"If and ONLY if you think there is now or has ever been a "vast right-wing conspiracy", please answer this question..."

If you mean has there been a paradigm shift in economic policy, started by Reaganonomics in the 80's, then YES.. The shift went from the old "New Deal" policy of "trickle up", to the Neocon/neoliberal policy of "trickle down"..Trouble is, like "Hooverism", damn little is "trickling down"..

 

There are now some powerful forces that are benefiting greatly from this policy shift.. They'll stop at nothing to keep this thing going as long as they can.. They'll buy political favor, steal elections if need be, AND raid public utilities, pension funds, and social security until the jig is up..How about -PERPETUAL WAR??

 

NO--because we still have a system of checks & balances that's difficult to defeat..The defeat will come from their own greed.. Sooner or later some part of the OLIGARCY will get more than the other, and the whole thing will unravel..As long as they can keep the general population STUPID, they'll buy time and split up the pie till there's next to nothing left..JUST BEFORE there's nothing left, that's when their feeding frenzy will "reveal them"..

 

The U.S has always had some "DARK TIMES" here and there.. We always get over it....

 

 

Depends on how you define "vast" and "conspiracy".  If a conspiracy is a bunch of people who all think and act alike, sure. There's lots of that on the Right and Left. "Vast" is relative. It can be 10, it can be 10 million.

If you define "conspiracy" as people working together in secret to attain an objective there's lots of that too. No sane person seriously doubts that the oil companies (and their pal in the undisclosed location who shall remain nameless) are working hand in glove to promote war in the Middle East to control the oil supply. Just as there are groups who work in secret to attain the abolition of private ownership of firearms, tobacco prohibition or wiping out smartass comic books. Every new regulation or restriction is "reasonable" and "negligible" and "won't affect law abiding citizens" or...wait for it..."for the children". But the people who promote that stuff are all working toward a much bigger goal that they don't speak out loud because they don't have the political support to pass it.  There are lots of people working in concert for full tobacco prohibition who consciously plan to get it piecemeal rather than in one fell swoop. Those are all conspiracies of one sort or another.

Hillary's "Vast Conspiracy" was about rich right wingers who poured big bucks into supporting the Impeachment Fiasco. Not because they cared about the alleged perjury but because they hated Mr. Bill's guts and couldn't beat him in an election. (Or did you think Paula Jones or the fat chick were paying their own legal bills out of hairdressing tips?) Add in the organized religious nutz who were determined to crucify him for unauthorized blow jobs and you get a conspiracy that's pretty vast by anybody's definition.

So what's new? There has always been that sort of thing going on. Lincoln spent half his time fighting off cabals of enemies in his own administration who were trying to bring him down (the Rebs were easy by comparison, at least they were out there in the open). So did Washington. It's the nature of the political animal to organize and act in secret to attain his own political objectives. Always has been, always will be. Conspiracy is as American as Cherry Pie.

Any one with a library card can easily find the enormous advantages ($$$) to American Big Business since the 1700's gained by:

a)Outsourcing (we benefit by lower prices, but lose our manufacturing base, and thousands, and thousands of good paying jobs).

b)Pretending that there are no real "environmental problems', (and that global warming, endangered species, dying fisheries etc. are all the invention of a group of "Left Wing" paranoids with nothing better to do).

c) Starting wars on trumped up charges: This has happened many, many times... (Bullets, Humvee tires, gasoline, oil, clothing, food, tank treads, water, the list goes on , all of these things equal huge profits fot the companies supplying them).

d) Inventing or playing up external threats to keep the populace (us) focused on anything but what the politicians and other greedy Americans here at home are doing).

e) Ignoring public opinion regarding any of the above issues, and treating any and all concerns detrimental to the profit margin as "left wing rhetoric".

f) Ensuring, through the TV and print "daily sound-byte" media, that "Patriotism" is synonomous with

    "Obedience", that only a (depending on what period in our history is being discussed) "Witch", a "Tory",  "Abolitionist",  "Communist",  "Socialist",  "Unionist",  "Agitator",  "Hippie",  "Evolutionist", Conspiracy Theorist" or most recently, a

"Terrorist Sympathizer" would dare to question the policies and power plays of our Great Nation.

What sane American would ever doubt the veracity of such clever and resourceful Leadership?