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Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Anti-incumbent fever or anti-majority?

You've seen me comment, rant and encourage on this blog many times about my views regarding the voters' pathetic record regarding voting for who they're familiar with much more than who they believe to be the better candidate based on information. I've encouraged readers to research voting records and issues before deciding on a candidate.
Do the latest poll numbers, such as this one from The Washington Post, show that voters are finally getting wise and getting informed, therefore ready to clean out incumbents and start over, or do the polls simply indicate a dissatisfaction with the party in power?
Seems to me it's a justifiable dissatisfaction with the party in power, the Republicans; and for many, many good reasons. You can fill in the blanks yourself. While I think that's a good place to start, if the mindset of the voter doesn't include the realization that much that we're dissatisfied with can be attributed to overall complacency and arrogance, it will only be a start to a necessary house cleaning without a finish.
People need to realize that the minority party plays many of the same games, is beholding to many of the same special interests as well as specific ones of their own, has not done their job of being a watchdog on corruption (in fact, has joined in) and thus have failed us nearly as much as the Republicans have.
So while you're frustrated, angry and ready to kick the "bad guys" out by voting against the Republicans, realize that you're only doing half the job, therefore really not accomplishing anything, if you don't include the Democrats in your anti-incumbent passion. You'll simply be rewarding them for not being as bad, when in fact they are just as bad, just not in a position to take as much advantage of their power as Republicans.

So while I personally would rather see the Democrats in power come November than the Republicans (and that would be a good thing), it falls far short of my ultimate goal of a complete reforming of the system (read my previous series on Representative Govt) by infusing Congress with new blood, especially independents. While the Democrats will take advantage of the current climate, not infusing true independents into the mix and thus giving Americans more real choices and new ideas fixes nothing in the long run.

Cross posted in large part on
Watchblog.

ANNOUNCEMENT: I've started writing also at VOID, Vote Out Incumbents Democracy, the blogsite of an unconnected PAC whose mission is much as I've laid out here and other places, a perfect fit for the Zebster. I'll mostly be compiling poll data into short anti-incumbent updates, as well as the occasional editorial piece.

5 comments:

Fighting Chance said...

Excuse me, but didnt we already vote fer independents when our Foundin Fathers made this nation in Jesus' Image?

I thank we even had a "Declaration of Independents"

Try ta thank of a Idea we hasnt already did Zebster....

Zebster said...

I'm trying, Jeremiah. I just not clever enough not to run out of new material.

Mash, thanks for adding that necessary piece.

Nancy Hanks said...

Zeb - one of the most intelligent posts I've seen lately in the blogosphere! There is no rest for the independents in this world!

Thanks!
Nancy

Anonymous said...

Anti-incumbency: An Election Day tsunami?

To Whom It May Concern:

Remember Peter Finch in the movie The Network, agitating his TV audience to throw open their windows and yell as loud as they can, "We're as mad as hell, and we're not going to take it anymore."

Well, I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore.

I am not going to take it anymore from Jack Abramoff, Tom Delay, Bob Ney, Duke Cunningham, and William Jefferson. I also don’t want to put up with those guys’ unindicted co-conspirators, enablers, and aiders and abettors in D.C. who have been screwing me over for as long as I can remember. Some of these criminals have been outed but there are hundreds more in the woodwork, and the Capitol Building just needs to be plain fumigated.

An anti-incumbent tsunami can hit on Election Day, but it is up to us the citizens.

We have a hell of a powerful tool at our fingertips – the Internet. Let’s use it.

Let’s get going.

o said...

There always seems to be a knee jerk reaction to things such as the dissatisfaction with the politics in DC where the opposite is chosen solely for being contrary to the ideology of the people in power. But, this often is not enough. This just shifts the blame from one party to another party.