The Highest Product of Capitalism (after John Heartfield) 1979, Jo Spence, with Terry Dennett Austerity is not an unfortunate economic reality; it is a political weapon. It is how the state disciplines the public while protecting capital, and it has been doing this without impunity for decades, if not longer. Oversight is nonexistent. There is no culpability. It isn’t even questioned, and both political parties are complicit in pushing this as an undeniable truth. The messages differ, but the flavor is the same.  The Republicans are undoubtedly more corrupt, crueler, greedier, more vindictive, and recklessly divisive. This creates the illusion that the Democrats are positioned to be the answer and that once they are in power, everything will change. Democratic politicians push this narrative; however, they never rise to the occasion, resulting in bitter disappointment and frustration for those who vote for change. With tepid moral outrage, they make the rounds on MSNBC, give rousin...