It’s hard to say whether Italy or the United States is in a bigger mess.  Both are suffering from the pandemic; both are in the throes of political turmoil.

Instead of just Democrats and Republicans battling it out, as here, Italians have five parties in contention.  Having had 66 administrations since 1948 versus our 11, Italian voters at least have a “ceremonial” president who symbolizes Italia much like Queen Elizabeth embodies Britannia.  We have no such persona of stability, save for our “sacred Constitution,” which often begets more questions than answers.

Elections don’t seem to be the balm of democratic societies, anymore.  In Italy, they have become all-too-frequent traumas caused by political parties failing to compromise in Parliament.   Last week, the 3-party “center-left” coalition that governs Italy had a falling out over how to spend $245 billion in Covid relief money.  Such political paralysis often leads to snap national elections.  However, the feuding parties fear that an election might usher in Italy’s two right-wing parties. So, in a Hail Mary pass, President Sergio Mattarella found a man all five parties have agreed on to form a new government, avoiding an election. That man, Mario Draghi (DRA-ghee) has no party affiliation and recently stepped down as head of the European Central Bank.  He knows how to handle money, and has the respect of all Italians; even the Germans and French credit him with “saving the euro” during the Greek debt crisis.  Why is Draghi jumping into the snake pit of Italian politics?  As the Wall Street Journal observes, “Only patriotism can explain why he’s volunteering for such a thankless and futile job.”

In the United States we have no Mattarella or Draghi.  I can’t think of anyone acceptable to all Americans as a voice of unity and reason, except perhaps actor Morgan Freeman.  Really? 

More worrisome is how “American” corporations are knee-deep in our political turmoil.  These corporations that own our news and social media are, in reality, global entities with an international customer base.  They are turning the United States into an inverted Corporate State.

The Corporate State was the foundation of Fascist Italy.   Parliament was transformed into a Chamber of Corporations where Italians were represented by their livelihoods, not geographically as here – farmers and food corporations were represented in Parliament by the same Agriculture Corporation, for example. The government didn’t allow large corporations to work against national interests.  They weren’t allowed to control radio or newspapers. Corporations stayed in their own lane.

Until the opening of Red China in 1972, when global capital expanded exponentially, American corporations were voluntarily attuned to national interests.  Even our media corporations practiced fair and balanced reporting because they had few outside businesses.  Today, TV, cable, and print news are owned by global conglomerates (eg., Disney owns ABC-TV) that shape our opinions.  Make no mistake, they do so by highlighting certain narratives, omitting news, or turning a phrase.  As an example, it was more likely you heard that Donald Trump was “trying to subvert the election,” rather than “legally challenging the election,” a huge difference in message.  Social media (“Big Tech”) like Google, Facebook, and Twitter, with audiences Mussolini could only have dreamed of, not only can ban news during an election – like the Hunter Biden revelations – but can cancel individual politicians.  Election results can turn on media coverage, giving Big Tech enormous power.

These media giants and global corporations share many goals with the Left.  In their quest for more users/customers, they embrace unrestricted immigration, wealth (“equity”) redistribution, and sensationalize minority issues.  They couldn’t care less about unfair trade, outsourcing American manufacturing, or invasion of privacy because their profits have no borders.  Indeed, Wall Street backed Joe Biden over Trump ($74 million to $18 million).  Moreover, academic corporations that have gotten Uncle Sam to lend American students $1.6 trillion, with no risk to the schools, while they import 240,000 Chinese students at full tuition, also think globally. 

Today’s “corporate state” carries a new meaning from that of Fascist Italy.  Corporations fund our politicians, tailor their political agenda, deliver the propaganda (“narrative”), and mold our social values. 

Here is a quote from Bruno Biagi, Fascist Italy’s Undersecretary for Italian State Corporations, (Atlantica, December, 1933):  “There are limits [to corporate power] because there are social duties, [and corporate goals] shall harmonize with national welfare.”

That makes sense, even for democracies. -JLM