In my previous article I predicted that Hillary Clinton is destined to be the Democrat Party’s presidential candidate in 2008. I take this view mainly because I believe she is the choice of the Media Class.
This is not to say that every member of the Media elite will support her at this stage. The Media Class is not a conspiratorial group that meets in secret places, though some members undoubtedly network. Ruling Classes of the past have never been one united group, for within them various tendencies and interests are at work and there are often internal power struggles and individual maverick members. Within the ruling British Industrial Class of the 19th and 20th centuries were subgroups who represented canals, railroads, cotton, wool, coal mining and engineering. Sometimes these groups had conflicting interests. And there were mavericks like Engels and Robert Owen. Nevertheless it is possible looking back to discern a broad agenda that recreated British legislation and British economic and social life.
We should not be surprised therefore if our ruling Media Class of today has its spats and rivalries and that in the early days of choosing the next Media-serving candidate for President, there is some in-fighting. The Hollywood extravaganza for Barack Obama on Tuesday evening, hosted by Geffen and his gang should not be seen as evidence that the ruling Media Class is falling apart. Geffen has had his own score to settle with the Clintons and it is personal and not about a principle and when the chips eventually come down, Geffen will pursue his over riding class interest and support Hillary.
Still, the Tuesday night parties in Beverley Hills certainly demonstrated Hollywood’s ability to donate money and therefore buy the top politicians. The Geffen dinner alone raised almost $1.4m for Obama and there were other parties all over town, so his war chest is looking good. He is said to have wowed the stars by telling them that they must act responsibly because they have so much influence on the public. He is right about their influence but of course his appeal for responsible behavior is empty rhetoric and he and they know it. The stars love to be told that they are important influential people, for they are all narcissists by definition.
Not all Media Class people are intense about Leftist politics. Strutting in front of cameras, having cosmetic surgery, copulating and sniffing cocaine consumes the energies of many and leaves little time for studying Marx, Trotsky and Che. For some however, like Streisand, a little learning has been dangerously heady stuff and Leftist causes require taking time off from examining the cracks in the mirror. For these Hollywood ‘intellectuals’ Mrs Clinton’s political opportunism since becoming a Senator has been a disappointment. Obama, with so little political history, has purer credentials, especially on ‘Bush’s War’. He is also a novelty and Media people love novelty over substance.
Hillary has a powerful and ruthless network all over the US and already has more campaign money than any other candidate in US history. She and her husband and their employees also have the contents of many FBI files on important people. Her position is formidable. Geffen has accused her (and Ole Bill) of being unprincipled and opportunistic, but this is a compliment in Leftist circles, for it means that she can tell the public one thing and intend another. Overt Leftists never win elections in the USA, witness George McGovern’s run for President.
Of course, Hillary’s campaign could come off the rails and despite huge sums of money spent and an accommodating Media, she could be rejected by the voters of the early primaries. If that were the case, the Media Class would pull out the stops for another Democrat, or if none were seemingly electable, some might go for Rudi. But this is an unlikely scenario, for the Media Class has great power. In the course of two weeks before an election, a determined and united Media Class has the power to erase Hillary’s past flip- flops, rewrite her history and present her as a warm and caring mother with vision and compassion. It also has the power to dig out the dirt on adversaries.
Hillary’s surface opportunism does not mean that she is politically unreliable for Leftists. She is consumed by a lust for power and status and that means that she will greatly expand the power of government and will do all she can to stifle free speech. These are credentials that will please the Media Class for only by such means can their unpopular social agenda be advanced.
Obama should not get carried away by his early Media success and should avoid getting too big for his boots. If he wishes to be Hillary’s running mate in 2008, he should not upset her. The Clintons are not forgiving people and nothing about Hillary suggests that she has a thick skin. Her people are capable of every dirty trick in the book and need fear no Media searchlights into dark corners.
The Media uses election run-ups to feed its need for false political news and the spat between Hillary’s camp and Obama’s is media orchestrated and show-cased. It is early days and the Media knows that what is said and done now can be buried. Conservatives should not get excited in the belief that the spat will help their cause. The Media Class has shown time and time again that it has the power to turn black into white, and you can read what you will into that.