zk: I would offer two thoughts for consideration. First, and specific to California and more generally the US as a whole: We’re now seeing the fallout from several decades of vote buying, and by both parties. The GOP has focused on Big Business, Big Money and Big Oil and the Dems have focused on unions and organized labor and minorities. Both parties have pandered to their base and have been co-opted by their more reactionary and radicalized elements, thus the parlous state of dialogue and discourse in this country.[/quote]
I’d agree with all of that.
[quote=Allan from Fallbrook]
The other thought is that our politicians are venal, corrupt and fairly worthless, and what does that say about us as a populace?[/quote]
I think it says we’re gullible, short sighted, and not too bright.
[quote=Allan from Fallbrook]
This thread illustrates what Rich was referring to when he decried “Left versus Right slapfighting”. We’ve become so used to ad hominem and demonizing our “opponents”, that we’ve lost sight of the bigger picture and the ability to work as a consensus.[/quote]
Actually, if you read this whole thread, there is very little left vs. right slapfighting. Aside from Brutus and djshakes, there was almost none. Which is pretty amazing, because what you say is completely true. There doesn’t seem to be even a desire to work toward a consensus or, in the case of politicians, to work toward actually governing the country. The only goal seems to be to score points against the other side. Vote buying may be a major component of the problems we’ve faced to date, but the problem of point scoring overtaking governing as the main goal of politicians threatens to be just as big a problem in the future.
