History I learned just last week (re: plutocrats)

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

What I knew:
The Baron Robbers -- most notably Rockefeller, JP Morgan, and Carnegie -- owned the last half of the 19th century and early 20th century much like today's plutocrats. Labor unions were only starting to emerge in the late 1800s.

What I learned:
A populous but immensely eclectic Democrat -- pro-labor, anti-banking, anti-railroads, prohibitionist, creationist -- William Jennings Bryan, emerged in the 1890s who had the plutocrats in his crosshairs. Fearing an end to their empires, the intensely combative plutocrats got together and financed a swiftboat-like attack campaign against Bryan which helped their pro-plutocrat candidate, William McKinley, win in 1896. In the meantime, progressive Republican and anti-plutocrat, Teddy Roosevelt, emerged and the plutocrats feared him. The plutocrats decided the best way to control Roosevelt was to have McKinley make him his VP running mate in 1900. The theory was, as VP, Roosevelt was no longer relevant and no longer presented an obstacle. McKinley was re-elected and it appeared the plutocrats had won. During this time, however, in the midst of great human suffering, anarchist groups began to emerge. In September 1901, McKinley was assassinated by an anarchist. Roosevelt, a "Trust Buster", assumed office of the president and the plutocrat's gamble backfired.


Wow! that's crazy!

Hopefully, that's a pretty accurate account. I guess I get a :paper bag: for not having learned this before the age of 47 (of course, I could have learned this 35 years ago and just forgot

[Warpy]

1. Yeah, and the only reason men like Prescott Bush allowed FDR in

is because they considered him a Milquetoast and part of their class and therefore harmless. That's why they tried to organize the coup that Smedley Butler foiled, they had misjudged him completely and were utterly appalled.

The Roosevelts had been the plutocrats of another gilded age, just as rapacious as the Carnegies, Astors, and Rockefellers were in the late 1800s and the Kochs and Waltons are now. Subsequent generations who hadn't made all that money realized the true rules of the game and vowed to overturn the tables.

We've been through this again and again in this country and when push has come to shove right back, we've had some very unlikely officials change the rules of the game enough that we have occasional periods of prosperity for most instead of hoarding by a few.

I just hope another one manages to get in through the back door and overturn the gaming tables again, throwing out the loaded dice and removing the foot pedal from the roulette wheels.

[MisterP]

2. old-Earth creationist, to boot--of course "creationist" also overlapped with "against war as

international competition, imperial racism, and sterilizing the parents of the poor and club-flooted"

so you have that factor complicating the waters: young-Earthers were seen as flat-Earthers back then (because they basically ARE, until some Adventist heretic made it acceptable to enough millions in the 1960s)

[Wellstone ruled]

3. Ah the mirror!

And we are living in the same Plutocratic Game situation once again. Same usual families with a few new players. Waltons,Forbes,over paid Bankers and Hedge Fund managers,Welch,Insurance Company CEO's and Tech CEO's. At the turn of the 20th century,the faces of power were very similiar. History will repeat,just some minor changes,with out being proactive. People just have to PAY ATTENTION.