Buddy and the Sales Department

While in Thailand, I'm relying on my trusty laptop and the Internet to keep me up-to-date with the goings-on in the 2012 presidential campaign (which already seems like it has been going on forever). Yesterday's New Hampshire primary was rather boring and predictable, but two mostly overlooked phenomena caught my eyes and ears.

The first is the plight of Buddy Roemer. In case you're asking "Buddy Who?" here's a brief fill-in. Buddy is running for president with a war chest made up of donations of no more than $100 per donor. A former congressman and governor of Louisiana, Buddy wants to set an example of how to run an honest, sleaze-free campaign of, by and for the people.

Fat chance.

Buddy claims (and I suspect he's telling the truth) that every time he attempted to enter into the Republican debates, the bar was raised higher on his entry. First, he wasn't pulling high enough in the polls. Then when he increased his poll numbers, he tried again and—get this—was told he hadn't raised enough money! That's right, in order to participate in the debates, which of course have been produced or at least carried by America's media conglomerates, Buddy would have to be able to buy lots of airtime.

The second thing that snagged me was comments I heard from some of my favorite pundits, including, I'm sad to say, Rachel Maddow. They went something like this: "Let's hope that this race isn't over yet, that it keeps going!" I processed that sound byte this way: "Oh, no! Heaven forfend the race from ending before every last superPAC dollar has bought every last second of available air time in every local market!" The sales department rules.

The presidential "debates" have been going on since last summer. In September, I wrote an entry to this blog speculating on why I believe we've been treated to one debate after another ad nauseum. Buddy's plight and Rachel's lament seem to support my contention.

Unless the American people put a stop to this madness, our politicians will continue becoming little more than puppets of private interests (by the way, that's the classic definition of fascism). Fortunately, growing numbers of my fellow citizens feel the same way I do, and some of them are taking action. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont has posted a petition on his website to gain support for his proposed constitutional amendment excluding for-profit corporations from the rights given to natural persons. A similar effort is underway by a coalition of organizations and individuals called Move to Amend. At the very least, it should be incumbent on every citizen who loves the United States and wishes to see it survive to sign these petitions.

Meanwhile, Buddy Roemer sits on the sidelines while the battle of the moneyed titans continues. And no one's gettin' fat except the media.