Nothing demonstrates the breakdown of the political system in the U.S. more clearly than the flight of Republicans to the Clinton Camp. As long as there were only isolated cases of Republicans supporting Hillary, one could argue that they were choosing the lesser of the two evils, although it is far from self-evident that Hillary really is the better of the two. However, when high-profile personalities like Michael Bloomberg announced their support of Hillary, it aroused the suspicion that wealthy Republicans were more concerned about protecting their financial interests than they were in selecting the better of the two candidates for our country. Now this suspicion has been confirmed beyond all doubt by the announcement that George H. W. Bush intends to vote for Hillary. A more astonishing declaration of the breakdown of American politics is difficult to imagine!
We are observing today the closing of the ranks between the two most powerful political dynasties in the United States. It is not surprising, of course, that the Bush clan would support a candidate who receives enormous campaign contributions from the fossil fuel industry. According to the Washington Times analysis, Hillary will receive during this presidential campaign cycle nearly one million in direct contributions from oil, gas and coal companies as well as from electric utility companies. This figure does not include “additional millions of dollars from fossil fuel lobbyists to Mrs. Clinton’s campaign, or millions of dollars from fossil fuel interests to super PACs backing the former first lady’s White House bid” (Washington Times, 9/20/16).
Nevertheless, the blatant demonstration of two dynastic families joining forces against the middle class is really shocking. Greenpeace is certainly worried about this development, and the rest of us should be as well. This presidential campaign is no longer about the difference between republican and democratic approaches to governing. It’s about the 1% against the 99%, and wealthy Republicans are scrambling to protect their money. To be sure, Donald Trump also belongs to the financial elite in our country, but he does not belong to the club of the ruling class. The Bush clan knows that Trump is wealthy, but they don’t trust him to protect their wealth because he is a political outsider. He is not one of them; Hillary is.
The idea of “Republicans for Hillary” is really quite sensible, given that Hillary is politically a Republican on almost every issue that will really impact the future of our country. Even Ralph Nader, who doesn’t like Trump, said that Hillary was fundamentally more hawkish than Donald. And on economic issues, no candidate could be more subservient to Wall Street than Hillary Clinton. Furthermore, environmentalists have absolutely no confidence in her promises to address climate change once she is in the White House. After she rewards the Bush family as well as Lloyd Blankfein and his cohorts on Wall Street for their support, the climate agenda will disappear just like the e-mails that will never be seen again. All of this notwithstanding, I fear that Hillary will be elected. Not only does she have the establishment support of both parties, she also has the support of many women in our country. Lest I be accused once again of misogyny, I make this comment after reading an article in the New York Times in which it is stated that 56% of the women polled believe that Hillary is a good role model for women (!) and that her nomination as democratic candidate for the presidency represents a “milestone for women”.
In my opinion, a vote for Hillary Clinton will be a vote for the wealthy ruling class in the United States. I would like to say that it would be a vote for the status quo, but I think that it will be worse than that. Expect the TPP to be signed, expect the wars in the Middle East to accelerate, expect climate change to continue unchecked, and expect the income inequality in our country to increase. When two dynasties like the Bushes and the Clintons join hands, there can be nothing good in store for the rest of us. On the brighter side, we will have reached a new milestone!
Jack E. Brush is a frequent contributor to Villages-News.com
