"How can I get some?" by D.R. Starr II
(centrist)
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
For the last 9 years I have been hearing about this new kind of capital, Now I've heard of investment capital, loan capital, reserve capital, but Political Capital that's new to me, and the way Bush and the Republicans seemed to be drunk on it, an eight year long party, hell bent on spending this political capital. I thought to my-self, "Self, That political capital must come easy, the way they are spending it."
So I said to my-self "Self, I wonder where I can get some ?, I wonder what the exchange Rate is on the dollar?, Would it be better to use gold ? I wonder where the exchange is?," Self wasn't any help at all, so, I set out to get some somewhere.
I checked all of the financial reports, periodicals, commodities, bullion, and gems. Nothing, not one hint of where to find it. After asking around to both friends and strangers, it seems that most didn't know, or couldn't explain it. ("It's complicated."), So, I ask them, "have you ever seen any?" "No", they answer. "Then how do you know it exists?", At this point, I usually get that look. You know the one, when they take a step back at the same time. (I get that quite a lot.) Now where do I go, Who can I ask ?, I never felt so lost.
And when Pres. Obama was elected, he to was talking a lot about spending his political capital, and the Dem's were dancing in the streets flaunting theirs, almost as bad as, EPA liaisons at an OIL funded retreat. I noticed that all these guys talking about this political capital, were doing really well for themselves, and I became even more determined to get some, going over the a fore mentioned attempts with the same results, except, the looks are a little stranger, and the steps are a little farther back.), ( I get this quite a lot, also.)
So now what ? I can't find it, although, they are spending it like they have a factory. No-body has seen it, but, everybody talks about it. It seems pretty valuable, yet no where to get it. What a conundrum.
Well I never did discover how to get it, But it's traded through the Federal Reserve, and, after I found out what it was, I lost interest in trading it as a commodity. After speaking to some people who are experts on the subject, I can't explain it the way they did, but boiled down it goes like this, Political Capital is You and me, we are being bought, traded, spent, sold, and used as collateral for loans from the federal reserve. And leverage against opposition to pass Idealistic laws, and, to pack the Supreme Court.
No, To me that seems like Slavery or Indentured servitude. No, I don't want to trade in human lives.
I'm Just Say'N
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Posted By: Jahfre Fire Eater
Date: 2010-01-06 07:13:03
Hi D.R. Starr II,
Holy cow! I think you've provided an insight I haven't recognized before and it makes so much sense.
Political capital is something politicians invest with the expectation of future political returns They say "spend" since, as you pointed out, few people have any idea what political capital is there is no way they are going to appreciate the finer distinctions between spending and investing. Most members of the core central herd of voters are unfamiliar with the concept of investing but absolutely come alive with the notion of spending.
So, the first step, if you want to "get some" is to lose the elitist shepherd's notion of "spending" political capital.
Al Gore didn't spend his either. He didn't actually invest it though, at least not in the strictest terms...instead, he speculated with his political capital. He went "all in" on the speculation that the power of fear and ignorance about something people deal with every day, the weather, would return enormous boatloads of political capital to him. Hell, speculating with other people's money looks fun; I can understand Gore's addiction. There should be a rehab program for such afflictions.
Anyway, thanks for the new perspective. I'm sure this lack of basic understanding about the nature of politics and the resulting accumulation of political capital is at the root of the Libertarian (and all third) Party's total lack of political capital.
Just like Keynes taught that monetary policies that mimic the net increase in the GDP are exactly the same as the sum total of individual human actions that the GDP stems from; yielding a promice of getting something for nothing (political capital), third parties also think that by mimicing the behavior of real political parties, they can manifest political capital out of the ether.
The pursuit of freedom from the struggle and the promise of getting something for NOTHING is what drives these self-marginalizing pseudo-political herd passifying activities...I think a great skit on this topic should be titled, Political Capital Pantomine.
Great article, nicely written, thought provoking and humorous. I'd give it two big thumbs up...but there seems to be some thumb-rationing built into the system. -Jahfre Fire Eater
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