The Koch-Blocked American Dream

Since when has getting “Koch”-blocked ever stopped a red-blooded American from pursuing the object of his dreams? No lusty chap’s gonna agreeably withdraw just because two slick, well-moneyed gentlemen have also set their unrelenting sights on said dream-object, determined to woo and win its unfettered devotion by any means of subtle pursuit or overt purchase necessary. What’s a poor guy to do? As soon as a dude’s got the lighting dimmed and the Al Green cued, these two oily foxes show up with champagne and a limo, tag-team his ambiance and whisk said dream-object away.

As Americans, we collectively embrace diversity and chance to prevail over adversity. We individually pursue advancement and to progress our children’s prospects. We nurture optimism for our shared future and value the promise of the American Dream. But, today it seems that, just as we begin to savor that object of our dreams – the American one, that is, those Koch-blocking brothers drop by (uninvited, mind you), hell-bent on killing the mood. If only they weren’t so crafty about it. …

No news here: Money drives our politics and guides the motives of our most greedy and nefarious leaders; we hate that because our country was founded on the concept of a democratic government by and for the people... blah, blah, blah. Still, while we holler about the “broken system," the Kochs relax back-stage stealthily masterminding its rewire to fresh corruptive levels. Infusing our political process with their limitless financial sway, they’ve executed a most intricate and clandestine campaign singularly resolved to manipulate our government in grand favor of their corporate-based agenda – and (to my grave astonishment) the Republican Party is all-in.

I’m not talking solely about the juvenile exploits of the usual lobbyists and routine special-interest groups. The Kochs are amidst an extensive, resolute and successful strategic expedient intended to usurp and encapsulate our political process, top-to-bottom and bottom-to-top. (All emphases intended – and I ain’t no conspiracy-theorist-whatcha-ma-call-it!)

That the Kochs were embraced by their privileged fellows of mutual affluence – the ultra-loaded whose best interest is simply to remain ultra-loaded – is a no-brainer. However, the way they’ve captivated and bolstered even the lowliest of the uncultured and cash-strapped, commandeering them into their establishment-minded regime without notice, is quite rich. They launched one of the most perfectly executed recruiting campaigns ever by means of silently targeting a well-defined audience consisting of a previously under-represented, otherwise disregarded and often-overlooked brood of outsiders – who just happened to have an intense desire to belong to a biased crusade – then augmented its pre-existing groupthink mentality and anti-government sentiment.

That gall-durned Tea Party was a-ripe for the pickin’. This group’s members were, for the most part, uneducated but willing to absorb – and the brothers were more than willing to provide their untrained minds with plenty of skewed fodder. Immune to hypocrisy and falsity because they arrived recognition-proof, they were pissed off and rarin’ to go. All it took to escalate this “grassroots” movement was a surreptitiously manufactured, patriotic cattle-call to “take their country back” and the Tea Party’s radical base was gleefully dispatched to do the Kochs’ takin’-it-to-the-streets footwork for them in hastened momentum.

It’s rather sad, actually. Thinking themselves privy to a unique guerilla offensive, they had no idea that in reality they were following a well-tuned plan, staged, funded and organized by two guys who ascribe to a strict profit-before-patriotism ideal well before one of liberty or freedom. The Kochs didn’t give a damn about “restoring” anything but unregulated, mad-capped industry in furtherance of their own prosperity. The Partyists were clueless to their exchange of one authoritative institution for another. (I find it strange that those among the most suspicious, pessimistic, distrustful, and skeptical spectators were so effortlessly played to do another’s bidding. ….) Bewitched and bamboozled, they were apparently tantalized by the offer of the most-valued promise of an empowered Christian Right influence: Koch-blocked.

The Kochs (remaining mute and behind-the-scenes) vigorously propagandized their mission, funding and financing countless front-groups and “think”-tanks to discredit any point and disrepute any statistic conflicting with their dogma. They positioned Republican Congress members to advance their contrived shift of national political perspective – and to Koch-block Obama’s entire first term. From the Republican pledge to prevent the expiration of elite-class tax-cuts to opposing his jobs bill prior to it even hitting the floor; from the notorious Senate filibusters to the GOP’s dedication to ensure a one-term presidency; from the “subject” of his U.S. citizenship to claims of his Socialist/Muslim Brotherhood connections: Koch-blocked.

So, the Kochs’ vast portfolio of intangible assets now pretty much includes the majority of the Republican Party. Along with anyone who thinks that: These fellas are authentic Libertarians; either Cain or Bachmann (et al.) were serious presidential nominees; “jobs and the economy” is (are) the front-and-center conservative issue(s) of this election; or, Romney is running solo against Obama: Koch-blocked.

The Kochs – along with their all-Republican-inclusive political comrades – are immune to pollution because neither they nor their children will ever live or work around contaminants. Their kids will never labor without a minimum wage or employer-paid health insurance. They don’t worry about their children’s education or its inherent inferiority. They don’t fret over their golden years or the potential of refused access to pre-paid benefits and pensions. They don’t care about the cost of or access to healthcare, much less the medical complications incumbent of old age. They’ll never be roommates with their ailing, destitute parents. Their women’s breasts and vaginas are just fine, thank you (and, no, they would never enter women’s health clinic if they weren’t).

The Koch Brothers do not rally for any agency other than their own imperialistic corporate empire. Their bucks, brains and brass have efficaciously trumped even the existing imprudence of American politics. They already live the American Dream, so it is of no concern to them that the majority of us remain in its pursuit. Republicans will continue to fulfill the Kochs’ pre-paid biddings while we persist in the chase for that elusive Koch-blocked American Dream.

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