Here's an opportunity to apply a partial test to the idea -- very common on both Right and Left -- that corporations and big banks own the political system. A new poll by the Financial Times shows that these firms have a very clear favorite to win the Presidency: Hillary Clinton.
Now, if she gets elected, that doesn't prove that the banks and corporations own the political system.
If she loses, however, with these figures? We'll have to put aside the notion that banks and corporations are all that influential. 71% of these corporations prefer her on immigration, compared with zero percent preferring Donald Trump. 63% prefer her on trade, compared with zero percent on Trump. And 25% of them prefer her on taxes, the only category she (narrowly) loses to Trump.
She is clearly the candidate of the corporate establishment, as she is the candidate of the political establishment. If she loses, we'll have to accept that Americans are still in charge of our own destiny.
From the FT article: Trump is a good wake-up call to stop thinking everything is fine [in the US], as we have done for the past six years.
ReplyDeleteWhat you mean "we," European?
pursuing a protectionist economic agenda by scrapping the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal
Which France, Spain, Germany, and the EU Commission for Competition already are pushing. Just how far out of touch are these FT guys?
Most of the investors indirectly cited are just going to lose money trying to play political games with their investments.
If she loses, we'll have to accept that Americans are still in charge of our own destiny.
Not so much. Corporations don't have any more influence or control over voters who are their employees than do unions over voters who are their members. Less, in fact, since most voters are employees of small businesses, which don't have the same political or cronyist interests as the GEs and Pfizers of the nation. A Trump win won't mean much of anything regarding corporate America.
Eric Hines
It'll mean they couldn't elect their very favored candidate. If you're a conspiracist about corporate domination of the American political system, that ought to be an earthquake -- even moreso than watching Jeb Bush get thrashed should have been to those who thought the fix was in for the Republican nomination.
ReplyDeleteNot being a conspiracist (my conspiracy theories are spot on, after all), I don't follow the corporate conspiracies.
ReplyDeleteEric Hines
Now, if she gets elected, that doesn't prove that the banks and corporations own the political system.
ReplyDeleteThat last part should be qualified as paranoid by Assistant.