Politics 2008
After reading the transcript of last night’s VP debate I concocted a theory: the two major political parties in this country think that the average voter is none too bright. Why? A few reasons:
They go to great lengths trying to state they are no different than us, economically and culturally. “Joe Six-Pack”, “Hockey Mom”, “Home Depot shopper”. They think that we wouldn’t want to vote for someone who was different than us and by different they mean smarter or ‘elite’ as is more common in political-speak.
Unfortunately I think this is an honest assessment. Judging by the amount of passion directed towards either candidate by their supporters whenever they try to establish some vague working-class credentials is pathetic. Are we Americans so narcissistic that we think our politicians must be no different than us? The republicans really play off this character defect by unabashedly demonizing smart intellectual types by calling them elites, as if being smart was a bad character flaw. The democrats, being not so different than the republicans also take this theme and use it too. Obama and Biden don’t miss an opportunity to establish their mediocrity, and every time they do it I cringe.
What is wrong with being an elite? Shouldn’t we want the absolute best and brightest individuals to run our technological society? Instead we have a two party system which fosters a mediocrity feed-back loop. We tell the system we want our politicians dumb, and the system turns around and tells us the same damn thing. I would defy anyone to name a candidate in the past 50 years who possesses the intellectual fortitude of Thomas Jefferson or John Adams. Do such people exist any more? I’d like to think so but a ‘Jefferson’, if he exists, definitely wouldn’t subject himself to a corporate run political system of donors and lobbyists like Obama and McCain certainly have. If you don’t have millions of dollars and friends in high places you aren’t getting anywhere politically these days.
This is why I cannot cast a vote with good conscious. We have two choices before us this November, one of which may be slightly worse than the other but both are still fundamentally unacceptable to me. The attitude of voting for the lesser of two evils, a philosophical compromise of ideals, is exactly what has given us this current mess, a mental compromise which when accepted has no end-game and how can it? Isn't it our duty as citizens on this free nation to call foul when things are not right, to toss off government and leaders who have festered for too long? As long as we accept the lesser of two evils, real change, which can only exist from without the current system, will never happen because the mindset simply does not allow a view outside the box. Accepting compromise in the voting booth is the direct cause of leaders like Bush, Nixon, Carter, Obama and McCain and the absolute reason we don’t have a Jefferson or Adams currently in office.
I’ll vote for the first candidate I can find who possesses the seemingly forgotten qualities of a philosopher statesman, an individual, man or woman, who will firmly affix reason in her seat and call to her tribunal all matters requiring judgment or opinion. A candidate who will categorically disengage with sophistry, half-truths, focus polls, and undue influence from religion or money. Thomas Jefferson once said, when asked about his self esteem, “I never had an opinion in politics or religion which I was afraid to own. A costive reserve on these subjects might have procured me more esteem from some people, but less from myself.” Find me a candidate, possesing the above character qualities and I will show you someone who can earn my vote. Until then I'll retain my disgust and repulsion with the two choices of mediocrity we find ourselves presented with every four years.
They go to great lengths trying to state they are no different than us, economically and culturally. “Joe Six-Pack”, “Hockey Mom”, “Home Depot shopper”. They think that we wouldn’t want to vote for someone who was different than us and by different they mean smarter or ‘elite’ as is more common in political-speak.
Unfortunately I think this is an honest assessment. Judging by the amount of passion directed towards either candidate by their supporters whenever they try to establish some vague working-class credentials is pathetic. Are we Americans so narcissistic that we think our politicians must be no different than us? The republicans really play off this character defect by unabashedly demonizing smart intellectual types by calling them elites, as if being smart was a bad character flaw. The democrats, being not so different than the republicans also take this theme and use it too. Obama and Biden don’t miss an opportunity to establish their mediocrity, and every time they do it I cringe.
What is wrong with being an elite? Shouldn’t we want the absolute best and brightest individuals to run our technological society? Instead we have a two party system which fosters a mediocrity feed-back loop. We tell the system we want our politicians dumb, and the system turns around and tells us the same damn thing. I would defy anyone to name a candidate in the past 50 years who possesses the intellectual fortitude of Thomas Jefferson or John Adams. Do such people exist any more? I’d like to think so but a ‘Jefferson’, if he exists, definitely wouldn’t subject himself to a corporate run political system of donors and lobbyists like Obama and McCain certainly have. If you don’t have millions of dollars and friends in high places you aren’t getting anywhere politically these days.
This is why I cannot cast a vote with good conscious. We have two choices before us this November, one of which may be slightly worse than the other but both are still fundamentally unacceptable to me. The attitude of voting for the lesser of two evils, a philosophical compromise of ideals, is exactly what has given us this current mess, a mental compromise which when accepted has no end-game and how can it? Isn't it our duty as citizens on this free nation to call foul when things are not right, to toss off government and leaders who have festered for too long? As long as we accept the lesser of two evils, real change, which can only exist from without the current system, will never happen because the mindset simply does not allow a view outside the box. Accepting compromise in the voting booth is the direct cause of leaders like Bush, Nixon, Carter, Obama and McCain and the absolute reason we don’t have a Jefferson or Adams currently in office.
I’ll vote for the first candidate I can find who possesses the seemingly forgotten qualities of a philosopher statesman, an individual, man or woman, who will firmly affix reason in her seat and call to her tribunal all matters requiring judgment or opinion. A candidate who will categorically disengage with sophistry, half-truths, focus polls, and undue influence from religion or money. Thomas Jefferson once said, when asked about his self esteem, “I never had an opinion in politics or religion which I was afraid to own. A costive reserve on these subjects might have procured me more esteem from some people, but less from myself.” Find me a candidate, possesing the above character qualities and I will show you someone who can earn my vote. Until then I'll retain my disgust and repulsion with the two choices of mediocrity we find ourselves presented with every four years.
posted by doeman at
12:28 PM
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