A word in favor of "corporate subversion"

"From a marketing point of view, you don't introduce new products in August"

- Andrew Card, White House Chief of Staff, September 2002, on the rollout of the Iraq War.

What "product" the Bush machine has in mind for us this election season remains to be seen. But I am ignoring Card's advice and rolling out my own product without waiting for the end of August. That product: "Corporate Subversion."

Yes, I know, the term has undoubtedly been used before, but I feel it deserves special attention and incorporation into our lexicon this season and for the rest of our political lives. The term can be an antidote for many things and a convenient catch phrase to fall back on when we need time to gather our thoughts. In this way it is similar to the Right's "tax and spend," "cut and run," and "activist judges."

"Corporate Subversion," however, has benefits not possessed by the Right Wing's subriquets:

• It is true. Corporate interests have subverted virtually every aspect of the government and the society. (See list below.)


• Most Americans agree. Poll after poll shows a substantial majority of Americans believe corporations exert far too much influence -- subverting the government and the society. This sense becomes particularly active around clear examples of corporate malfeasance, for example, the Enron collapse and subsequent trials. This anti-corporate sentiment is a key to the progressive majority which is the base for resurrecting our democracy.


• It applies across the board. As above, and below, corporate subversion is ubiquitous and disastrous. Thus, using this term virtually anywhere is appropriate.


• Raising awareness of and countering corporate subversion will make a difference. This is more or less a corollary to its being true. The difficulty with the Right's hot buttons is that they are only good for agitation value. You can hit the button a million times, but it doesn't fix anything and usually only makes matters worse. This is the problem with being dissociated from reality. "Corporate Subversion" is connected to reality.
  

Use it early, use it often:

Corporate subversion of the election process
Corporate subversion of campaign finance
Corporate subversion of health care
Corporate subversion of foreign policy
Corporate subversion of rebuilding Iraq
Corporate subversion of energy policy
Corporate subversion of environmental controls
Corporate subversion of media
Corporate subversion of Agriculture
Corporate subversion of transportation systems
Corporate subversion of trade policy
Corporate subversion of scientific research
Corporate subversion of government
Corporate subversion of education
Corporate subversion of the economy
Corporate subversion of tax laws
and so on.

Bonus Phrase: In honor of Dick Cheney, who four years ago today said:

"There is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction. There is no doubt he is amassing them to use against our friends ... and against us,"

This corner is giving a sneak preview of

"Brutal Stupidity."

This phrase is still in its developmental stage, but it promises to be the perfect antidote for "cut and run" and "weak on terrorism" and lead the conversation into torture, erosion of civil rights, and lack of results from enormous expenditures of blood and treasure.

(Special thanks to Mother Jones.)