A New War On Cronyism?
In Sarah Palin's latest Facebook posting (is it just me or is she the only present-day prominent political figure that actually makes arguments in an extended prose format - whatever you think of the prose?) entitled Welcome, Union Brothers and Sisters, (something of a follow-up to her Iowa speech, and a reaction to Mr Hoffa) she uses the term 'crony' or 'cronyism' seven times. (Compared with 8 times in Iowa.)
I'm sure no-one (of good will) is really in favour of cronyism ("The appointment of friends and associates to positions of authority, without proper regard to their qualifications."), and no doubt many will see this as just a shot at Perry, but I'd like to think of it as a clever (although not terribly subtle) repackaging of her shots at "the establishment" or "the elites". Now the objection is not they've been there too long, or that they think they're better than us, but that they are comfortably corrupt, making it harder for us ordinary, decent folks to get on and get by.
Obviously this has the possibility of shading into a sort of paranoia (sometimes of a highly refined type): THEY are keeping us down! But there is enough of a core of truth to it to make it resonate. Regardless of what you think Mrs Palin will or should do presidentialwise, it's fascinating to see this new refinement of the populist message emerge.
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Aug '11
Re: A New War On Cronyism?
I was just about to post on this subject myself, but thought I'd check to see if someone beat me to it.
I find myself nodding along in agreement at her positioning of the Union Leaders, Wall Street, and Washington as our very own Axis of Evil. I won't attempt to divine her Presidential aspirations from this piece, but do my fellow Ricocheteers believe this is the sort of message that will resonate with a great cross-section of the populace, or is she largely preaching to the choir?
In other words, is it too late? Are too many people dependent on the cronyism, or can minds be change? And if the latter, is Sarah Palin the right person to deliver the message?
I can't say for certain if she's the only one, but her Facebook postings are quite good. It's an interesting direct-to-the-people approach, but it makes me wish these thoughts had a wider distribution.
Jun '10
Re: A New War On Cronyism?
For leaders of wealthy corporations, they might feel that they either have to get inside the fortress, with the king, or become the target of the king. If you're protecting your corporation's assets, and your options, there's no neutral ground anymore.
Dec '10
Re: A New War On Cronyism?
DrewInWisconsin: I find myself nodding along in agreement at her positioning of the Union Leaders, Wall Street, and Washington as our very own Axis of Evil. I won't attempt to divine her Presidential aspirations from this piece, but do my fellow Ricocheteers believe this is the sort of message that will resonate with a great cross-section of the populace, or is she largely preaching to the choir?
In other words, is it too late? Are too many people dependent on the cronyism, or can minds be change? And if the latter, is Sarah Palin the right person to deliver the message?
You may have noticed that one of the themes of the TEA Party movement is outrage at TARP and the bailouts of large corporations -- which appeared to be giveaways to the well-connected rather than the (advertised) process of unwinding toxic assets and restoring stability to the housing and financial markets. At the same time, folks on the Left also decry corporate welfare and cronyism. So yes, the message resonates.
As for whether Palin is the right person to make the case: who else do you see out there making the case more, or even as, effectively?
Dec '10
Re: A New War On Cronyism?
By the way, who else on the Right is standing up and proclaiming, "I'm a former union member and the spouse of a current union member"? She makes that claim to defend against any charge that she's an enemy of union members, and to give her the credibility to charge that union bosses are in fact exploiting their membership for their personal political and pecuniary gain.
Sep '10
Re: A New War On Cronyism?
I hate having to eat crony when my predictions don't pan out. Tastes terrible.
Aug '11
Re: A New War On Cronyism?
Stuart Creque
You may have noticed that one of the themes of the TEA Party movement is outrage at TARP and the bailouts of large corporations -- which appeared to be giveaways to the well-connected rather than the (advertised) process of unwinding toxic assets and restoring stability to the housing and financial markets. At the same time, folks on the Left also decry corporate welfare and cronyism. So yes, the message resonates.
I have, at times, suggested to some lefty pals that they might actually find some compatriots among the Tea Party movement, but they have trouble differentiating between crony capitalism and honest, free-market capitalism, seeing it all as one piece.
Also, they seem to believe that unions are still needed today to save us from Rich Uncle Pennybags and his desire to force us all to work 80-hour weeks and send all our children off to work in sweatshops.
Edited on Sep 6, 2011 at 12:20pmDec '10
Re: A New War On Cronyism?
DrewInWisconsin
I have, at times, suggested to some lefty pals that they might actually find some compatriots among the Tea Party movement, but they have trouble differentiating between crony capitalism and honest, free-market capitalism, seeing it all as one piece.
Also, they seem to believe that unions are still needed today to save us from Rich Uncle Pennybags and his desire to force us all to work 80-hour weeks and send all our children off to work in sweatshops.
It's sad that children aren't taught that capitalists use their capital to create the jobs union members hold.
It's also sad that people who have never been in unions don't understand that a big part of a union's function is to restrict employment in a unionized industry, as for example through seniority rules, closed-shop requirements, restrictions and qualifications for union membership, and aggressive campaigns to shut down non-union employers (and throw their employees out of work).
Jul '11
Re: A New War On Cronyism?
"Sometimes the law defends plunder and participates in it. Thus the beneficiaries are spared the shame and danger that their acts would otherwise involve… But how is this legal plunder to be identified? Quite simply. See if the law takes from some persons what belongs to them and gives it to the other persons to whom it doesn’t belong. See if the law benefits one citizen at the expense of another by doing what the citizen himself cannot do without committing a crime. Then abolish that law without delay - No legal plunder; this is the principle of justice, peace, order, stability, harmony and logic."
— Frédéric Bastiat (The Law)
Jul '11
Re: A New War On Cronyism?
"The social organs are constituted so as to enable them to develop harmoniously in the grand air of liberty. Away, then, with quacks and organizers! Away with their rings, and their chains, and their hooks, and their pincers! Away with their artificial methods! Away with their social laboratories, their governmental whims, their centralization, their tariffs, their universities, their State religions, their inflationary or monopolizing banks, their limitations, their restrictions, their moralizations, and their equalization by taxation! And now, after having vainly inflicted upon the social body so many systems, let them end where they ought to have begun — reject all systems, and try of liberty — liberty, which is an act of faith in God and in His work"
— Frédéric Bastiat
Jul '11
Re: A New War On Cronyism?
The only capitalism functioning today seems to be crony capitalism and the expansion of the entitled class corresponds with this wonderfully. The parasites will run out of flesh to chew on soon enough if wholesale changes are not made to the system.
Strange how the GOP still has their crony capitalists in their midst still. They all need to be outed for what they are, enemies of the free market and therefore enemies of America. It is so easy to look at the democrat crony capitalists of GE and union origin while of course looking at the food stamp/medicaid/welfare/housing for votes democrat factions and see how darned evil they are but the GOP needed to flush its own toilet as well and find real principles that will reflect what is best in our country.
Aug '10
Re: A New War On Cronyism?
If you want to limit the cronyism, start with reducing the size of congressional staffs. With less targets to go after, the number of people on K Street will dwindle. The less number on K, the less people chasing corporate money with promises of influence.
I wonder if it's possible. Pelosi's staff was supposedly well over 100 people . And then there are the permanent staffs, like Armed Services,etc. They have morphed into power bases and a way to keep the individual staffs down, so it was just a shuffle.
How many lawyers work in Washington DC ? Any advocates ( lawyers sans talent ?) and how many lobbyists ?
The more one considers the labyrinthine network, the more abhorrent it becomes as it doesn't deliver much anymore and doesn't produce but only consumes.
That all these expenses are operating (you can't amortize these efforts can you ?) means that the money you shower on the system is sheltered. But of course it would be.
Yeah, it's time. SOBs Unite !
Edited on Sep 6, 2011 at 1:12pmApr '11
Re: A New War On Cronyism?
A hot topic on the right if current book publications count. Two examples...
http://www.amazon.com/Culture-Corruption-Cheats-Crooks-Cronies/dp/1596986204
http://www.amazon.com/Bought-Paid-Unholy-Alliance-Between/dp/B005CDTW22
One of her websites has a page devoted to "Ethics, Transparency, and Fighting Crony Capitalism"
http://www.organize4palin.com/ethics/
Palin’s Attack on ‘Corporate Crony Capitalism’ Spotlights Gap in GOP Field
http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2011/09/05/palins-attack-on-corporate-crony-capitalism-spotlights-gap-in-gop-field/
Apr '11
Re: A New War On Cronyism?
Palin cites Luigi Zingales
"Palin cites Zingales, a University of Chicago Booth School of Business professor, as a champion of the type of free market principles she supports.
"Professor Zingales makes the crucial point that there is a difference between being pro-market and being pro-business," Palin writes. "Both political parties are at fault in failing to acknowledge this distinction."
http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/2543363-418/palin-zingales-ideas-book-professor.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saving_Capitalism_from_the_Capitalists
http://www.chicagobooth.edu/faculty/bio.aspx?person_id=12826023936
Nov '10
Re: A New War On Cronyism?
I think Palin is right on the mark about this, as well as many other things. And frankly I'll take her clear, direct, and realistic style over poetically larded visions of unicorns any day.
Apr '11
Re: A New War On Cronyism?
Most of Palin's big triumphs in her pre-McCain career were against cronyism, so I don't think that her focus on it is just a jab against Perry (or necessarily even related to that; for one thing I think it quite likely that she'll endorse him). I agree that she's uniquely qualified to make these arguments, both from her political successes and for Stuart's reasons.
Anyone liking the thought of Palin as Labor Secretary?
Oct '10
Re: A New War On Cronyism?
I talked about this in a recent post of mine. Sarah Palin--unlike most populists--seems genuinely opposed to corporatism and crony capitalism. I hope she can pull that message off.
Nov '10
Re: A New War On Cronyism?
She's actually got a record to stand on with this issue. The others (aside from Ron Paul) are silent about this, or at least very muted, because their record is more ambiguous. She took on cronyism in Alaska and won. It was one of her big victories. And this resonates with any thinking Americans. The danger, as you point out, is that as a primary message thread it easily degenerates into more demagoguery, and becomes indistinguishable from the other talking heads picking a scapegoat. How does one help people to connect the dots between one's rhetoric, the facts, and the person's record of delivering on their key points?