(*) This is a true study folks. - I just present it in a sarcastic fashion. This post rated ST for Snark Tolerant readers only.
Bryce Covert, of Think Progress publishes this poignant study showing that even in the United States, a country founded on the ideals of egalitarian democracy, the wealthy and lobbyists for corporations have far more influence over Washington policy makers than do average citizens. These shocking and discouraging results are reported in The Government Listens To Lobbyists And The Wealthy, Not You And Me. Before moving on to our main story, perhaps we should pause for a moment to reflect and wellwish for Bryce Covert - what a bummer of a name for a progressive working at Think Progress, of all places. Bryce, redeems himself here with this excellent article, no doubt after a career of having to work extra hard, like Johny Cash's "Boy named Sue."
That’s according to a forthcoming article in Perspectives on Politics by Martin Gilens of Princeton University and Benjamin I. Page of Northwestern University. The two looked at a data set of 1,779 policy issues between 1981 and 2002 and matched them up against surveys of public opinion broken down by income as well as support from interest groups.
They estimate that the impact of what an average citizen prefers put up against what the elites and interest groups want is next to nothing, or “a non-significant, near-zero level.” They note that their findings show “ordinary citizens…have little or no independent influence on policy at all.” The affluent, on the other hand, have “a quite substantial, highly significant, independent impact on policy,” they find, “more so than any other set of actors” that they studied. Organized interest groups similarly fare well, with “a large, positive, highly significant impact on public policy.”
When they hold constant the preferences of interest groups and the rich, “it makes very little difference what the general public thinks,” they note. The probability that policy change occurs is basically the same whether a small group or a large majority of average citizens are in favor. On the other hand, all else being the same, opposition from the wealthy means that a particular policy is only adopted about 18 percent of the time, but when they support it it gets adopted 45 percent of the time. Similar patterns are true for interest groups. The impact could also be even higher than their findings, as there may be policy differences among those they count as wealthy, which means that the imprecision in their measure “is likely to produce underestimates of the impact of economic elites on policy making,” they write.
HoundDog and Friend Fluffy on road trip to discover the true heart of progressive America.
The news is not entirely discouraging, Kossacks. Covert reports "one mitigating" factor," or silver lining. When the "interests of the average citizen ... align with what the wealthy want" we are more likely to get "our" way.
What a breakthrough, Kossacks! Why didn't we think of this before? We've been getting all discouraged trying to figure out how we can win this sisyphean class struggle against the vastly better funded billionaire Koch Brothers network, when if we had just thought to switch over and instead, identified with, and "wanted" to be ruled by "benevolent oligarchs" we would have discovered that Washington policy makers were truly responsive to our voices after all.
How embarrassing is this going to be for all of us if all of these working class class red state voters who keep voting against their own best economic interest for the regressive and preposterous Paul Ryan austerity budgets and tax cuts for the top 1%, have figured out something before we did. How much happier we could be if we identified with the top 1% and enjoyed the feeling the power of having Washington elites responding to "our" wishes.
Meanwhile, I feel like an idiot, living in a "fools paradise" spending hundreds if not thousands of misguided hours trying to figure out how to translate and upgrade "false consciousness" theory to explain why these middle and working class Republicans in the southern red states keep voting against their own bests economic interests. (BTW For about a year, I've had in my que an article by cognitive psychologist who have found, sadly, that "last place avoidance" theory may explain why poor white populations in red states resort to racism and right-wing bigotry against minorities but this is a topic for another post after the super-hot Bridgegate thing passes.)
In addition to the finding that "our government is far more responsive to the needs of the wealthy than those of the poor," this research predicts this problem will become worse as income inequality becomes more extreme.
Covert offers the example of Congress responding immediately to address the needs of business-class travelers who were inconvenienced by long lines at airports during the FAA furloughs, contrasted to the gutting of funds for Head Start, and Meals on Wheels due to automatic sequestration spending cuts.
Kossacks, I am shocked, truly shocked, to discover favoritism to the wealthy, and corporate lobbyists in Washington politics. This just is not right. We live in America after all! We should all review our social networks, and perhaps, college and high school chums for wealthy or well connected corporate people and ask them to contact our political leaders on our behalf.
Please try to convince them that even the rich will be better off if the poor, middle, working, and upper middle classes are well feed, have adequate health care, and entertaining television programs on TV. We will work harder and cause less trouble for the elites.
Thank you. This is our country too, and we should endeavor to feel as if we are participating in our democracy along with the rich people, as this feeling very well may improve our productivity on their behalf, as well.
And, may God bless America, Kossacks. Land of the free, and home of the prosperous, and "prosperously self-identified."
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