@ban nock One's status within this oligarchy is relative to the amount of surplus cash one has available to spend upon political contributions. Once again, Riley and Brenner:

Under political capitalism, raw political power, rather than productive investment, is the key determinant of the rate of return. This new form of accumulation is associated with a series of novel mechanisms of ‘politically constituted rip-off’. These include an escalating series of tax breaks, the privatization of public assets at bargain-basement prices, quantitative easing plus ultra-low interest rates, to promote stock-market speculation—and, crucially, massive state spending aimed directly at private industry, with trickledown effects for the broader population: Bush’s Prescription Drug legislation, Obama’s Affordable Care Act, Trump’s cares Act, Biden’s American Rescue Plan, the Infrastructure and chips Acts and the Inflation Reduction Act. All these mechanisms of surplus extraction are openly and obviously political. They allow for returns, not on the basis of investment in plant, equipment, labour and inputs to produce use values, but rather on the basis of investments in politics.

but looking at their web page and reading up above I see nothing there not to like. AIPAC seems to advocate for Israel, similar to the way we have pro choice and pro gun groups, both of whom work across party lines to advocate for representatives who support their cause.

I'd hardly call the illiberal left Progressives, I'd more likely call them extremists, I mean at least radicals have some sort of agenda. Ever since the enlightenment people like the illiberal left have been around. Authoritarian extremists often bigoted and racist, supporting lawlessness and corruption, no thanks.

America is a liberal Democracy, too bad.

@ban nock Wow, just wow. That is some deep ass bullshit you got going on there. I might have been in the wilderness for the past couple of years from this site, but that is one of the most ignorant things I've ever read here.

but looking at their web page and reading up above I see nothing there not to like. AIPAC seems to advocate for Israel, similar to the way we have pro choice and pro gun groups, both of whom work across party lines to advocate for representatives who support their cause.

I'd hardly call the illiberal left Progressives, I'd more likely call them extremists, I mean at least radicals have some sort of agenda. Ever since the enlightenment people like the illiberal left have been around. Authoritarian extremists often bigoted and racist, supporting lawlessness and corruption, no thanks.

America is a liberal Democracy, too bad.

@ban nock you better read my Usual Suspects series from 2005.

https://penspages.wordpress.com/2016/03/30/the-usual-suspects-pt-1-richa...

but looking at their web page and reading up above I see nothing there not to like. AIPAC seems to advocate for Israel, similar to the way we have pro choice and pro gun groups, both of whom work across party lines to advocate for representatives who support their cause.

I'd hardly call the illiberal left Progressives, I'd more likely call them extremists, I mean at least radicals have some sort of agenda. Ever since the enlightenment people like the illiberal left have been around. Authoritarian extremists often bigoted and racist, supporting lawlessness and corruption, no thanks.

America is a liberal Democracy, too bad.