Dick Tuck, a political prankster who made a satirical run for public office years ago, got less than 10 percent of the vote. Conceding defeat, he quipped, “The people have spoken, the bastards.”
Tuck’s jab at voters was in jest, but it exposed an awkward political truth: While people generally have little respect for today’s elected officials, many officials harbor even less regard for The People they supposedly serve.
Exhibit A: Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia. A multi-millionaire coal baron, Manchin is devoted to serving the machinations of profiteering fossil fuel corporations, so he doesn’t even disguise his disdain for “busybodies” (unions, town leaders, nature defenders, farmers, climate activists, et al) who dare stand up to any God-awful scheme of plunder and pollution the barons dream up.
Listen to this episode with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Jim Hightower's Lowdown to listen to this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.
