Americans Elect: The Rothschild factor

I'm still not sure what to make of this Americans Elect thing.

So far, the group is not on the radar of most citizens. Yet the movers and shakers who made AE come into being are seriously rich and seriously spooked up. After our previous post on this topic, a reader contributed the following:

Americans Elect is run by Lynn Forester de Rothschild. They have already picked Huntsman as their candidate, go to Irregular Times, they have a whole bunch of articles.

As some of you may have noticed, I now link to IT, even though they're trying to drum up enthusiasm for Obama's re-election, while I'd rather vote for Huckleberry Hound. (Come to think of it, they're both blue dogs...)

IT has indeed been looking into the Rothschild connection. Don't misunderstand: I'm not one of those conspiracy nuts who goes into rage-gasm every time he sees the Rothschild name. But let's face it -- even among the one percenters, Lady Lynn Forester de Rothschild is, at the very least, a ten percenter. Her idea of a grassroots movement would be Occupy Tiffany's.

This story from 2007 pegs her as a big supporter of Hillary Clinton -- and yet for some reason, I can't bring myself to like her. Why? Oh, I dunno. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that she has been known to say stuff like this:

Back when John [TV/wireless mogul and gagillionaire Kluge] sold to Southwest Bell I said "Boy, you know, I want a net worth of $40 million. Because I just thought that was more money than I could ever imagine. I thought I would die and go to heaven if I ever had $40 million. And John gave me the best advice I've ever gotten in one sentence. He said, "Stop. Don't think at all about the net worth you're creating. Think about your vision for what you're creating, and that you wake up every day and you love it. The money will follow." And it was sort of so profound, and this rush came over me of "Oh my God, of course," and then I just went on from there. And that made a huge difference to me.

Ponder those words while you stock the shelves at WallyWorld. Y'know why you're stuck in that job? You just don't have the right attitude. So change your mind-set. Chuck your job, stop paying the rent and do what you love. Very soon, forty million smackers will fall from the heavens right into your outstretched hands -- because this is America, goddammit, and getting your mitts around that kind of cash has nothing to do with being named Rothschild or marrying British nobility. Really, it's all a matter of positive thinking.

Don't you just hate people like that?

As Barbara Ehrenreich documents, affluent positive thinkers have pretty much ruined the world. I swear, there are moments when I think that Citoyen Robespierre may have had the right idea...

What freaks me out is the strong pro-Hillary vibe emanating from AE-land. That ought to be a point in their favor, what with my pro-Clinton history and all. But...well, in the first place, Hillary won't run. Just won't happen. In the second place, if Lady Lynn's writings give us any indication as to what to expect from a Hillary administration, then perhaps the time has come to regroup and reconsider.

Here's Lynn:

In an environment of unprecedented political gridlock in Washington and broad-based dissatisfaction with the leading candidates of both parties, 2012 may finally be the year when an independent candidate becomes president of the United States. For the first time in our nation's history, popular dissatisfaction with both parties is reinforced by the existence of serious bipartisan organizations that will facilitate the effort of a non-aligned national figure to become president. Because of these two factors, the opportunity to mobilize what Tom Friedman calls "the radical center" has never been greater. Indeed, "some revelation is at hand".

Oy. If her idea of a wise old bird is Tom Freakin' Friedman, count me out. I don't want any more of that Wall-Street-enabling, job-outsourcing, America-destroying "world is flat" shit. Lynn's millions wouldn't bug me at all if her reference points went to Ha-Joon Chang or Joseph Stiglitz -- but Tom "free trade" Friedman? No way.

I want a New Deal revival, not New Age claptrap.

The problem isn't that both parties are radicalized. The problem is that the Republicans are ultra-radicalized (Ron Paul and Rick Perry have even flirted with the idea of secession, fer chrissakes!), while the Dems -- well, too many Dems, starting with our current president -- are ultra-wimpified. Lots of Dems have already bought into this "world is flat" mindset. Extreme? Hell, they hardly even count as an alternative.

If Lynn can't see so obvious a fact, then let's not pretend that she has any kind of a solution to offer. She may claim to be above partisan bickering, but she still represents the Reaganite Old Deal.

Has Hillary really climbed into bed (metaphorically speaking) with Lady Lynn de Lucre? Yeesh. What a depressing image. It was a lot more pleasant to think about Huma.