Noam Chomsky on the current state of US politics


Abby Martin of Telesur interviews him on the current state of politics. As usual, he paints an accurate picture, that the spectrum of political opinion has become so skewed that it only ranges from the center to the extreme right and that the current Republican party is off the spectrum and that what we have is a plutocracy with democratic forms, with the actual wishes of the public largely ignored.

He says that what is referred to as libertarianism in the US has nothing to do with traditional libertarianism but is instead an ‘ultra-right anarcho-capitalism’. He also says what is referred to as American exceptionalism is pretty much standard practice for any imperial power. All imperial powers claim that whatever they do, however despicable, is always done out of the noblest of motives. He calls the invasion of Iraq the worst crime of this century.

Listening to him, it becomes even more incredible that Sam Harris would say that he would vote for Ben Carson over Chomsky every time, given that Carson cannot string together two coherent sentences on politics.

Comments

  1. says

    what we have is a plutocracy with democratic forms, with the actual wishes of the public largely ignored.

    It’s basically the same thing as in China, except the Chinese don’t bother with all the folderol. What amazes me is that the US has pretty much always been an oligarchy. The supposed ‘democracy’ was a power-sharing agreement between mutually suspicious oligarchs. They sold the citizens a load of propaganda about liberty and taxes then taxed the hell out of them and established a de facto aristocracy. What’s amazing is that everyone seems to have fallen for it.

  2. says

    Listening to him, it becomes even more incredible that Sam Harris would say that he would vote for Ben Carson over Chomsky every time, given that Carson cannot string together two coherent sentences on politics.

    I wonder what Harris thinks of Bruce Schneier?
    If Harris hold animus against everyone who’s ever shellacked him in an argument, he’s going to have a pretty sad life.

  3. laurentweppe says

    Listening to him, it becomes even more incredible that Sam Harris would say that he would vote for Ben Carson over Chomsky every time, given that Carson cannot string together two coherent sentences on politics.

    It’s not incredible at all, actually.
    Elected officials are public servants, and some people are loathe to hire employees smarter than themselves.

  4. StevoR says

    @3. laurentweppe : OTOH, how many people would really want their boss to be really stupid and dangerously incompetent?

    Not a huge Chomsky fan at all -- think he’s very much on the far left wing fringe of US politics and thought and engages in way too much partisan Israel and USA bashing but yeah, saying you’d prefer Carson to Chomsky as POTUS is just ridiculously wrong. Silly too really because Chomksy isn’t running for and would almost certainly never win that high office anyhow. Same applies to Carson actually except for the part where he’s actually running for it but very much doubt he’ll even end up chosen to be the Repubs runner up.

    For the record I’d prefer Chomsky to Carson but much prefer neither and instead having Hillary Clinton as POTUS -- which is what I’m still pretty sure will happen in reality.

  5. John Morales says

    StevoR :

    Not a huge Chomsky fan at all – think he’s very much on the far left wing fringe of US politics and thought and engages in way too much partisan Israel and USA bashing …

    He’s an anarchist rather than a leftist, FWTW. And I too think he’s a bit of an ideologist, but that is not the point.

    (I know you somehow imagine that speaking to truth is partisan, but leaving aside his inferences, do you care to adduce but one example where Chomsky is factually incorrect? Just one.)

  6. konrad_arflane says

    He calls the invasion of Iraq the worst crime of this century.

    That’s funny. I never figured Chomsky for an optimist.

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