more dangerous, and Americans far less safe, than at 9/11. McCain promises more of the same, plus war with Iran.

–Energy prices will continue to rise as oil becomes more expensive, harder to produce and more costly to refine. No alternative is without flaws, especially the ethanol scam that has federal incentives behind it. What are we going to do? As Jim Kunstler says, we will have to make other living arrangements. Who will tell the people? Not  "straight talk" John McCain.

–Americans are falling further and further behind, in education, in health care, in areas of competitiveness we once dominated. This is cloaked by the wealth created by the baby boomer’s parents and the money made by the elite’s 25-year looting spree of the American economy. Trade is off track, and the choices are not the status quo or "protectionism." Our living standards are falling. John McCain promises more tax cuts and sweetheart deals for this elite.

This is just a start, and the Democratic candidates deserve a serious grilling. It would force them to refine their policies further. But even their sound bytes are a threat to the elite. So, back to that flag pin, Senator…