Who rules in a capitalist democracy?
Modern-day capitalism in the United States permits working people to vote every two or four years for a narrowly selected group of politicians who are acceptable to the bankers and corporate moguls. The form of government is democratic and republican. In its essence, however, it is a dictatorship of a narrow class of super-rich property owners. Through their control and ownership of the banks, they exercise a dominating influence over the government regardless of which group of politicians happens to hold office in any given moment. The government’s providing a massive subsidy to the bankers is labeled “socialism” by right-wing demagogues like Rush Limbaugh. Like the fascists in Nazi Germany, contemporary right wingers agitate against the banks and the Obama administration in order to curry favor and support from sectors of society being pauperized by the capitalist economic crisis. But the bankers are not simply a bad category of “greedy” capitalists. They are the core force in modern
