All the screaming, all the shouting, all the BS we constantly see coming through our TV's doesn't really address the problems that we face day in and day out.
But not this time.
Stewart: It's seem like there's big talk on the right, about how this country is turning to the left, it's socials, we're moving towards Europe, but have we? The way I see it's Nixon couldn't be Republican anymore, Nixon would be considered a Liberal in this day and age.
...
Cantor: When you listen to the rhetoric, it's "Run Away Wall Street", it's run away with people who've been successful.
Stewart: Would you disagree that Wall Street has been a bit excessive?
Cantor: No, I would not.
Stewart: So you would suggest that they are also "Run Away"?
Cantor: I would not malign success.
Stewart: Are they maligning success or are the maligning rapaciousness? Like the Robber Barons, they were considered "successful", but rapacious
Yet again the truth is that Republicans have become the defenders of Corporate Freedom, but not personal and individual freedom. Democrats have attempted to reign in corporate malfeasance in order to protect the freedom of consumers and workers.
Stewart: Any income tax is redistributive. We've had that for 90 years, 100 years? So any of those policies, any thing that you implement - do we really have a "Free Market" Economy, because if you really do that the jobs will disappear to India and China faster than you can say "Where are the Jobs?
And yet we see candidate after candidate on the right arguing simultaneously that the Obama policies haven't brought enough jobs - while Republicans block the bill to revoke tax loopholes for companies that ship our jobs overseas. And still they claim to stand on "Principle".
Cantor: We talk about the fact that we believe in principles, and when you ridicule freedom....
Stewart: I don't ridicule Freedom, I ridicule the idea that it's a slogan and platitude and not a reality. That government is the only impingement on Freedom. Corpoorations can impinge freedom. One of the greatest expansion of freedom in this country are roads.
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And those roads were built by Government. Government workers. I am not ridiculing Freedom, I am ridiculing the idea of Freedom as a slogan. A slogan to be used as a cudgel against anybody would disagree with a economic policy that they think is allowing too much corporate rapaciousness, not redistributing wealth for the sake of castigating those who are success - but not allowing those who can fix the system. Capitalism, you can not deny has a certain amount of collateral damage.
Somebody has to stand up for the working people. The corporations aren't going to do it, the government has a role in doing that, and that's what I'm saying.
Right there, Stewart gets to the heart of the government bashing that is driving this election cycle. SOMEBODY HAS TO DO. Somebody has to stand up for the people, or else they'll be crushed under the corporate heel.
Contrast Stewart's rational and reasonable questioning of Cantor with the usual Talking Point Crapfest we got from the likes of Face the Nation just this morning.
Everything Liz Cheney says is a lie, but a very well crafted lie.
The proof that the U.S. Chamber is taking Foreign Money and putting it into election campaigns is the fact that where they claim the money has come from, such as their AMCham's, isn't anywhere near the amount they've spent or plan to send. The numbers simply don't add up. Their planning to spend about $75 Million for ads, and they claim these are being paid for via AmCham's which have only raised about $100,000, meanwhile Thinkprogress found 85 Foreign Companies that have given at least $885,000 to the chamber, and that's only a small portion of various foreign companies that have contributed. The question is how much of that money is paying for these ads - which is certainly a fair question to ask since Rupert Murdock, an Australian, has had News Corp - whose 3rd Largest Stockholder is a Saudi Prince, give over $2.25 Million to Republicans this cycle.
Even Liz Cheney claims to want "Disclosure", but ignores the fact that Republicans blocked the Disclose Act which would have shed much needed light on this problem.
Here's another example from Tea Party Prince Rand Paul who argues that Democrats are wrong-headed to criticize the Chamber.
Paul: I see the Chamber as a group that fosters economic development in every community. ... In fact, we would encourage you to keep attacking the Chamber because the Chamber is probably more popular than any politician running for office. So please, your side, if you like this — keep on attacking the Chamber. It makes no sense whatsoever. And I think it’s a really, really poor political tactic and untrue.
This is where the Libertarian Free Market theory hits the FAIL of reality. People like Paul argue that corporations should be free to do what they want, even when it comes to practicing discrimination against their customers and employees, but that people should be able to Vote with their Dollars, but when it comes to asking corporations to Admit What their Doing they balk and begin to argue that this would put a "restraint on Free Speech".
Just like Cheney attacked Howard Dean for being supported by George Soros and Moveon.org (which he denies) - Paul attacks Conway for this Moveon Ad - while ignoring the key difference. We know whose funding the MoveOn ad - because they Disclose. Both Cheney and Paul can make those arguments because we know where the money's coming from with MoveOn, but we Don't Know with the Chamber.
How can people "Vote with their Dollars" within the Free Market, if the Market only operates in darkness? How can consumers make a choice about supporting Fox News and their advertisers if they didn't know they've given $2.25 Million to the Republican Governors Association and the Chamber?
How can people take a stand against bigotry and racism when the individuals and organizations who continue to implement it to this very day depend on Secrecy to get away with it? And then when their caught, LIE ABOUT IT, try to excuse and deflect it the way the leaders of the Tea Party has done?
Eventually it all breaks down into finger-pointing over and over again. Accusation, Denial, Counter-Accusation, but not truth, not facts.
Bickering and fact-spinning is what we've become accustomed to, but it's not the way it has to be as shown in Part 2 of the Cantor Interview: Do you really think Democrats want to Subvert the Country?
Here Cantor also argues for Disclosure as well, but not for what would really solve the problem - which is to take funding our elections completely out of the hands of corporations.
Stewart: The Government is not always a impingement on freedom. Sometimes it's the only thing standing between....
Cantor: Absolutely. I don't disagree with you...
Stewart: I know, you just disagree on where's it pressure should be applied (for Publicly Funded Wars, but not Publicly Funded Elections) and that's my whole point with the fallacy that limited Government is a principled stand of Conservatives, It's only Limited to the SHIT they Want to Do!
As Stewart points out the Integrity of our Electoral Process is at the core of our Democracy and it's a core National Security Issue particularly when were looking at the ability of Foreign Nationals, Foreign Companies and Foreign Governments to Capture Our Democracy for the purposes of steal our jobs and national resources for their own benefit.
Wouldn't it be better if we could discuss it the way Cantor and Stewart did, rather than the way Cheney and Dean do?
Vyan
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