I wonder what would happen if the voters had no information about the candidates other than their public records? You know...basic info. Education, congressional voting record (if they have one), public service record. No info on age, gender, family, ethnicity, skin color, religion, appearance. No info on personal beliefs. No info on income or personal fortune/or lack of.
How would we vote, then? What would we base our decisions on?
I remember what a brou-ha-ha there was when Kennedy was running for president because he was Catholic. Hoo, boy. The country was gonna come to a nasty end if he won! He died and we ended up with Johnson. Was he any better? What about Tricky Dicky? Or any of the other presidents we've saddled ourselves with the last fifty years?
Probably the greatest sleight of hand has been the notion that the President has autonomy and can make wide sweeping decisions without the consent of the Congress. Everyone blames the current incumbent and ignores the truth. For every issue We the People are concerned about, we SHOULD be blaming--or crediting--the Congress. Money? War? Public programs? Social Security/Medicare? Veteran's benefits?
ALL, I say all of those are controlled by the Congress.
Here's the scary part. Most of them have been in Washington more than twenty-five years. Some as long as forty plus. Tell me, my friends...what has changed during that time period? Nothing, absolutely nothing. We hang a new hat by the White House door, but we change nothing in Congress--and then we wonder why we have the same old, same old.
Until we start looking at the voting records and affiliations of our congressmen/women, NOTHING will change. Electing a new individual to sit in the White House and look pretty isn't gonna do it. The good old boy network isn't there. It's over in the Capitol, playing Monopoly with our money and lives.
And we're blindly believing anything the media serves us. Perhaps...we're gonna get what we deserve.
Very valid points. As a Brit I wouldn't presume to make judgements about the political system in the USA - it's not my business, although I am always interested in it. In the UK we have the parliamentary system, which has its faults, but we vote for the party we want to govern, rather than the Prime Minister (or President in your case), so at least each election can end with a complete change in policies. Although, if the truth be told, the main parties are relatively mainstream and not as far apart as they once were, and our system more or less stops the extreme candidates from getting elected.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment, Rachel! I wonder how different our political situation would be under a similar system. Many of my fellow citizens just don't seem to get it. Changing the president doesn't change the government. I appreciate your explanation!
DeleteEverything you said, Anny, was too damn true.
ReplyDeleteThank you for stopping by, Jean! Hope you had a fabulous birthday!
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