Whatever Became of Democracy in America

Whatever Became of Democracy in America
Prague, CZ
24 July 2013
Thomas Secrest

I was reading this morning that Weiner, admittedly an unfortunate name considering his tendencies, has once again revealed his inner nature through electronic messaging.

Like the revelations about the NSA, Weiner did not place his transgressions on the public alter and ask forgiveness, he tried to hide them. It took the expert reporting, choke, of the "Dirty" gossip site to bring this matter to light.

This proves that in politics, if no one knows, it's the same thing as if it never happened.

Undaunted by, what now appears to be a compulsive need to photograph and text his own junk, Weiner announced that his candidacy for mayor of New York city will continue, unabated.

Weiner told the Daily News of New York in May that at one point, he checked into a Houston psychiatric clinic to have his behavior evaluated, but "it wasn't an addiction thing." If it's not an addiction thing, maybe it's just a pervert thing.

However, I digress. The fact that Weiner tends to text his junk is less of a concern to me than the fact that he is the best person in New York city for the job of mayor; or the second or third or .... If this news hadn't come out, Weiner would likely have won, and may still win,  the democratic party primary.

I don't think you can really call it democracy if you are routinely given choices, over which you have no control, and are ask to simply endorse one with your vote. In a city the size and importance of New York, a person cannot rise to the level of a serious candidate for mayor without the backing of the rich, powerful and influential people who call New York home.

For the New York plutocracy it doesn't really matter who is mayor as long as they have a significant measure of control over the person. I suggest that Weiner may have risen to the top of the democratic primary race because, until today, the plutocracy knew something about Weiner that we didn't. That something gave them control, lots of control, which is why they gave him their support and why he may have been their preferred candidate.

Of course what we don't know is what form of control they have over the other candidates that New Yorkers will be asked to select from. It may be voting, but it's not democracy.