Michael Parenti's critique of class bias in American democracy

Michael Parenti

In his book, Michael Parenti stresses that the political system is relatively more responsive to the interests of affluent individuals and the business community instead of the middle-class. Parenti's assertion is based on his attempts to show how democracy is breached by corporate oligopoly and how renowned forces fought back and infrequently made gains (Parenti, 2010, p.x). His assertions are evident in how and why these arrangements develop in relation to various institutions including

Constitution

The United States Constitution is a living document through which the nation was founded in order to restrict political authority and monitor abuses of power. The development of arrangements that are responsive to the interests of wealthy people and the business community in the U.S. Constitution is evident in the origin and fundamental structure of the nation's political system. The origin of this document can be traced back to 1787 when some men assembled in Philadelphia and attempted to establish a strong central government. These men concluded that the government was established in order to defend affluent individuals and business community against the poor and develops through acquisition of valuable property (Parenti, 2010, p.5). Since then, affluent people and the business community have utilized the superiority of their wealth to control political office and ownership of the press to protect their interests instead of those of the middle class. In essence, the U.S. Constitution was a by-product of class privilege and struggle that continued to take place with the growth of the economy and the government.

The main reason for the development of these arrangements in the U.S. Constitution was the focus on preventing the low-income majority from combining its upward thrust upon government. These arrangements were also geared towards ensuring that the low-income majority is blunted with indirect structures of representation. They sought to establish a strong central, national government that would be large enough to contain any uprising and prevent the entire nation from any form of rebellion. While the interests of the middle-class play a crucial role in the political system, they do not enjoy superior results as compared to affluent people who utilize their time, information, wealth, and organization. Therefore, the U.S. Constitution was developed to protect the interests of affluent individuals who have higher economic motives than other social groups that struggle for position and power (Parenti, 2010, p.13).

Media

The development of these arrangements in the media is influenced by the fact that affluent individuals and the business community that control most of the country's economy increasingly focus on key industries like the media. These individuals and business community are increasingly acquiring and swallowing small companies in this industry. They focus on profit-driven mergers and acquisitions as part of controlling the market and having a major impact in the country's economic growth and development. Given the significance of the media as an informational framework, affluent people and the business community seek to control it not only as part of direct investments in corporate America but also control the kind of information disseminated to the public.

Controlling the media is also regarded as a means of preventing mobilization of the low-income and middle-class majority from combining their upward drive towards government. In this case, these wealthy individuals and business community use the media to sustain surveillance of private citizens and plant stories their own stories. This helps them to affect the ideological output and information flow of the society and shape various components of the political system (Parenti, 2010, p.151).

Congress

The Congress is a bicameral body that was created by the framers of the United States Constitution and consists of various representatives. Parenti's assertions are evident in the Congress since people elected to it are not demographically representative of the whole country (Parenti, 2010, p.197). The Congress is made of affluent individuals and members of the business community such as lawyers, bankers, business executives, former state legislators, investors, and entrepreneurs. As a result, there are relatively no ordinary people working in Congress since it is dominated by wealthy people who seek to protect their interests than those of the middle-class. This composition of the Congress seeks to protect such interests because of its significance in the policymaking process. Through a large representation in the Congress, affluent individuals and the business community not only influence policies but also affect the flow of money in the country.

The President

Even though the president plays many roles including being the head of state, the president protects the interests of affluent individuals and the business community through being the promoter and protector of corporate capitalism. Regardless of political affiliation and persuasion, the president tends to consider capitalist interests as synonymous to the well-being of the country. As a result, presidents have always depended on the judgments of corporate leaders and drew advisors from banking and industry (Parenti, 2010, p.216). Most of the president's decisions are influenced by the desires and advice from affluent individuals and the business community. In this process, the president protects the interests of these individuals instead of the middle-class who constitute a huge percentage of the population. The president's protection of these interests is fueled by the role affluent people play in the political process.

Democracy and Capitalism

Michael Parenti's book is a piece of literature that challenging interpretation of the government of the United States. The provocative nature of the book originates from the fact that it demonstrates how democracy is constantly infringed by corporate oligopolies as wealthy individuals and the business community seeks to protect their interests rather than those of the middle class. One of the most important things in this book is that it challenges the reader to confront the fight and unavoidable conflict between democracy and capitalism. Regardless of their political persuasions, American citizens are increasingly dedicated to democracy, which is a system of governance that reflects and represents the interests of the entire population. While people are taught that democracy and capitalism go together, there is an underlying conflict between the two. The conflict between these two processes is that they propagate egalitarian political principles while creating huge disparities in the actual political influence and material well-being of whole population (Parenti, 2010, p.58).

The author challenges the reader to reflect upon and think about whether it is possible to achieve democracy and capitalism at the same time without having significant effects on the wider population. It is clearly evident that democracy and capitalism are seemingly mutually exclusive and cannot co-exist effectively. This is primarily because democracy seeks to protect the well-being of the many and dealing with economic oppressions and privileges that favor few people while capitalism creates a pluralist society of various groups with huge disparities in economic development and political influence. Therefore, the reader is provoked to re-evaluate and re-think their support for democracy and capitalism. By highlighting this conflict, Parenti basically shows the reader the ineffectiveness of democracy and the need to develop a political concept and process that would contribute to significant gains for the whole population.

Relationship between Economic Power and Political Power