Endless Political Paralysis: The New Normal?

from Too Much: A Commentary on Excess and Inequality:




Endless Political Paralysis: The New Normal?
August 6, 2011

The American political system isn’t working for average Americans anymore. Don’t blame the Tea Party, new political science research suggests. Blame inequality.

By Sam Pizzigati


In a sensible republic, democratically elected leaders come together in a respectful give-and-take to debate the problems that confront the people they represent. Eventually, these leaders, all debated out, come to agree on a set of solutions. They enact these solutions. The society progresses. End of story.

In real life, something approximating this political fairy tale can take place — but only in societies where most everybody first agrees on the problems that deserve debating. And that agreeing, in turn, usually only comes when the great majority of a society’s people lead similar sorts of lives.

All this may explain, suggest some of America’s top political scientists, why 21st century politics in the United States has polarized into hostage-taking gridlock.

People in the United States today don’t live anything close to similar sorts of lives. They live amid a level of inequality unseen since the early 1900s. And those early 1900s, note Princeton political analyst Howard Rosenthal and the University of Georgia’s Keith Poole, also saw intense political polarization. .............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://toomuchonline.org/inequality-and-democracy-new-normal/

Candidates rush toward the center. Fresh ideas never see the light of day until a huge crisis.

While instant run-off elections do have problems, they would allow better discussion than the current system and would force the front-runners to take notice of the concerns of the minority.

It is up to us to KICK THE BIMBO'S OUT and send the TPARTY FROSH back from whence they came. It is up to us to stop the spread of MURDOG AND KOCHROACH PROPAGANDA. It is up to us to go after candidates who would value their PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE to a private organization over their duty to the US constitution and the people who they represent. The TPARTY is a phenomenon, 30 years in the making, created by corporate america and supported by transnational business interests. Grover Norquist is the KING, and "freedom works" for the rich and "americans for prosperity" of corporations are major funders. The TPARTY goals have come to fruition, it is up to us to decide whether we are willing to surrender ourselves and future generations to their extremes. They want to replace an "inefficient" democracy, with a "rigid" oligarchy; they want to undermine federalism and the UNION and restore the superiority of states' rights. Then the states become fiefdoms of the wealthiest corporations operating within their boundaries and the people are pawns in power games of the RICH. The TPARTY should not just be worried about being primaried, they should be worried that the DEMS HAVE FINALLY GOTTEN THE MESSAGE and that there will be no free rides to re election for any of them in 2012. WI is the beginning and Benton Harbor, MI is the motivation. They had their town council and mayor replaced by an EMERGENCY FINANCIAL MANAGER via Martial Law. And then were insulted by the CEO of Whirlpool, who threatened them with moving jobs if the people didn't stop their protests. They were embarrassing his company. Oh really!!