GUEST: John Stauber, political activist who founded the Center for Media and Democracy and co-authored six books about propaganda, talks about his recent article in Counterpunch entitled: "The Progressive Movement is a PR Front for Rich Democrats."
John's political analysis is very close to mine. When the Nation Magazine supported the Democrats in 2000, I finally wrote them off as part of the problem and not part of the solution. The group "MoveOn" was an easier decision. They wouldn't do a survey of New York State MoveOn members on what "antiwar" candidate they wanted to back for Senate. MoveOn wanted Hillary, of course, and refused to do a poll until two days before the primary. Like the Working Families Party, MoveOn is transparent (or are all these astroturf groups that way after you take closer look?)
What is the nature of our political life? How best to bring change to our system so mired in corporate influence? Maybe it is to question the legitimacy of the system. When enough of the population question the basic fairness of their form of government, you get an Arab Spring. I think many countries in Europe are much closer to this than we think. Now to apply what we have learned at home, in the belly of the beast.
