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"I tend to see Politics and economics as two almost entirely separate games."

Boy, Frank-- I disagree.

Economics as a "discipline" is (and should be) a servant of politics--yes--since economists in general make lousy policy- too narrow a point of view, too lost in pandering.
But from the perspective of the voter (who, after all, is the central figure here), economics and it's real-life consequences are fundamental, and merge with--are the life blood of-- politics.
Most Americans have no dough in shares, view Wall Street as fundamentally "broken" anyhow, and would happily attend a CEO roast, if the main dish was one of those guys who make 2,000 times what a line worker makes, and just ran the cfompany intocv the ground---or moved it to Singapore.

It's only the Media who dare not speak ill of Wall Street.

Capitalism searches out the darkest corners of human potential, and mainlines them.

by geezer in Paris (risico at wanadoo(flypoop)fr) on Wed Mar 12th, 2008 at 08:11:40 AM EST
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God, I hate this keyboard.


Capitalism searches out the darkest corners of human potential, and mainlines them.
by geezer in Paris (risico at wanadoo(flypoop)fr) on Wed Mar 12th, 2008 at 08:15:27 AM EST
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My formulation was unclear. - I see them as being played as if they were entirely different games, with an international economic elite with almost no loyalty to its current host nation, and a political elite with harps excessively on patriotism but which has almost no power over the economic elite.  Of course the two are intimately connected, but you would hardly think so given how the games are being played at the moment.  Yes, there are arguments about NAFTA which are chiefly about foreigners when the real aliens are running the show back home.  International monopoly capitalism has few national ties except when it wants national institutions to pick up the tab when things go horribly wrong.

"It's a mystery to me - the game commences, For the usual fee - plus expenses, Confidential information - it's in my diary..."
by Frank Schnittger (mail Frankschnittger at hot male dotty communists) on Wed Mar 12th, 2008 at 09:39:46 AM EST
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