Princeton makes it official: USA has become an Oligarchy

[Cal33]

by F. William Engdahl | November 11, 2014

<< American media is fond of speaking about “Russian Oligarchs” as if Russia were the only nation that allowed accumulation of such unprecedented wealth. The Yeltsin days of dis-order and collapse indeed saw the rapid rise of many fortunes and oligarchs—persons of very much wealth. Some of them have proven patriotic citizens, some like Khodokorvsky or the late unlamented Boris Berezhovsky proved to be loveless gangsters. A new study, however by a Princeton University Professor of the influence of very wealthy or economically powerful persons on American political policies makes clear for the first time that a genuine American Oligarchy has staged a slow coup d’etat over US foreign and domestic policy over the past three decades since the era of Ronald Reagan. This American oligarchy today is the major force for war and dis-order across the planet.

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Martin Gilens is Professor of Politics at Princeton University together with Benjamin I. Page Professor at Northwestern University have published results of a unique analysis “using a unique data set that includes measures of the key variables for 1,779 policy issues.” The study concludes that, “Multivariate analysis indicates that economic elites and organized groups representing business interests have substantial independent impacts on US government policy, while average citizens and mass-based interest groups have little or no independent influence. The results provide substantial support for theories of Economic-Elite Domination…”

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In a subsequent media interview, Gilens noted what they concluded in their analysis of volumes of data from 1981-2002 for government policy decisions and the role of elites versus ordinary citizens in some 1,800 different policy initiatives: “One central factor is the role of money in our political system, and the overwhelming role that affluent individuals that affluent individuals and organized interests play, in campaign finance and in lobbying. And the second thing is the lack of mass organizations that represent and facilitate the voice of ordinary citizens. Part of that would be the decline of unions in the country which has been quite dramatic over the last 30 or 40 years. And part of it is the lack of a socialist or a worker’s party.” [The GOP is making very sure that there will be no Worker's
Party now or in the future].

The study verifies with ample empirical data what I have witnessed during the course of my own life as an American over the past four decades. There has been a silent coup d’etat of the monied class, an American oligarchy. Names such as Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, David Rockefeller, Sheldon Adelson (main financier of Mitt Romney for President), the Koch Brothers (main financiers of the Tea Party political movement), George H.W. Bush and family. The top 1% have reshaped the fundamentals of American life, culture and above all politics. A decision to wage war today against Iraq, Afghanistan or Syria depends not on the will of average Americans. Obama was elected on a pledge to close the US Army torture center at Guantanamo and six years on has yet to do. He won a Nobel Peace Prize in his first month and proceeded to wage more war in Afghanistan, Egypt, Libya and most recently Syria and Ukraine.

It is important to have this in mind when judging “America.” The United States of America today bears little resemblance to that I knew when I grew up in the early 1960’s, when a used good Chevy cost $650 and college tuition could be afforded by ordinary Americans if they were willing to study. The oligarchy that has taken policy control behind a thin façade of “democracy” has ultimately ruined the industrial and social fabric of the United States. They are the ones behind the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, or bank deregulation so they can loot the planet. This new study by Princeton’s Prof. Gilens is a refreshing attempt, even if academic and from one of the most elite academic universities, to shed some light on what is fundamentally wrong with America over the past three decades. >>

Small wonder that the GOP is afraid of Elizabeth Warren, she is fighting for the life of and trying to resuscitate the American
Middle-Class. They are afraid that she might succeed.

http://www.infowars.com/princeton-makes-it-official-usa-has-become-oligarchy/

[Liberal_in_LA]

1. kick

[DhhD]

2. Elizabeth Warren is pulling the Insiders out, to be viewed by the public.

I believe that the Insiders have already decimated the poor and lower middle classes; who is next? New round of layoffs for people in their mid-50s with five years left on their mortgages? Those, that some might consider, to be in the upper middle classes. The question is, will they continue to vote for a Tea Party Insider, as the Insiders themselves are running for President now. Ted Cruz has already declared himself to be The One (anointed by his religion). The 2016 Democratic Primary will be very important to the democracy of this nation, in my opinion. Will the Democratic Party run an Insider against and Insider? That would be very oligarchic. Seems a candidate of the People, by the People and for the People, is the way of Democracy.

[Cal33]

3. I hope the Democratic Party will not nominate an Insider, although at this time an Insider

seems to be the top choice. But, there is still time for things to change. Yes, I fully agree, a candidate of
the People, by the People and for the People, is the way of Democracy. And Elizabeth Warren is, as usual,
doing more than her share in trying to bring this about. She is a winner.

[BetterWorldMLK]

4. Fight oligarchy by stamping money out of politics

Fight oligarchy with www.StampStampede.org --a non-profit started by Ben Cohen of Ben & Jerry's. +30,000 of us are trying to #GetMoneyOut of politics & spread that message through stamping money with messages like "Not to be Used for Buying Elections" on dollars (and more, see website)... We want to reduce the crazy cost of U.S. elections, lobbyists influencing our politicians, and corporations flooding money into Washington to get their way. It's a petition on steroids that you can do anywhere and anytime!

[FBaggins]

5. Princeton isn't in a postion to make it "official"

Let alone one professor at Princeton.

Nor is InfoWars and conspiracy-nutcase Jones a source that should be cited here a newsworthy.

[Cal33]

6. The arguments presented by this one professor are pretty convincing -- and they all check out

in terms of accuracy.

[FBaggins]

7. Nope

The arguments still all boil down to "let's use my definition of oligarchy instead of the real one"

He's demonstrated only that which we all already knew... that the richest 1% wield quite a bit more political power than the rest of us.

Unfortunately for the argument... that isn't even close to what an oligarchy is.

[uhnope]

8. yes and author William Engdahl is a regular columnist for the virulently anti-Semitic website...

...Veterans Today
Read more at http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=e81_1406054173#1phzr9dRVd0s0dCj.99

[uhnope]

9. author William Engdahl is a regular columnist for virulently anti-Semitic website Veterans Today

Why are you citing such a freak and Infowars on a progressive website like DU?