"We Have a Lot. We Can Get More. We Want It All."

One of the other species, besides man, which preys on itself (source; click to enlarge)

by Gaius Publius

I want to elevate this from the comments to this piece because it's so appropriate. Thanks to John Puma for pointing out the great observation below, by Michael Parenti, from a 1995 talk entitled "Fascism: The False Revolution" (available by CD here.)

Much of this quote is printed here, though not all. In addition, at the link is the lead-up to the quote, which explains this idea:

Fascism is a false revolution. It makes a revolutionary appeal without making an actual revolution. It propagates the widely proclaimed New Order while serving the same old moneyed interests.

Sounds like Donald Trump to me, down to the billionaire friends and the populist rhetoric. Is he sincere? He sounds sincere, and sound may be all it takes to bolster his following. Me, I think once in office, he'll "make a deal." He doesn't play golf with billionaires because they don't like him.

Ruling Classes Always Want Just One Thing — They Want It All

But I want to point primarily to this part, a beautifully penned statement of what we on the Sanders side find so objectionable about what our rulers, on both the right and left, have left us with. We have so little because they want so much. How much? They always want it all.

Parenti says it better. From the talk:

With the collapse of communism, there’s been a shift in policy toward the Third World too. ... So they’re hitting them hard. The IMF, the World Bank, GATT, NAFTA, are undermining the sovereignty of Third World nations, plundering their markets, drastically cutting non-military foreign aid, and in some cases directly invading them and destroying the government that had any reformist tendencies or was maintaining economic development. U.S. leaders are making war against economic nationalism in countries like India, Brazil, Mexico, Iraq, Panama, South Korea, Taiwan and so forth.

A lot of people on the left still don’t get it—that these guys are playing for keeps, that they are going after you, that they are not going to leave any little bit for you.

There’s only one thing that the ruling circles throughout history have ever wanted—all the wealth, the treasures, and the profitable returns; all the choice lands and forests and game and herds and harvests and mineral deposits and precious metals of the earth; all the productive facilities and gainful inventiveness and technologies; all the control positions of the state and other major institutions; all public supports and subsidies, privileges and immunities; all the protections of the law and none of its constraints; all of the services and comforts and luxuries and advantages of civil society with none of the taxes and none of the costs. Every ruling class in history has wanted only this—all the rewards and none of the burdens.

Their operational code is, We have a lot. We can get more. We want it all. And if you don’t know that, you’re in a sad place. If you know that and you don’t know anything else, you know more than if you know everything else and you don’t know that.”

"There’s only one thing that the ruling circles throughout history have ever wanted..." We stand with Sanders to fight the one great historical battle, against the most predatory members of our own species.

It's the old old battle. Only sometimes do we have a shot at a win. This year, if Sanders wins, or even if he loses and plays his ace, is one of those times. Let's not waste it.

About my comment "if he loses and plays his ace" — more to come. As a hint, listen to the video below. I'll expand on the comment later.

(Blue America has endorsed Bernie Sanders for president. If you'd like to help out, go here. If you'd like to "phone-bank for Bernie," go here. You can volunteer in other ways by going here. And thanks!)

GP