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Has the US Become an Oligarchy?
No one who watches politics has any doubt that Joe Biden is barely, if at all, running the country. That fact has been true from the beginning of his presidency, and probably long before. Many of us are assuming that Ron Klain with several cohorts in the administration are the ones in charge, making the shocking and ill-conceived decisions for Biden; Biden is just a figurehead. Let me explain why we have effectively, if not formally, become an oligarchy, and the implications of that structure.
Here’s a definition of an oligarchy:
Broadly speaking, an oligarchy is a form of government characterized by the rule of a few persons or families. More specifically, the term was used by Greek philosopher Aristotle in contrast to aristocracy, which was another term to describe rule by a privileged few. However, to Aristotle, an aristocracy signified rule by the best members of society, while an oligarchy was characterized by the rule of the few for corrupt and unjust purposes.
Although the term has, generally, fallen out of favor, oligarchy is sometimes used to describe a government or society in which rulers are selected from a small class of elites. These elites exercise power on behalf of their class rather than for the greater good. German-born, Italian sociologist Robert Michels coined the phrase ‘iron law of oligarchy,’ which holds that there is an inevitable tendency of organizations to become less democratic and more oligarchic over time.
Oligarchy can be subdivided into several categories; for our purposes, I’m using the umbrella term, although I must admit that I was tempted to include, facetiously, the definition of geniocracy:
With a focus on problem solving and creative intelligence, geniocracy is essentially a government that is run by geniuses. Compassion and intelligence are the two main characteristics of the person in charge of these types of countries, and these two factors are considered more important than other factors, including education, familial significance, or a majority rule.
Probably not.
This same article discussed the pros and cons of an oligarchy. Although many of the benefits listed are not being produced by the Biden Administration, most of the cons applied:
- Only the speech of the oligarchs is taken seriously. The ideas of others are either ignored, criticized, or condemned.
- Oligarchs will fight to establish a status quo of their liking. That goal is met by the rich becoming richer and the poor becoming poorer. The middle class slowly disappears, because the structure has no place for them.
- The citizenry begins to rebel when it realizes the existing conditions and the lengths the oligarchy will go to in order to preserve them.
- Rebellion starts to break out in the form of riots and mayhem. Although most rebellion at this point has come from the Left, those activities are meant to intimidate those who will protest the Left’s preferred outcomes. We only need to look at January 6.
- An oligarchy harms the economy. Inflation is escalating at an alarming rate, with no end in sight.
Although the oligarchy membership list here is unclear, we can assume that includes powerful Democrats, the George Soros contingent, the medical bureaucrats (as well as other bureaucrats with influence), big corporations and members of the media (think NY Times or the Washington Post). It’s possible that some of these organizations are second-tier groupies.
Thus, the Democrats who decry our democratic republic as threatened are correct, but for the wrong reasons. Here’s one assessment of America’s situation:
American oligarchy is when myriad states take advantage of a pandemic to pass massive changes to electoral regulations by executive fiat, and thus in violation of the U.S. Constitution, in such a manner as to not-so-coincidentally benefit the regime’s favored political party. American oligarchy is when even the most anodyne of post-2020 election attempts to undo the ad hoc electoral changes of 2020, such as Georgia’s quite moderate voting law, are unfairly maligned by political oligarchs as ‘Jim Crow on steroids’ and viciously opposed by Big Business oligarchs all too happy to boycott states that legislate on behalf of cultural or electoral sanity.
American oligarchy is the spawning of a two-tier ‘biomedical security state’ in which dissenters from the ruling class’ preferred narrative on COVID-19 vaccines, mandates and lockdowns are punished via woke consternation, fired from their jobs, kicked off the digital public square and physically dragged out of convenience stores by police.
So here is where we find ourselves: a President who is a figurehead over a small, powerful group of greedy elites ( fighting for power or wealth or both) who are determined to continue to gather more power over every aspect of our country.
It’s breathtaking.
Published in Politics
And there is some truth in it, but not all.
Rich and powerful people are more powerful.
But that does not make us a oligarchy
What about the Democrat efforts to take over the state elections. What about Biden’s efforts to legislate? What about the Supreme Court’s inconsistencies. What about the mandates that are being pushed by businesses regardless of the SCOTUS rulings? What about the creation of the new Domestic Terrorism group that is clearly directed at the Right? What about CRT continuing in countless jurisdictions regardless of their Boards? What about the power of the teachers’ unions who will decide how and when schools will be open? I could go on, but all of these people are being managed by the elite. The elite is headed by the oligarchy.
While that’s technically true, I submit that we’re closer to an oligarchy than a representative republic, at this point.
I’ve been describing it as an oligarchy for quite some time. I don’t know if it meets the technical definition, but using the word gets the point across. We are governed not by elected representatives but by a ruling class that hates us.
I would submit that we are an oligarchy. Here’s a selection from the definition above:
Broadly speaking, an oligarchy is a form of government characterized by the rule of a few persons or families. More specifically, the term was used by Greek philosopher Aristotle in contrast to aristocracy, which was another term to describe rule by a privileged few. However, to Aristotle, an aristocracy signified rule by the best members of society, while an oligarchy was characterized by the rule of the few for corrupt and unjust purposes.
Although the term has, generally, fallen out of favor, oligarchy is sometimes used to describe a government or society in which rulers are selected from a small class of elites. These elites exercise power on behalf of their class rather than for the greater good. German-born, Italian sociologist Robert Michels coined the phrase ‘iron law of oligarchy,’ which holds that there is an inevitable tendency of organizations to become less democratic and more oligarchic over time.
The only question is, who selects them? You might say the voters select them. But who pays for campaigns? Who selects who will run? Think about all the attorneys general who made it in, with many people saying Soros funded them. Do you think others in the Democrats are not receiving money from Soros and his cabal?
The mandates were announced knowing they would be overturned by the SCOTUS, but in the interim would be enacted by many/most large employers; which is just what happened.
Precisely. They/we are all complicit.
In spite of the slap-down, China Joe is still telling employers to force their workers to get “vaxxed.”
There is a another form of government where giant corporations and national leaders mix themselves together like a bundle of sticks, so that they are very strong and you can’t really tell if the corporations are running the government or the government is running the corporations. Hey, but the trains run on time;) We know Biden loves putting your tax dollars towards the trains.
Money and power equates to influence, that is, the ability to have your ideas prevail, directly or indirectly, over others. If you are not too bright, vindictive or corrupt, or worse, all these things, then money and power will eventually lead to very difficult outcomes. You can only prevaricate or deflect blame for so long before the truth, that is, reality, checks in. It takes tremendous money, power and corruption to continue to remain in a position of influence when a democracy faces decline. Opposition will surface and will prevail if it is not defeated and demoralized.
Democrats corrupted our election system, hijacked our academy, entered fascist alliances with the media and big tech, found common enemies with the Left and Anarchists, embraced phony existential threats spun by environmental alarmists, fomented panic over an engineered pandemic and gained the Presidency and a slim majority in Congress. Now they govern, and at ever turn, they fail miserably. Reality keeps checking in and to keep defeat at bay, they seek more power and money to stop the state measures aimed at curbing election corruption, to prop up the faux existential threats keeping its disparate alliance together, to deflect blame denigrate its opposition and to stave off a massive defeat and loss of influence.
Sorry. Our constitutional republic is inoculated against oligarchy. Incompetence and impractical governance always give way to common sense or nothing. The oligarchs may seem to have too much influence, but it’s only temporary.
And some people seem to desire that Michelle 0bama be the next president. The Bush family, the Clintons, and now the 0bamas seem to be privileged few to run things. These three families have run the country for two decades straight. And with Hillary’s and JEB Bush’s runs in 2016, they were looking to make it 24 or 28 years no matter which one won. And now they’re looking to Michelle.
I accept that we are ruled by an oligarchy, because we certainly are not ruling ourselves. Representative government is now a joke. Get the rubes to vote for you and then “sayonara” until we need to gin up the outrage mill again to get you running back to us even though we haven’t done squat for you because (blah, blah, blah). This means that some number of people are making the people dance to their tune and not the other way round. Sounds like oligarchy to me.
What makes you think it’s temporary, Doug? What makes you think that common sense will reign?
Now you’ve hit upon it. Davos. Basel. International bankers. Those with the money can call the shots.
Aha yes, the Great Reset. Who can forget?
Yes.
The elite are class of people with similar direction, that is bipartisan and goes beyond the Democrats. That group is not small enough to be an oligarchy. Maybe non-hereditary or semi-hereditary aristocracy makes more sense. It has that feel to it for me. We have Nobles, the (shrinking) middle class, and the peons.
Probably picking nits, but the “ruling class” is not a few families, nor is it fixed in any permanent way.
Someone should do a post on that. :)
What if only a portion of the elite is in charge? It’s possible that the Republicans are involved, if not at the very top. That would not surprise me. Think Never Trumpers.
Well, I think Joe is our best hope in the near term for turning things around. With Democrat control of the Presidency and the Congress for at least another year, they may very well mess things up so that even the sleepy public will awaken.
Who are those people? Are they a secret cabal of families? The Clintons and the Bushes? The Kennedy’s? The Cheneys?
I’d say that if we really had an oligarchy, things would be a lot worse. Like China. The elites are too limited in their power. There is no way an actual oligarchy would have let Trump get elected, or many of the Republicans in Congress. Or let States have as much power as they have.
I get the use of the term, and it is a nice warning call and all, but at the risk of sounding like @henryracette I don’t think it is that bad.
I will just add: ten years ago we would never have believed that we would find ourselves in these conditions. And most of you know I’m not a conspiracy nut.
They didn’t expect Trump to have so much support so they didn’t steal as well as they needed to.
But yes, there’s a small (relatively) group in Washington that holds power. You may have noticed how many politicians are married to journalists. Or their family members are lobbyists and work in the Capitol. Or they’re journalists who used to be in the FBI. It’s gross. The same disgusting elitists who ruled the country in the 90s never went away. The entire Russian Collusion hoax was ginned up by the Clinton cabal, who are unfortunately still committing crimes and getting away with it. Why haven’t any of them been charged with anything? Because the Washington machine — the oligarchy — makes sure that its members are never punished for wrongdoing.
Cleansing flood. We need one.
We may be treated to a cat fight between Dr. Jill and Michelle 0.
And closer with each election day.
Corporatism, isn’t it?
What ever happened to the (former) Attorney General who was going to investigate and indict those responsible? Another victim of the memory hole?
And the eviction moratorium was extended knowing it would be overturned by SCOTUS, but in the interim…actually, I suspect in both cases they half expected The Court to approve the unconstitutional overreach for an easy windfall.
Regardless, a pattern of bad faith governance is becoming clearer and clearer. I go back again to The Court telling TX (and others) that it doesn’t have standing when a select few states did not conduct their elections in good faith to the compact that binds the states. Right or wrong (HINT: W-R-O-N-G!), the arrogant manner in which this was done was foolish and, ultimately, dangerous. There is little reason for those states to see that as anything other than the third branch of the beltway class expressing the collective lack of patience with those uppity subservient units.
Back in the late ’90s, I spent a few months reading some of the more paranoid-fringe libertarian web sites & forums. Trilateral Commission, Council on Foreign Relations, Skull And Bones club, Masons, Templars, Illuminati — all the major conspiracy theories were bandied about. It didn’t take long to figure out they were mostly populated by kooks, some of them seriously anti-Semitic, but the “better” sites ran those folks off right quick, and I avoided the other sites once I realized what was what. It was all interesting reading in a flat-earth sort of way.
That was the first time I saw people put forth the idea that we were actually being ruled by an oligarchy. The Clinton administration really brought out the paranoid in the fringe.
The scary part is that some of those conspiracy theories don’t seem as fringe as they once did.
I remember worrying that Kamala would get Joe declared mentally incompetent so she could be President until it occurred to me that “Dr.” Jill would never let that happen, and it’d be a Whitehouse cat fight. In fact, I figure all the leaks about Kamala’s staff disfunction are coming from Jill’s people.