Slim Pickings for Voters

A One Party State with a Dictatorship of Mediocrity (0.00 / 0)

Incumbency is anti-democratic.  With incumbency comes a politics devoid of popular participation, it becomes the domain of professionals and specialists. Its connection to most citizens (in the broad sense) is severed.  (this effects the politial parties in power as well, participation and debate are closed within their own ranks)

Bad, unequitable, and old ideas become enshrined in policy and politial institutions.  Power becomes more and more centralized and the same players exert control. Public debate is narrowed and guided by fewer voices.  The media and other institutions that are suppose to take a critical and questioning stance toward power become wedded to it and self-censor dissent. Urgent problems, political innovations, and new thinking are ignored to the detriment of everyone.

Organizations that are suppose to be democratic and fight for the interests of their members become a part of the machinery, lobbyists and insiders gain ascendence watering down demands and postponing confrontation with power.

Its an insidious process and cycle that causes the public sphere to shrink, wither, and ossify.  And that means the great majority of people will not develop the means and attitudes that enable democracy to flourish.  Active, critical, and engaged participation in public life.  

That's my little rant.  My answer to any social problem is to throw democracy at it, because for a democratic society we have a awfully large deficit of it.

[And by democracy I don't mean majoritarianism.  Acknowleding the existence of universal rights is a necessity for a polity that wants to avoid enslaving itself]

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by: Patrick Burke @ Mon Aug 16, 2010 at 04:37:45 AM UTC

Front Page News! (0.00 / 0)

In a vibrant democracy the fact of a legislative seat being contested should be about as newsworthy as the safe landing of a passenger jet at Logan Airport, but my friend John Andrews, in this article, puts into perspective why the April 28, 2010 front page of the Berkshire Eagle contained the headline:

POLITICAL SEASON HEATS UP ... ALL FOUR STATE REP SEATS IN BERKSHIRES CONTESTED

Of the four Berkshire County representative districts, the Green-Rainbow Party is challenging Democrat incumbents in the 3rd and 4th districts in two-way races.  (I am the Green-Rainbow challenger in the 4th).  The Republican Party will only run a candidate in the 2nd district in a three-way race (with an Independent and a Democrat).  Voters in the 1st district and voters for county sheriff, unfortunately, will see only a Democratic Party candidate on the general election ballot, although each of those races has a contested primary.

Let this trend continue; the Green-Rainbow Party should grow to run candidates in twice the number of districts that the Republican Party does.  Voters here are getting a small taste of multi-partisanship, and they seem to like it.  they shouldn't have to wait for an open seat to get some real change.

Move forward; the center leads nowhere.

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by: scott_laugenour @ Mon Aug 16, 2010 at 21:34:02 PM UTC

only we can provide choice (0.00 / 0)

It look as though I'm going to have some (relatively!) decent pickings between Green, Independent, and Democratic candidates in my districts.

But as for casting a vote for choice--umm, it seems disingenous to cast a blank ballot to declare that "I'd prefer a choice"--there is absolutely nothing preventing Greens from running for any office (campaign finance law does render high-level offices tough, to say the least). But if a candidate wants to gather 500 signatures, he or she isn't being deprived a slot, and the only thing preventing more choice in, say, state legislature races, is the fact there aren't third parties or indies running. As Scott suggests above, he finds that there's a lot of interest in non-traitional candidates once they run. This isn't simply another element of the Vast Establishment Conspiracy to keep us down. We haven't stepped up to the plate.

I've never cast a "none of the above" vote. I'm a Green because I believe the Democrats have rendered themselves unable--not simply unwilling, but literally unable--to deliver the solutions to the three major threats to my town, country, and planet. But I don't believe that there's no difference between Democrats and Republicans, either, Until we reach that utopia where we actually are offering up viable candidates accross the state, experience has taught me that my family is better off under Democrats than Republicans. Living the precriosu existence I do, I'll take what help I can.

And there are a lot of hardworking, constituent-focused, decent people running for office. I'd want to listen to each one and consider voting for him or her--anyone who has the gumption to run deserves at least that. There are Democrats who may not subscribe to Green values or Green ecological thinking or whatever, but whose votes on most issues by and large resemble the patterns a solid Green candidate might display. So far as I'm concerned, they deserve my vote every bit as much as does a big-G Green candidate (I come from the "she who is not against me is with me" wing of the party).

Will they be perfect? Far from it. So are our own candidates, so's our own party. The Green party is just one tool in a very big box. It's one I've come to care deeply about and into which I have put some small effort, but my committment isn't religious, and doesn't run deep enough that I'd cast a "none of the above" vote if I felt my incumbent were doing a good job or that Democrat or Republican(!) running had some really meaningful experience or new idea to which she were committed. We don't have a monopoly on them, nor on virtue. I DO look forward to the day when we CAN offer choices.

Your last paragraph summarizes the solution, of course. Sounds to me like you and I, no matter how much we may relish our current rules, are gonna be due to be out shaking hands and kissing babies...  In any case, I think it's going to be crucial, going to be essential, that the good energy around this year's campaigns be sustained--in other words, that the GRP develop some real momentum towards electoral politics, and not just every four years. We need to fundraise, need to communicate with members, need to register new members, etc. But it woudl be neat if during off-years, we were getting regular updates on folks thinking about making a  run. And laying the groundwork so as to hit the ground runnin at the cry of "play ball."  

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by: michael horan @ Tue Aug 17, 2010 at 04:44:55 AM UTC