Where Republicans swung a naked broad sword,

Democrats will drape theirs in velvet

Where conservatives crowed, liberals will coo

Where the right swaggered,

the 'left' will soft-shoe,

but it will still be the same old shit

Party hacks are urging the candidates

to reject ideology for the politics of personality

“Ideology”, of course,

is a code word for honesty and ethics

Such a campaign would cap a sixty-year effort

by our elites to move our political campaigns

from a focus on issues to a focus

on media image and attack ads

The fix is in. The Oligarchy has done its work well. Nothing will change, even if the Democrats sweep the 2008 election. True, there will be some superficial changes.

Where Republicans swung a naked broad sword, Democrats will drape theirs in velvet; where conservatives crowed, liberals will coo; where the right swaggered, the 'left' will soft-shoe, but it will still be the same old shit.

The only substantive difference is that when they screw the public, they will feel its pain; you never did.

Whether a Democrat or Republican occupies the Oval Office, the first presidential priority will be the care and feeding of the Corporatist State and the Military-Industrial Complex that protects its overseas interests.

Eduardo Galeano has aptly described our nation’s capitol as “a workplace of the hired hands who sell their legislative services to the highest corporate bidder.”

Look at the numbers! Hillary has raised $26 million, Barack, $25 million (Though it would be more accurate to say that was their selling price.)

Hell, Hillary is letting Wall Street write the economic policy for her. Do you think there is any chance she would repeal or modify any of our trade agreements?

Barack’s biggest contributor is the family that owns the defense contractor, General Dynamics.

You will hear no talk from him about cutting back on America's white elephant of a defense establishment to fund impoverished social programs.

All the while, the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC) beams its approval.

Party hacks are urging the candidates to reject ideology for the politics of personality. “Ideology”, of course, is a code word for honesty and ethics.

Such a campaign would cap a sixty-year effort by our elites to move our political campaigns from a focus on issues to a focus on media image and attack ads.

We are in the age of the focus group where input from the uninformed is ignored by the uncaring. Public opinion creates stump speeches, not policy. Belacqua Jones @ Salon