By Ramin Mazaheri and by author permission crossposted with Sputniknews.
We are currently experiencing the biggest era of American division in 50 years, but one thing Americans are united in is that they want additional coronavirus stimulus: a poll last week showed 70% of respondents demand a re-routing of taxes back their way.
The reasons for that are too numerous to list here, but it’s not hyperbole to summarise that national economic indicators suggest either “Great Depression II” or “Great Recession-er.”
Yet for months Congress has remained deadlocked on concluding a relief plan which would get scores of millions of Americans to back away from the ledge, the bottle, the prescription pill and the daily conversations they are having with each other about their very serious economic desperation and hopelessness.
The coronavirus seems likely to deal a death blow to the neoliberal form of capitalism, which has always been a faith-based ideology with a terrible track record, anyway: in a major crisis a central government simply must provide services and aid, and simply cannot continue to slash itself into neoliberal-ordered nothingness.
While rational American conservatives are slowly coming around on this, the nation’s top Republican lawmakers are not.
A comparison of the $3.4 trillion Democrat and the $1.1 trillion Republican stimulus plans shows that the biggest disagreement comes on the core neoliberal and libertarian tenet of eliminating government as much as possible: Democrats want $1.1 trillion earmarked for state and local governments, while Republicans propose just $100 billion. More than a few fiscally-reactionary Republicans think the original $2.2 trillion CARES Act overstepped the absurd limits they set on government, but the vast majority of conservatives in Congress are simply not going to allow the coronavirus to roll back their four decades of efforts to reduce government at all levels.
It should be remembered that in the American federal system local government plays – or used to – a much larger role than in most other countries. The coronavirus also seems likely to deal another death blow – to those who insist on a weak central government: the fragmented and chaotic US response to the pandemic is a direct result of their insistence on “states’ rights” over national well-being, which makes a unified response to any type of crisis fundamentally impossible.
So when truly half of the disputed difference between the two plans is over this radical and unusually-American neoliberal issue, we should not expect Republicans to capitulate anytime soon. Yet as the grassroots support for more stimulus reminds us – the Republican elite in Washington are obviously totally out of touch with the economic fears of the average Republican elsewhere.
On the other side of the aisle, one should not assume that Democrats are totally genuine in their desire to extend greater help to American citizens.
After all, if they wanted to re-inflate local and state governments so badly, why didn’t they include greater redistribution in the CARES Act? Every political operator knew that their chances were better at the start of the coronavirus hysteria, and also that the chances for bipartisan agreement (obviously necessary in a Republican-controlled Senate) would decrease closer to election day.
The $1.1 trillion for state and local government looks more like a phony “poison pill” designed to inflame Republican ideological morals when combined with the fact that the Democrat plan contains exactly zero additional aid for small businesses, who have always provided the backbone of the Republican Party. Small-business aid is the second-largest component of the Republican’s second stimulus plan, at $200 billion. Zero for small businesses – which provide over 40% of national economic output – is not only idiotic and guaranteed to perpetuate economic misery, but can easily be perceived by Republicans as an ideological slap in the face.
Many wonder if the plan of the Democratic elite all along was to drag their feet on what they wanted at the start of the coronavirus panic in order to put themselves in a position to accuse Republicans of dragging their feet on a deal closer to November. Allowing an already-festering country to rot for months in order to win an election sounds like bad governance bordering on treason, but the anti-Trump faction among the US 1% is surely willing to do anything to get the rogue politician out of office.
Last month Trump smartly circumvented Congress to extend desperately-needed jobless benefits to tens of millions of Americans – what’s perplexing is why Trump isn’t already talking about doing that again? Aiding suffering constituents shouldn’t be denigrated as corrupt “patronage” or “vote-buying” – it’s good governance. Unfortunately, elite Republicans ideologically insist that “good governance” is an oxymoron.
Trump was elected in 2016 precisely because he defied Republican leadership and ideology – the best way for him to get re-elected would be to revert to that form, and to send another round of direct stimulus to voters.
That may require bypassing Congress again, which seems unlikely to agree on a significant compromise. This allows both sides to blame each other for economic woes all the way up until November 3, but it crucially allows “the swamp” to do something which they emphatically agree on: blaming Trump for every problem in order to get the unprecedented outsider out of office.
Ramin Mazaheri is currently in the US covering their elections. He is the chief correspondent in Paris for PressTV and has lived in France since 2009. He has been a daily newspaper reporter in the US, and has reported from Iran, Cuba, Egypt, Tunisia, South Korea and elsewhere. He is the author of ‘Socialism’s Ignored Success: Iranian Islamic Socialism’ as well as ‘I’ll Ruin Everything You Are: Ending Western Propaganda on Red China’, which is also available in simplified and traditional Chinese.
Trump may need to exercise reserve powers to address this impasse.
US is experiencing what would have happened to Russia if they had let Soros and others in.
An internal attack – whereas attacks on Russia by the same devils are mostly external as a result.
EU countries are also under same attack.
”US is experiencing what would have happened to Russia if they had let Soros and others in.”
Exactly. Here, Ramin wrongly puts emphasis on the fiction garbage which is US ”party politics” while George Soros is completely absent. No offense: Ramin is honest, so it’s absolutely not a matter of adapting to the Western presstitutes on his part.
Anyway, with George Soros openly orchestrating the ongoing collapse of the US — his purported ’philanthropy’ actually seems to bring welcome results at last — it would be quite interesting to hear what these Pindo political scum have to say, if anything. The sweet irony is that Soros is a Jew which, especially in the US, goes a very long way to keep him untouchable and his opponents kept in check firmly by the fear of the usual hogwash.
So, kudos to Putin and Russia for disposing of George Soros by the arrest warrant against him. And kudos to the cadaver himself for heeding Putin’s warning and ably driving his own US right into the gutter.
Soros is not a true Jew – he is one of these peripheral supposid ones (if at all as his ancestry is unusual and not really known) who is colluding with EU devils. Soros is their agent there to make Jews look bad and to infiltrate the Jewish population in US.
True Jews are honest hardworking honorable religious people, who like most people, distain people like Soros and his agenda of greed & power and just want peace and stability rather than ongoing war and chaos.
So you touch on the distinction between Jews and Zionists. Soros is a Zionist who sold Jews down the river in WW2 Hungary. The same could be said of Wall St pre WW2. They knew the consequences to Jews in Germany when they sanctioned German imports to the USA.
Ref “True Jews are honest hardworking honorable religious people”, well some yes. Most Jews are immigrants to other countries and when you come from somewhere impoverished you will work if you see reward. The problem is with all 2nd/3rd generation migrants is they maybe don’t have the same incentive. 2nd/3rd generation Jews appear to have been looked after by their own ilk, hence the phrase “You never see a poor one”
.. Just an observation…
… the phrase “You never see a poor one” …
Back in the 1870’s, Mussorgsky did:
http://jeannettefang.com/on-the-artwork-that-inspired-mussorgskys-pictures-at-an-exhibition-part-2/
.. Just an observation…
Just sayin
There are 4 stages to create a failed state which is then vulnerable to all types of manipulation (think Russia 1991-99):
1 Demoralization 15 – 20 yrs
2 Destabilization 5 yrs
3 Crisis
4 Normalization – can extend indefinitely into the future
For brief explanation: KGB defector Yuri Bezmenov’s warning to America (1984) (6:50) https://youtu.be/IQPsKvG6WMI
I believe US is being pushed into Stage 3 ‘crisis’
America did it to itself. Please don’t imply that the US is a victim. American people, sure, they’re victims. But not the sociopolitical entity called the United States.
Pindos are even funnier than Narendra Modi’s mass base in India. At least, the average BJP specimen has a sense of unity both with the movement and, albeit foolishly, the country. Pindos, having lost their social cohesion, are happy to blow each other’s heads off while they are all spouting the same Tourette tics to the greater glory of themselves.
I’m afraid you’re wrong about the Modifellating Bhaktonazis. Their only brief is to protect Modi. To this end they’re willing to turn on a pin and contradict themselves if necessary. For instance in the Modi regime’s manufactured confrontation with China in May – June, a number of Indian soldiers were captured by the Chinese and a photo of them lying on the ground and tied with ropes was put online. Anti Modi people asked what Modi was doing when Indian soldiers were being treated like this. The same Modiganda purveyors instantly claimed that they were Indian soldiers “rescued from an avalanche” by the Chinese. You’ll note that they switched from calling the Chinese invaders of Holy Indian Territory to saviours of the Indian army in no time at all. Their only intention was to protect Modi, nothing more.
https://www.altnews.in/no-this-is-not-an-image-of-chinese-soldiers-helping-indian-army-men-injured-in-avalanche/
The Modifellating Bhaktonazis – and I’m not exaggerating about this – usually can’t even name all the states of India and their capitals. Some of them cannot locate India on the outline map of the world.
Makes sense, coming to think of it. With Modi being a Hindu deity on hangover, he could be expected to be irascible as well as incoherent. The quality of his wisdom glistens accordingly.
The poor Pindos don’t even have someone of Modi’s intellectual stature in high office. But, hey, the Pindos are fabulously dexterous and resolute with their firearms.
Su respuesta es totalmente relevante en este caso. Aquí no hay agentes externos como agencias de seguridad que hayan sido infiltradas para que ocasionen esa crisis (CIA, DEA, OEA, USAID, etc) o medios de comunicación que constantemente ataquen al sistema. El sistema neoliberal por sí solo está llevando a los EE. UU. a su colapso, la pandemia del coronavirus solamente ha sido la chispa para encender la llama.
Yandex Translation
Your answer is totally relevant in this case. Here there are no external agents such as security agencies that have been infiltrated to cause this crisis (CIA, DEA, OAS, USAID, etc.) or media that constantly attack the system. The neoliberal system alone is leading the U.S. UU. upon its collapse, the coronavirus pandemic has only been the spark to ignite the flame
The Cofraud19 measures have created a lot of fuel for destabilization, but life seems to go on, albeit, oddly. The “crisis” part seems to be “made for TV” drama, with professional agitators and complicit officials making a lot of noise but little authentic participation by the public. None of the “riot” footage I have seen makes use of drones or panoramic shots, a big tell. Like a Hillary “rally”. My deepest hope is my countrymen know in their hearts this is a deep state “Psy-opera” and ignore it.
If either of the “two” (really one) parties cared anything about helping American people the answer would be obvious: close down their Empire of bases, stop their endless wars of choice, withdraw from the Mafia organisation called NATO, and stop pouring money into the racist fascist apartheid colonial settler zionist entity in Occupied Palestine. Will they even contemplate any of those things? Of course not. Will the American people, if asked, approve any of those things? Perhaps, though with their systematic brainwashing it’s doubtful. In any case they will not be asked. They might decide the wrong way.
Mutually assured destruction is still our safest bet.
Pathetic, isn’t it?
This “Crises” was caused by governments over a virus that has yet to be purified to prove that it even exists. The masks, distancing EXCEPT when you are rioting, looting, burning and then only under the BLM or antifa flags clearly shows they pandemic comes up a bit short on the credibility chart.
I would gladly give up any freshly counterfeited money to see the criminals that have utterly destroyed my country (and the world) to pursue their Grand Reset and Global Warming goals put behind bars and tried under the Nuremberg rules and punishment.
Choosing Joe Biden as Dem nominee looks like a big clue to me.
They can’t possibly expect to win with him so something else is planned. (Do they plan to lose?)
From half a world away (thank God), it looks manufactured.
I have my doubts that an election will even happen.
Maybe Trump is their man and the rest is showbiz. After 4 years you would reckon we’d have worked it out.
Maybe they are just imbeciles doing their best.
@LBD: “Maybe Trump is their man and the rest is showbiz.”
I think Little Black Duck has hit the mark. Trump and his Jewish daughter and his Natan-Yahoo-regime son-in-law have shown their Zionazi credentials. This time the Anglo Zionazi Capitalist mafia will be secretly as much for the Trump Family as they were for Hillary Goldman Sachs in the previous U$ election. Bulls Eye.
Oh of course you’re right. I’ve been saying for a couple of years that President Trump, unlike Candidate Trump, has transmogrified himself into the establishment’s man. He’s appeased the two, and only two, constituencies that matter: the Zionist lobby and the military industrial complex. That is why his alleged opponents picked literally the only jackass that they had in their stable who is absolutely guaranteed to lose to Trump. Even Killary, let alone Sanders, might have beaten him and that was too much of a risk. It’s just theatre, and though people who believe in the theatre can get out hand, even that is carefully managed. The (paid for, colour revolution patented) riots are doing as intended: driving fence sitters to vote for Trump. The same thing that this ballyhoo about a post election coup plot. If it was real why would they announce it? All this because even with a senile disaster like Biden Trump might, conceivably, still lose and they can’t possibly take that chance.
This isn’t just about Trump either. Look back and you’ll find that in the last thirty years or so any sitting American president up for re election has never been seriously challenged. Except for Bush I, who paid for not rolling on to Baghdad during Desert Storm and for not expanding NATO as soon as the Warsaw Pact was dissolved, every single American president or establishment choice candidate since then has been presented with an opponent designed to lose. Even the “exception”, Al Gore, wasn’t; he conceded immediately when it looked like he might win Florida after all the hanging chads were counted, and that would upset the applecart. I’m convinced that Candidate Trump was another guaranteed loser whose win was not in the script, but who was swiftly brought to heel and is now as much the establishment’s choice as Killary Clinton was the last time around.
This also explains why the Donald is still among us.
He may not be one of them but he certainly is one of those.
And he gets to shore up his base as an embattled president beset by loonies. The only part of that I’m sure about is the “loony” part. The Dems look suicidally loony, with their selection of Biden ( the toxic phony hack in US politics, which says a lot), Harris (the least popular person of color, to people of color), support of BLM/Antifa (who look like operative sponsored and driven movements/US Maidan cadres). If you step back and ponder, somebody wants Trump to win, or wants to provoke a crisis. I hope Americans see through this and sit out the crisis, that has so far only played on TV.
Stable nations have the nucleus of a strong family, a spritual moral order and an economic system based on fairness. Presently the US has none of these. Where did it all go wrong?
With US leaders there is no such thing a rock bottom. To quote TS Elliot:”We are the hollow men . . . Our dried voices, when … We whisper together … Are quiet and meaningless … As wind in dry grass … or rats’ feet over broken glass.”
(The Unity of the US Regime) https://youtu.be/KsBOtC9PweA
“The coronavirus seems likely to deal a death blow to the neoliberal form of capitalism,”
Firstly, do not try to shift blame to “the coronavirus”.The Corona virus has been with us for millions of years — humans have lived peaceably with that flu virus through all of our evolution from hairy ape to the hairless ape we are today. And before that Corona was with the birds; that’s why it’s named Corona Corvid (Latin for Crow). So do not besmirch the reputation of an innocent fellow creature.
The real culprit of this Disaster Medicine Hollywood Schlockbuster that is hypnotizing the Western sheeple is an imaginary Marvel Disease with supernatural properties, Con-19. And this Hollywood Schlock, Shock and Awe Epic is merely the softening up process for yet another Anglo Zionazi Capitalist Economic Bust. Same as all the other Great Depressions of the past century or so.
— protest by Virus Anti-Defamation League
Here is proof positive that a literal majority of the western worlds politicians are conspiring with their bureaucracies and the financial oligarchy, for those who would see.
Democracy has certainly failed.
Benevolence is unlikely to be the motivation.
The question then is, how far will they go in betraying their respective national interests?
Do the have any regard at all for national interest?
I can imagine they see themselves taking part in a world government with the same enthusiasm they have for their present roles…..Bigger pond, bigger fish.
Those old testament prophecies are right on course, apparently.
Good to see someone come to the defense of viruses. Maybe our visibly dishonest medical “experts” have been spinning “virus libels” all these years to shoehorn the people into granting them the authority to dictate our lives.
#viruslivesmatter, if they are alive, that is.
I usually don’t give a hoot about the Exceptionals’ and Indispensables’ Head of State, but this time around the fool does play a profound role in history, something which ”highly likely” is beyond him of course.
I am convinced that — if the Empire doesn’t kill us all — future historians will look back and conclude that the years 2016 – 2020 saw the right people in power in the most critical countries to destroy Western imperialism. Russia and China with their strong, very able leaderships and the US whose, ahem, ”administration” was led by a narcissistic buffoon who really didn’t care about the US as a country. An indifferent reactionary who couldn’t care less what George Soros was carrying out with extreme dexterousness at home after having failed to subjugate Russia and China.
And in other places, the bankruptcy of the West’s stooge regimes turned so hideous as to make them loathed, hated, and ridiculed. Case in point: India.
To the Modi worshippers India is The Centre Of The Universe, and literally anything any country does is either because of, or aimed at, India. On Quora some days ago I was informed that ISIS would take advantage of the world war that would result when Trump declared war on China to help India. I haven’t laughed so hard in a long time.
”ISIS would take advantage of the world war that would result when Trump declared war on China to help India.”
Haha, sounds promising actually — at least if the BJP can keep this view for a few years and if they really understand its implications. To Hindutva hardliners, successes for ISIS shouldn’t be taken lightly. Thus, the corollary is that Trump’s genuine love and sympathy for the citadel of wisdom BJP could call for consequences in favour of salafist-inspired Islam.
Humour aside, the US is far more committed to ISIS than to BJP. But try explain that to the latter.
Is related to this expose’ of whats happening re COV-19 and Obama’s crime organized network
https://banned.video/watch?id=5f5695eeaf4ce8069e6b9225
Other videos that are worth watching are
https://banned.video/watch?id=5f3b1542df77c4044ee6b834
https://banned.video/watch?id=5f4c6fa8838dfb0597db8fb5
Globalists have declared war on mankind !
Except for ken…..y’all don’t get it at all and are NOT helping Ramin solve a problem, because for the most part you are straight up not interested in solving it.
The problem as I understand that Ramin puts it is more moral, more EGO-FREE than almost every comment here:
He’s a socialist….and a Muslim and is sincere, as far as I have been able to determine over the last several years, in his “good will toward men” (and women) everywhere….even here in Pindo-land.
The conundrum confronting him is an obvious (to him….I can read, easily) spiritual malaise erupting like volcanoes in certain “blue” controlled…ostensibly “socialist” ideology urban settings selected by the Sorosian Color Revolution occultists of the New World Order ——that IS the Empire, guys and most of you are blind to its methods —–in your revenge lust to see even black and muslim entrepreneurs (shop owners and such) be consumed in the flames of “pindos destroying themselves” to your immense…. but profoundly misguided and egoic satisfaction.
Contrary to your beliefs, such an attitude is NOT “Anti-empire”: It is exactly how the Dark Occultists of that Empire would have you think, behave and have you “believe”, by the way
When I read this article yesterday my first thought (see the end of this Cafe comment :
/moveable-feast-cafe-2020-09-06/#comment-849843
…….was to reference FDR in a presentation by EIR IberoAmerican Editor Dennis Small…and I will, at the end of this comment get to that because it connects the US to OBOR and Russia-China especially……in a way you almost all of you are “miles and miles” away from grasping even the slightest potential of—–as a possibility.
Ramin actually wants the people he sees suffering here….to be happier…to experience well-being, and he is puzzled by the manifestation of a Fake Left….a FAKE “socialism” that instead of credibly promising any such well-being….is clearly self-destructive…..and is evidently alarmed by the virulent old “anti-gobnent” chaos both “left” and “right” (terribly inaccurate and increasingly meaningless and unreliable indications of ANY sort of positive direction..to ANY “Good”…not always…..but ALL TOO OFTEN.) that he sees…but with a focus on a “left” he correctly sees as an utterly confused, self-destructive, and irrational mob.
SO, he encounters and political/ideological INVERSION of his “socialist principles” and concern for “The General Welfare” which most Americans do not realize is explicitly and precisely referenced as such in the Preamble to the United States Constitution…..and which deeply troubles many of the Conservatives that know that! Which I find very humorous. “Socialist” Founders! And he correctly sees an urgency for the US government to “do something” (get those checks out) and is dismayed by the “off the charts” social divide delaying and probably preventing any such relief for people that are really hurting….on both sides of the ideological divide.
I think Ramin will be open to the points Mr Small makes (link at the end). However, it seems from your comments that the majority of you, in your present spiritual state of mind will be unable to get Mr Small’s Grand Global Strategy points……….without first being at least slightly open to at least a very slight spiritual perception of what is going on presently in the US….and the world….and locating that
Inversion & Perversion….of spirit… most evident here..
.(but it is putting the human spirit to the test virtually everywhere, including in yourselves, wherever you are ….simultaneously) leading into this election in 56 days.
And in that regard, this clip here, featuring a black man that Ramin, at least may comprehend…..Abraham Hamilton III……………who JUST might……………. help one or two of you….as well…. grasp what I mean……and then go on to grasp what Small means…thereby becoming MORE effective and really “Anti-Empire of Evil”…instead of merely pretending:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eVCQP-VVJs
Trump Explores the ‘Dark Shadows” & BLM Explores Witchcraft
Digest THAT….and part II on FDR and “gobnent intervention” of the positive sort that Ramin (at least) would like to see…..for the people…..will come next. After I grab some breakfast……this comment being long enough, already.
Cheers!
Back and “ready to roll”:
PANEL III (Sunday 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. EDT):
The Belt and Road Initiative Becomes the World Land-Bridge: FDR’s Unfinished Business
Those last 3 words are likely to drive 90% of both the US “Left” and “Right” into convulsions of ideological outrage and cognitive dissonance.
Being the eternal optimist that I am, however, I think Ramin at least can probably handle the intro by Dennis (a highly articulate black man) the historical clips by Two Dead White Men…….(FDR and LHL, Jr) as well as another Dennis (Mr Small) fairly easily!
https://youtu.be/XaztvOo-as4?t=131
Trump is hardly an outsider, Ramin. He’s going along with this charade of an election knowing full well that whoever Sheldon Adelson and the Kosher Nostra decide is the winner will undoubtedly be the next president. He took his “thirty pieces of silver” from Adelson back in 2016, promising to undo the Iran nuclear deal and move the US embassy to Jerusalem. There is no sign that he’s not their man again in 2020.
He has surrounded himself with neocons and Likudniks and has his rock-solid Christian Zionist base in his pocket, promising them that “transformative apocalyptic” (Bannon’s words) war that will bring their warrior messiah back to Earth to vanquish all unbelievers. That includes you, Ramin. Quit making him out to be some kind of anti-establishment man of the people. The only person he cares about is himself.
Anoter related video to this topic
https://banned.video/watch?id=5f59687aaf4ce8069e6f8c6b