Godfather Politics

Who doesn't like The Godfather?  The transformation of the fresh-faced Michael from a WWII Marine hero who fought for "Truth, Justice and the American Way" into a ruthless crime boss who had no qualms about having his own brother assassinated makes for a fascinating story.  The phrase, "It's just business" was the dominant theme of all three parts.

Did you have trouble following the story?  Who where the good guys?  Who were the bad guys?  And then even more importantly, was Michael a good guy?  A good guy who turned bad?

The difference between right and wrong is explored as Vito (The Godfather) wants to avoid getting into distribution of drugs.  Truth be told, one cannot be sure his avoidance was because he was afraid of some political backlash or because he thought it immoral.  A war between the families erupts as Sollozzo, backed by  the Tattaglia family, must have a way to wealth, more wealth and the most wealth.  The war leads to a rapid shifting of alliances where individuals had to evaluate which of the myriad sides might win.  Making decisions based on little information even Vito's life-long friend Tessio switches sides.  However Vito being just a bit smarter warns Michael of Tessio's treachery.  As Tessio is lead away to his execution, he tells Michael, "it was just Business, " to which Michael replies, "I know."

Gosh how familiar this seems.  Every man out for himself, joining and abandoning alliances whenever it suits his own interests.  Always putting other's interests as secondary such that loyalty nearly becomes synonymous to selfishness.  A true Ayn Rand society.  Just like the American Political System.

I use the Crime Families as a metaphor to understand membership in American Political Parties.  Individuals make alliances to form organizations that will work toward achieving the common goals of each individual.  Individual motivations are often inconsistent, changing without notice or reason.  Take for example the (near) criminals in The Magnificent Seven who banded together for a noble cause, contrast that with The Great Train Robbery where men banded together solely for economic gain.  This is what happens when supporting a political party.

Both the Democrats and the Republicans are supported by individuals, organizations and coalitions that have widely diverse motivations.  It is generally conceded that the Republican Party is dominated by groups that solely seek economic gain, best exemplified by the Koch Brothers and perhaps best known for forming the Tea Party after Obama's election in 2008.

The best example of how easily one can switch sides is David Brock.  When Bill was President he viciously attacked both Clintons, but then he wrote Blinded by the Right and switched sides.  Brock remained the same evil soul though when he founded Correct the Record which often pilloried the Sanders Campaign and actually offered "rewards" for dirt on Donald Trump.

Where are the politicians who actually take a stand and stick with it for year after year after year?  They seem to come from small states where the voters get to know them and where it is difficult to smear their record.  Unfortunately, once these politicians venture on to the National Stage, their character is immediately attacked by both the Republicans and the Democrats.  Yes, I am talking about Bernie Sanders here.  I listened to him for years doing "Brunch with Bernie" on the Thom Hartman show.  There are 30 of these shows available on YouTube.  Other show segments are available on Free Speech TV.  Senator Sanders always comes across as a man of compassion as he answers questions from anyone, anywhere in the USA with a consistent response.  Not like some politicians who will say one thing on TV and then something else in a speech to Goldman Sachs which they won't release the transcripts to.

It is debatable whether or not a politician who only lies on occasion is better than one who lies all the time.  The question reminds me of the broken watch that is at least right twice a day.

Forty-Five percent of American voters voted for "None of the Above" in 2016.  The Democratic "Get out the Vote" (GOTV) campaigns failed because it just concentrated on how bad Donald Trump would be.  I had no doubt Trump would be awful, but even with as bad as it appears to be, after having voted for the "lessor of two evils" for 40 years, I cannot convince myself that I would feel any differently if Hillary Clinton had been elected instead.

Most of the politicians who run our country seem to be more concerned with their own success than the success of the American People.  Who can blame them when the distribution of wealth in America is so concentrated at the top.  There are just over 2000 Billionaires in the world.  The top eight have more wealth than half of the world's population.  When one considers that a US Senate seat can be purchased for a mere $10million, the power of these Billionaires becomes obvious.  If you have $1000 in your pocket, how much does it hurt to give away $1?

So which "crime family" do you support?  Which political party does your "crime family" support?  Can you depend on the other members of your "crime family" to support you?  If your "crime family" is a labor union (remember this is a metaphor!) do the "bosses" represent your interests or their own?   If your "crime family" is a professional organization (like the AMA) are they promoting better health care or better pay for physicians?  If your "crime family" is the NRA are they pushing gun sales or do they really think that gun ownership is under threat from "liberals"?  How can you tell?

Americans have to decide which very specific issues they support and rather than choose which politician to support, they much choose which issue.  If a politician says he/she supports your issue, do NOT take their word for it.  Maybe send in a campaign contribution, but then follow up over and over and over again, clarifying that this is your issue.

Single-payer healthcare (also known as Medicare Part E: E for everybody) comes to mind.  Americans as a whole support single payer.  But the Democratic Party does not even those who are co-sponsors of HR676.  If you want single payer you need to specifically support groups that do.  Remember, politicians, even those you respect the most, have to be elected to be effective.  You have to tell them, every day, what it is you want.  Give them two minutes to be talked to by "the other side" and they will switch their vote.