An extraordinary development occurred in the ongoing Vioxx story yesterday: the cozy cooperation between FDA regulators and Big Pharma was exposed and publicized in a Senate hearing. On the same day, headlines were focused on the House Republicans' craven performance in protecting Tom DeLay's leadership position in the face of upcoming trouble over fund-raising scandals.
These stories, while superficially unrelated, offer a golden opportunity to begin a vital process of framing. They illustrate what I believe is the sleeping giant in American politics: the issue of Corruption.
If there is a single cause of most of the problems afflicting our governmental system today, it is the pernicious effect of money in politics. This has been true for decades, of course, but money has become so decisively influential that the situation is long past the crisis point in the reign of King George II.
Both Republicans and Democrats are, of course, reluctant to play up this issue, as both are participants in a corrupt and corrupting system. So we can't expect the "leadership" to take the lead in bringing up this issue. But the Republicans are much more heavily exposed for two reasons:
- Republicans, as the party of power, are responsible for the actions of the government. They are leaning heavily on the lobbying community to steer contributions to them and away from the Democrats. (Read up on Grover Norquist's K Street Project.)
- Influence peddling and quid pro quos for contributions are much closer to the Plutocratic soul of the Republican party. While the Christian Right has been getting the press, the corporatist power structure is and has always been the controlling faction in the party.
Honesty, transparency, and true representative government are at the core of the Progressive value system. Our values can beat theirs, if we're courageous enough to live by them. Democrats need to roll the dice and take some chances if they expect to change their fortunes, and few issues offer a better opportunity.
Russ Feingold would make a terrific spokesman for the overall corrupting influence of big campaign contributions, and can move the debate beyond the Republican diversion of 527's. Dr. Dean has the expertise to open the Pandora's box of health care corruption, from FDA regulators to the Medicare no-negotiation clause. Robert Kennedy Jr. and other environmental spokesmen must reveal the criminal despoliation of the environment under George II. Ditto for the quid pro quos that have occurred in corporate tax benefits and regulatory favors ("corporate welfare"). The list of targets goes on and on.
Corruption is a vital frame for bringing together many disparate stories damaging to Republicans. The populace will never connect the dots without this context. With it, we can bring the Republican regime down.
