follow the money and other tales

Those looking for change may be in for a surprise. If Barack Obama wins, which now seems all but certain, his successful fundraising may come to haunt his presidency. According to the latest numbers, Obama has raised well over $650 million and that is more than any other presidential candidate ever. And no, these are not the little $25 contributions coming in over the internet, as the party would want you to believe.

Fully three-quarters of Obama's fundraising is big money donations. Big, big money. The type of big money that is looking for favors. And who is there you may ask? How about those investment bankers in need of a government bailout and in fear of more regulation? Some of the people who got Wall Street into trouble may be advising McCain, but the people running those banks, the "greedy Wall Street bankers" are the ones filling Obama's coffers. Those same bankers were more than a little bit ticked off at McCain's language of late.

The GOP depends on two constituencies that have little in common: the fundamentalist christians, and the superrich elite. The elite provides the money, while the christians make up the bodies. McCain may be a maverick but he should know better than antagonize the money men. Sarah maybe delivering the christians but without the money it won't matter much. Those money men have already run over to the other side. They weren't too thrilled with all the talk about "cleaning out Wall Street."

What that also means is that Obama may soon do a Bill Clinton on that tax break for the middle class that will be funded by milking the superrich. We have heard all these promises before. All that talk about change is nothing new. The only thing that ever changes is the "face" in the White House. As I have indicated before, that face is just a face. An actor or puppet, beholden to the puppeteers who hold the money strings. It appears this will soon be more true than ever. $$$

who's in charge?

It seems the democrats do not understand -or pretend they don't understand- what the role of president is all about. And role is the right word. The presidency is an acting job. It is a job where you pretend you are in charge, while others more powerful than you make the real decisions. It is a job where you communicate those decisions and get people to accept policies that may not be in their best interest. If that is not apparent to everyone, it is because people like to be fooled.

The republicans do understand, and that is why they favor professional actors for key executive positions. People like Ronald Reagan, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Fred Thompson, etc. Democrats on the other hand think they can solve problems and so they prefer brainiacs like Al Gore, John Kerry, and now Barack Obama. People who are smart, educated, and "qualified." Unfortunately those people also have a hard time connecting to the average voter. They are not very electable. And when elected, they are often not very effective, like Jimmy Carter.

The president may be hailed as "commander-in-chief," and "leader of the free world," or the man in charge of the most powerful country on the planet, but that is all hogwash really. For one, presidents are politicians and the best politicians have very few strong feelings or ideas on how to lead the world. They are people who go with the flow and ride the wave of the voters. They also like to make sure their contributors get what they pay for.

Government is a layered structure. 90% of it is run by non-elected career people, called bureaucrats. They change very little from one administration to another. While presidents may hire chiefs to run the bureaucrats, these chiefs are only as effective as their bureaucracy-skill sets allow.

Powerful interest groups know how to get to the bureaucrats. The bureaucrats in turn know how to get things done, and you need to be on their good side to get things done. That is where the Washington-insider comes in. Washington-insiders can get things done. And if they are in high office, such as VP, then they can really get things done. (VP's do not get elected so they need not be so popular).

Then there are the various special interests. Car companies that want people to drive big cars. Oil companies that want to drill. Pharma companies that don't want you to buy drugs in Canada, farmers who want to get free water, gun-owners who are paranoid about losing their toys. The list is endless. All these people try to collect money and influence voters and politicians alike.

On top of it all some presidents add a little icing on the cake. They have some pet projects. Kennedy liked to mess with foreign politics in Asia and that is why he got us in Vietnam. Johnson wanted a civil rights legacy.  Nixon was just plain greedy. Carter wanted to change people for the better. Ronnie just wanted to be loved and admired. W is still trying to figure out who he really is.

So much for qualified. How about likable and charming? Now, who do you like best? McCain-Palin or Obama-Biden? It is your choice, America.