The election is a big Republican victory.
The near-consensus among voters was that everything is the fault of (1) politicians and (2) the government. The Right focuses on “Big Government” as the culprit, the Left argues that the government is too timid, and “centrists” say that the right and the left are too polarized, and unwilling to work together.
But EVERYONE agrees that the fault lies with politicians, i.e. with the government. They are all “on the take” (from lobbyists) and we must “throw the rascals out.” Convenient.
Aren’t YOU and I the ones who ELECT the politicians? For a decade we elected George W. Bush and lots of Republicans, then we elected Obama and many Democrats, and now went back to electing a lot of Republicans.
In California , we recalled Gray Davis 8 years ago and elected Arnold, and now we elected a Democrat again. Have things worked out well for us? The economy, the deficit, unemployment?
People get the government they deserve. Thomas Jefferson’s words, quoted even by intellectuals like Jay Leno (sarcasm here). The cliché is true, as most clichés are. So it’s not the politicians’ fault or “the government’s” fault. It’s OUR fault.
First of all, half of us don’t even vote. Then we gripe about “the rascal” politicians. And most of those who vote are ignorant and brainwashed.
When I see skits like Jay Leno’s “Jaywalk,” I feel like crying. Poor source for my argument, you say. Jay probably selects the dumbest people he can find. True.
But even if the public level of stupidity is only ONE TENTH of what we see on Jay Leno, it’s a disaster. Some recent answers given to Leno: (Young interviewees seem to be the most abysmally ignorant).
No idea who the Vice President is;
no idea how may Supreme Court Justices there are;
...or how many senators;
no idea which two countries border on the US;
our enemy in World War Two was France;
World War Two was in the 19th century.
With such an electorate, is it a wonder that the country is politically dysfunctional?
I am no beacon of knowledge either. I have a PhD, but even I can’t answer all of Leno’s Jaywalk questions. I recently thought that there were 11 Supreme Court Justices (Oops).
When I went over my election ballot recently, I had no idea who about one third of the candidates were (local school board candidates, etc.). But at least I try.
The problem is that we are lazy (or too busy; good excuse). We vote on the basis of the ads which bombard us, instead of doing our homework. Negative ads influence us the most, and campaigns are bought by the richest corporate contributors. It’s all about $$$.
And another problem: There is no viable populist alternative to the Democratic Party. Our tweedle-tweedledum two-party system is totally unsatisfactory. Proof: the ever-growing number of independents.
When we get angry at the Democratic Party because it is cozy with the plutocracy instead of speaking up for us, our protest vote goes to the Republicans - who are even more corrupt. In a recent telethon, Glenn Beck urged all the little Tea Party people to send their checks to the US Chamber of Commerce. Maybe he should have specified his favorite Fortune 500 recipients. Nuts!
The solution? Education. Without an educated electorate, democracy doesn’t work.
Look at what just happened: We are in a severe economic recession, so we go BACK to the party and the policies which CAUSED the problems in the first place. It’s like picking up smoking again to cure your lung cancer. Good luck with that! leave comment here
4 comments:
"And now the newly-elected virtuous and devout Tea Party Politicians can get ready to introduce legislation outlawing masturbation. At the end of that legislative session they'll hold hands and sing that wonderful Monty Python song "every sperm is sacred ..."! Now, if that doesn't get the country on the right track, nothing else will!!!!!!!!!!!!"
I would agree with the New York Times that the election was not a Republican victory but a Democrat failure. Many of the swing voters that went against Bush last time went against Obama this time. They are frustrated with the way Washington elites run the government.
The Founders created a system that did not expect every citizen to operate as though they had a Ph.D. in political science, unfortunately the system they created is largely gone and the shrewd, powerful, and wealthy can now use the government as a tool to advance their special interests.
The broken system won't get fixed because people vote better, or by creating a populist party (which is how many would like to see the Tea Party).
We need to bring back checks and balances that were lost, return to votes on single issues, perhaps repeal some Amendments like the 16th and 17 that took sovereignty from the states and turned them into administrative districts--and a few other things I have suggested elsewhere.
Yes, in America the top 1% of the population owns 34% of the wealth. This allows the super rich to influence politics as never before. In the 1930’s the highest earners were taxed 91%! Now they are only taxed 36%.
One thing Obama could have done is explain to the people that the financial reform bill, the health care bill and the stimulus package are all part of a broader effort to help the middle class. He got attacked on all fronts instead.
Another thing Obama didn’t do is put more conditions on the bail-out money. Had he done that, it wouldn’t have felt like the government and the banks were in bed together.
It is only the government that can pull an economy out of a recession when no-one else has the money to spend. That hasn’t stopped the Republicans from blaming the government for all that spending.
The bottom line is: As long as the wealth of this nation is concentrated at the top, things will go from bad to worse.
(Some of this information comes from an interview with Robert Reich, former Secretary of Labor under President Clinton)
Thanks four your comments.
Rudy: Levity is always good!
Gordon: I can see your points. Voting on single issues is an excellent idea.
On the other hand, there are those who say that one of things which put America at peril at this time is precisely the paralysis that is inherent in our political system, modelled after Montesquieu's Trias Politica (the 3 counterveiling branches of government). Throughout our history, this has been a plus, making us much more stable than other countries. But when there is a need for rapid, fundamental change, our political system does not seem to be constructed for that. This is certainly the case in California, which seems for ever unable to make the necessary changes.... So I don't know...
Madeleine: Robert Reich is my man! I always see great wisdom in his words. After all, he is a University of California Professor, so he has to be right.
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