RNC: It’s time to party like it’s the Industrial Revolution!
The 2012 Republican National Convention looks more like a party celebrating robber barons than it does a convention to select their presidential nominee and solidify a policy platform.
This year’s RNC in Tampa, FL has one of the most odd looking schedules we have seen in a long time. As usual, there are countess events, dinners and chances for lobbyists to rub arms with the people they’re paid to influence. However, as some have pointed out lately, this year there are an awful lot of celebrations and parties NOT for politicians… but for the super donors who have risen to the national stage thanks to the Citizens United decision (which continues to be one of he worst things to happen to national politics in history – all of history).
Besides all of the staging and schedule orchestration to give the right people network television coverage (like Anne Romney who had to be moved off Monday because the networks are not covering it that day – cue Republican complaints), and further tapping dancing the roll call schedule to make sure that all of the Ron Paul delegates are not seen on TV (cure Republican sighs of relief)… it’s all just one big coming out party, really. That’s all these are, both Republican and Democratic Conventions. One big coming out party.
But once you get off the stage, into the off-network areas and fancy restaurants and side rooms… these are the places where people are honored by the party as a whole. Rewarded for their good moral character and hard work to make a better nation. Wrap their friends in a flag and a bottle of champagne… that’s where it becomes telling as to who and what the party truly values.
And there aren’t any scheduled tours of bad neighborhoods or childcare centers in Tampa, let me tell you.
I for one am looking forward to the “Paint the Senate Red” Bash at the Cube. Old men in ties shaking their booty. I bet they’ll play Kool and the Gang, (there will be objections for the artists). TMZ is praying for Mitt Romney to show some moves. (Who let the dogs out, again?)
Billionaire David Koch will also be honoring himself at a big shindig. “Americans for Prosperity”, will be honoring David Koch and Art Pope… people who also happen to be the founders of Americans for Prosperity. But after successfully lobbying for Citizens United, people can do things like that. Toast to the destruction of one person, one vote, and that a mill worker should have equal say in their government as a robber baron, a trust fund kid, or an oil executive… or in the case of people who now run the Republican Party, most of them are all three of those things.
The Republican Party voted on their official Republican policy platform long before the television cameras arrived in Tampa. Intentional? Thanks to Todd Akin at least people (not many, but more than usual) were paying attention this time. But the real event. The “we are the champions” political debauchery happens soon, and it’s all about the campaign donors.
Policy, presidents, delegates – none of them matter. All that matters are the dozen or so billionaires who, through their earmarked donations, control the policy, control the presidents, and deem the delegates meaningless.
