Nader Explains the Ongoing Collapse of the Democratic Party

"People of privilege will always risk their complete destruction rather than surrender any material part of their advantage.  Intellectual myopia, often called stupidity, is no doubt a reason.  But the privileged also feel that their privileges, however egregious they may seem to others, are a solemn, basic, God-given right."

John Kenneth Galbraith

The last presidential election was obviously, and by choice of the parties, a contest between the lesser of two evils.  The Democratic candidate was the choice of the party insiders, and the Republican of  people who had just had enough, and were willing to believe the unabashed nonsense of a conman in their desperation.

I think both choices were very unpalatable for slightly different reasons and on different timelines. It was almost a tossup of ugliness, and it was most cynically played by the Democrats. And thereby lost.

Probably my biggest concern is that with a few wins over candidates from the other side who are utterly hopeless and largely unelectable, the Democratic establishment is gong to try and bank on their timeworn losing strategy of going negative and fear-mongering again, without putting forward any solid policy proposals.

Why is this?  Because they are caught in a credibility trap—  if they wish to continue their top down strategy of tight, imperious, DNC insider control of nearly everything that the party does.  And so they can keep their focus, to the exclusion of winning elections, on big donor money and the power which it brings. 

They would therefore continue to neglect the grass roots, leaving it to boot-strapping progressives, and going out of their way not to alienate any of their corporate and uber-wealthy donors by taking any economically populist stands.   And so it may very well be identity politics and Russia, all over again.

But given their obvious inability to govern above the level of a self-obsessed and habitually intoxicated college fraternity, I am  therefore not optimistic for the Republicans either.

And so where does that leave us?

It tends to imply the increasing alienation of the electorate.  And that scenario possesses several less likely but potentially very ugly outcomes.  You can't fool everyone all the time.  And when they finally have had enough, well, there you have it.

Change can come.  But there are a lot of powerful people who are set upon the status quo who will do everything in their power to stop it by any means and for as long as they can.

And this is what leads societies to historically significant moments.

Stocks and Precious Metals Charts - Quad Witching Stock Option Expiry - Everybody Hurts

"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro."

Hunter S. Thompson


"And Jesus, having heard this, said, 'This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son may be be shown in glory through it."

John 11:4

Things in Washington are becoming so odd on both sides of the aisle that normal ways of doing the business of the people are out the window. It is like Disneyland on the Potomac—  and Trump is goofy.

I grew up in the 50s and 60s and have seen some seriously weird stuff in my day.   And this is weirdness turned pro.

Stocks were on a tear for the quad witching December stock option expiration.

The underlying reason seems to be market enthusiasm for the news that it appears that the Senate has the votes to pass their 'tax reform' bill.

I think it is just wonderful that those humanitarians on Wall Street and saints among the one percent will celebrate such a tax reform windfall for the middle class. Isn't that what Dandy Don said it is?

Gold and silver managed to get a little back, closing just about where one might have expected. I would imagine that this price capping will continue until the year end unless *something happens.* 

This is not the government doing this, contrary to what some of the perennial anti-government folks seem to believe.

But there is no doubt that government regulators are turning a blind eye, in general, to the market antics of a bunch of crooks and conmen across a broad array of markets.   We see the truth of this in the occasional wristslap, no prosecution settlement for fraud.

And why should the government do anything about blatant market manipulation— all regulation is bad, right?

Laissez les bons temps rouler!

Next week is the last trading week before Christmas.

Please remember to feed the birds, and to love the poor in spirit.  Poverty of the soul is a terrible thing. Especially in the very proud, frantically trying to fill the great holes in their being with things, not understanding that they are slowly but surely wasting away, with the sickness unto death.

Have a pleasant weekend.

Nomiki Konst: Signs of a Revolution Within the Democratic Party

"Now that the queen [Hillary] is gone, ding dong, people are actually starting to say what they believe, and feel."

Nomiki Konst

Here is some additional insights from her about what is going on in the attempts to reform the Democratic National Committee after the recent scandals regarding favoritism and internal irregularities by 'the Hillary people.'

Although she is cited as an investigative reporter, which she is, Nomiki Konst is also a political insider in the Democratic Party organization. And she is quite knowledgeable.

It seems that one of the major obstacles to change is the very powerful group of consultants, who as you may know have dominated the Democratic National Budget, and taken by far most of it for themselves.

And before you ask, no, I have not yet been able to find out exactly who these 'five consultants' are. Or how they have been able to exert such a powerful control over things. But it does seem that now that Hillary Clinton has fallen from her most powerful position in the party, the consultants are much less in a position of power.

Stocks and Precious Metals Charts - It's Cold Outside

"There must be renewed recognition that societies are kept stable and healthy by reform, not by thought police; this means there must be free play for so-called subversive ideas—  every idea subverts the old to make way for the new.   To shut off subversion is to shut off peaceful progress and to invite revolution and war...

All governments lie, but disaster lies in wait for countries whose officials smoke the same hashish they give out."

I. F. Stone

Stocks finished off a bit, and gold and silver gave back some of the gains from yesterday.

The FCC voted to overturn 'net neutrality.'

And so the third-worldisation of the US continues.

Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md) just said that the Dems 'do not need a message' for the 2018 mid-term elections.  It is enough just to run on a referendum on Trump.

They'll never learn. Because they don't want to.  It's the credibility trap.

Have a pleasant evening.