Stakeholders

What a remarkable chart! Chris Shays is the only Republican representing any of America’s five wealthiest congressional districts, and Shays barely held his seat last November. Shays won by just 6,600 votes, squeaking back only by publicly crawling away from Bush and toward the “get out of Iraq” voters who dominate his district. Wealthy people support liberal Democrats.

The American elite is liberal, because “liberal” doesn’t mean what it used to. Our elite, as with all elites, wants to hold on to what it has, and fights hard to do so. As economist Robert Frank wrote, "Animals will fight viciously to protect territory that they hold, but they won't fight nearly as hard to extend their territory."

America’s establishment turned liberal in the 1960’s, and secular liberalism is now the establishment’s religion. As we have said, liberals dominate the permanent government, the media, entertainment and the arts, academia, and philanthropy/non-profits. Liberals and conservatives divide big business and religion. Of the elite groups, conservatives dominate only small business and the military. The media is especially fierce in defending its current power position. No wonder conservatives want to change the status quo.

Liberals have a word that helps nail down their continued control: “stakeholders.” Democracy is about people, voters, and capitalism empowers people, consumers. But when we legitimize “stakeholders’” as a special category, we further entrench the status quo. “Stakeholders” are mostly parts of the Democratic coalition—the recognized leaders of labor, Hispanics, African-Americans, women’s causes, and other defined pressure groups.

This big, gummy mass makes it harder for America to turn the wheels of change.