Isn't it about time for the very wealthy to stop seeing themselves as victims?

[OmahaBlueDog]

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/if-you-go-back-1933

‘If you go back to 1933…’

Ben White and Maggie Haberman report this morning that the political winds seem to have shifted lately in the One Percenters’ direction. Whereas a few months ago, economic populism looked like it’d give Democrats a boost in 2014, and polls showed strong public support for addressing economic inequality, Wall Street and its allies are feeling more confident.

In two-dozen interviews, the denizens of Wall Street and wealthy precincts around the nation said they are still plenty worried about the shift in tone toward top earners and the popularity of class-based appeals…. But wealthy Republicans – who were having a collective meltdown just two months ago – also say they see signs that the political zeitgeist may be shifting back their way and hope the trend continues.

“I hope it’s not working,” Ken Langone, the billionaire co-founder of Home Depot and major GOP donor, said of populist political appeals. “Because if you go back to 1933, with different words, this is what Hitler was saying in Germany. You don’t survive as a society if you encourage and thrive on envy or jealousy.”

Oh for crying out loud. Do we really have to deal with another billionaire with a victim’s complex who sees a parallel between economic populism and Nazis?

(The title is a quote from Rachel's FB page)

[ladjf]

1. I don't believe that many of the 1%ers truly feel like victims. They are probably just blowing

"smoke". nt

[jsr]

4. Exactly. They don't give a shit.

[unblock]

5. i think they feel frustrated that more money doesn't give them control of everything.

beyond a certain point, there's not much difference in lifestyle. if they're beyond that point, then they get yet more money, they expect to get something to go with it. it frustrates them that they aren't rewarded with anything other than larger numbers in their many bank accounts.

the twisted, pea-sized part of their brain that tries to understand socio/economic rights and responsibilities concludes that they must be getting screwed somehow if they have more money and can't buy something extra with it.

[el_bryanto]

8. I'm not sure. I think that whatever circumstance you are in you think of as normal.

Unless you have really come up from the ranks of the poor or middle class, you probably see being rich as a default condition. And many if not most wealthy people are born into it. So they haven't known poverty themselves, and most of the people they know are also loaded - doesn't give them much of an framework in which to understand how good they have it.

Bryant

[PumpkinAle]

2. It is, but they won't.

They may have millions/billions but they are very unhappy and they believe the way to happiness is to have more millions/billions and if that means stomping on others then so be it. And so on, and so on.

[valerief]

3. They'll say whatever is useful for them. nt

[jsr]

7. Yep.

[brooklynboy49]

6. Poor babies...

Maybe we should take up a collection for them. Or circulate a card for all of us to sign telling them how much we love them.

There are absolutely no parallels between 2014 USA or OWS and 1933 Germany you fucking asshole. And you goddam well know it!

[ck4829]

9. We need to tag all 'Rich are persecuted' stories with "White Truffle"

"We are the White Truffle, we will fight our lower class oppressors from our yacts, from our mansions, from our country clubs, from our lobbyists... It may not be today, it may not be tomorrow, but with God as our witness, a rich man will have power eventually. You can take the lives of the people who work for us, but you can never take... OUR FREEDOM!"