Tuesday, January 17, 2017

Just to Put a Finer Point On It...

     What Chomsky said nearly four years ago is absolutely correct but I'd like to put a finer point on it- The reason why the cost of presidential elections and all down ballot races is skyrocketing is because of our diminishing attention, trust of politicians and perennially low voter turnout that struggles above 40% and, in some years, not even that. And that's how we cede power to the 1%. This is the cost of not being a politically engaged nation. For all the screaming we hear on both sides of the Great Ideological Divide, as I call it, in every election cycle, it accounts for less than 40% of the electorate. 60% or more stay home on Election Day. But our lack of engagement is what's costing whatever influence we have over who goes to Capitol Hill and the policies upon which they agree.

2 Comments:

At January 17, 2017 at 9:09 PM, Anonymous Comrade Rutherford said...

As Douglas Adams put it, by the time someone gathers enough power to become President, they are far too corrupt to be allowed to do the job.

 
At January 20, 2017 at 2:35 AM, Anonymous CC said...

Only the bottom 70 percent have no influence? It should be closer to 90 percent.

A friend of mine once said democracy can't really work in big countries. She herself hailed from one (Russia) and spent a little time in the U.S.

I guess the need to criss-cross the country to gain exposure and let people hear your agenda costs a lot of money. Usually the only people who could bankroll your campaign are those with deep pockets.

Sanders showed that another way was possible, but even he got shafted on the media exposure at times. Still, the movement behind him was so strong that the media couldn't afford to ignore him.

If he had become president, would he have been compromised as well? Remember how quickly he caved into the Democratic establishment's wishes and got behind Clinton.

 

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