Steve Bantly: Trump, Republicans are the tools of wealthiest elites

President Obama’s two terms could have been a model for cooperation and progress; instead, they were compromised with hatred and obstruction. The hatred came from a large group of voters opposed – let’s be honest – to having a black president, including “birthers” who questioned President Obama’s legitimacy. The obstruction came from the GOP, who decided to sabotage his presidency by obstructing his policies. In the Senate, Republicans staged the most filibusters – 289 from 2010-2016 – in Senate history.

Why? The GOP since 1981 has attempted to impose a free-market ideology:

▪ Tax-cut policies favoring corporations and wealthy investors over the middle class (trickle-down);

▪ Globalization, allowing multi-national corporations (like Apple) to exploit cheap overseas labor, throwing American workers to the wolves;

▪ Limited government, i.e., abolishing social safety net programs such as Medicare and Social Security, with no universal health care;

▪ Deregulation of Wall Street banking practices that brought us the Great Recession;

▪ Privatization of public infrastructure, like roads, schools, mail, etc.

These policies have encouraged rising income inequality between wealthy elites and a declining middle class. Trump voters will shortly find that beneath a populist exterior that seemingly supports American workers, lurks a demagogue whose values align almost completely with GOP ideology.

This story was originally published March 29, 2017 at 11:40 AM with the headline "Steve Bantly: Trump, Republicans are the tools of wealthiest elites."