A Loyal Servant— but Not of the People

That may be an exaggeration. And it may be ‘good’ or ‘bad,’ depending on your point of view. Those who consider Israel’s affairs of great importance will be happy with it. Those who think the Senate should represent the interests of the US, not a foreign country, may find it less appealing.

But it is surely a sign that the US political system doesn’t really work the way it’s s’posed to.

What brings this to mind are the efforts by the mainstream press to make Lindsey Graham into a great American. Mike Pompeo in the New York Post:

With the passing of Sen. Graham, his family has lost someone who loved them deeply. The Senate has lost a believer in that body’s essential role in preserving democracy. Our nation has lost a great patriot and warrior. And I have lost a friend and mentor whose kindness to me was immeasurable.

But it was not the ‘democracy’ of the high school textbooks that Graham was preserving. We will spare readers a real obituary for the dead senator. What no one disputes about him, however, was that he represented the new breed of US politician — representing not his South Carolina voters, but something bigger and more permanent…the major, behind-the-scenes interests that actually run the government.

Those interests prominently include very rich people, big Pharma, defense industries, Israel (not Jews generally, but only those who support Netanyahu’s Zionist agenda), and the federal bureaucracy itself.

For shorthand, we call this not-very-cohesive group the Deep State. Although each element of it has its own hobby horses, it is united behind a primary mission — using the US government to preserve and enhance its own wealth, its power, and its status.

And woe to anyone who dares to put his fidelity to the US or the taxpayers first. The big, out-of-town money will soon flood the press with reasons to vote against him. The Intercept:

[AIPAC] and another pro-Israel group, Democratic Majority for Israel, defeated Reps. Andy Levin, D-Mich., and Marie Newman, D-Ill., who were outspoken in their criticism of unconditional U.S. military funding for Israel. The campaign to defeat Levin marked a significant push from AIPAC to repress criticism of Israel even from Jewish members of Congress.

That was in 2022. More recently, Tom Massie of Kentucky was the target. The local voters were perfectly happy with him…until the Deep State lobbies teamed up against him.

“Well, ultimately, the voters decide,” you might say, “and they’ll get what they deserve.” And yes, they will. But in the midst of millions of dollars’ worth of advertising and professional PR, it is asking a lot for the common folk to tell the difference between a prince from a toad.

And more and more members of Congress — practically all of them — now croak for these special interests, not for the voters who sent them to Washington. They know where the money is. The Congressional Research Service:

Israel is the largest cumulative recipient of U.S. foreign assistance since World War II…To date, the United States has provided Israel $174 billion (current, or non-inflation-adjusted, dollars) in bilateral assistance and missile defense funding.

AIPAC’s goal, generally, is to get more money from the US, which is used to buy more weapons. Much of the money ends up in the defense industry. Some of it was then recycled to Graham.

Lindsey Graham was a good example of the modern, Deep State-approved candidate. He saw the world, conveniently, as a conflict — us v. them. How to win? Bomb them!

This approach did not always work very well, but it may have been psychologically gratifying to people like Lindsey Graham. And it was definitely profitable for the lobbyists.

Money is what makes the Deep State slobber and pant. Bombers and bombs cost money. Bombing Iran, for example, has no plausible benefits to the people of South Carolina. But Graham didn’t represent the people who voted for him. He was a loyal servant, not of ‘The People,’ but of the Deep State that owned him.