A possible benefit to all the political troubles of the past few years...

[Inkthinker]

I see a lot of talking about the 2006 elections... the Congressional Elections, which are honestly (I think) as important as the Presidential.

Of course, I don't think the average American realizes this. Certainly, while Legislative Elections are noted and reported on, I don't believe the near-religious fervor that erupts every four years towards politics has ever been nearly as loud for the same event directed towards the House and the Senate. And the Legislative branch is supposed to be equal in power and importance to the Administrative (so is the Judicial, for that matter, and I think a lot of people believe that the Judicial Branch is just the hit squad for the Administration's policies... that's going off-topic, though).

Given that in the last few years our politics have gotten uglier and more combative than usual, is it possible now that more people are actually paying attention to the system?

I pause for your gasps. :D

I have always felt that the MAJOR problem with our government is a huge sense of apathy from the average working guy or gal who's just trying to get by as best they can. Growing up, I was one of a literal handful (as in, I knew less than 5 people) who actually cared about what our government does, the events occuring on the globe around us and how our politics affect our way in the world.

I'm not a political expert... I don't know a ton about law, or even have more than a layman's grasp on the government works. I remember chunks of high school Social Studies and US History classes that cover things like what each branch does, how people get elected, what they're supposed to do... the big stuff.

Most of my friends just didn't care. They didn't see how it affected their lives on a day-to-day basis.

But is this changing? I don't have a number to quote, but I know that in general the total amount of our population that actually votes is (until recently) pathetically low... more than half of the people that are governed by out "democracy" don't actually participate in that democracy's formation and policy at all (since the only way the average citizen can participate is with her or her vote), and yet that government is supposed to make decisions that are at ALL times in the best interest of the majority of the people.

There's somethin' in thar what jes' ain't right, Vern.

Okay, so who's fault is that? Well, I say it's society's fault, for allowing (however it occured) the majority of the people to mature with a sense of apathy towards politics and government. There's something wrong with our basic sense of responsibility in this regard, and I don't know how it happened or why... maybe it's just that people are dumb, and the larger the group (and we are VERY large) the more likely that the majority of them are too dumb to care increases. I'd hate to think this is true, because I like to believe that humanity has more potential than that.

But nowadays we are incensed... more than ever, it is becoming evident that the policies of our government do not always match the will of the majority of the people... there is a palpable sense of displeasure with "the way things are going" everywhere I look, and while a still disturbingly large number of people that I know say things like, "well, whatta ya gonna do?", I think there's a more increasing number of people saying, "what can I do?" or even better, "I know what I can do".

I'm hoping that the elections occuring next year (given that I think they are the ONLY way we're going to see a more balanced government with majority policies based on what ALL Americans really want, in the near future) are going to be realized as being nearly as popular as the Presidential elections of last year. If it must be dirty, then let it be mud-slinging hell, but I want to see that every person I know understands exactly what's at stake and what they ought to be doing... participating, whatever their beliefs.

Can anyone bring up comparison percentages of Americans who voted in both Presidential and Congressional elections in the past, ohhh... ten years? Fifty would be ever better, then we could track a curve of participation.

[badMike]

Given that in the last few years our politics have gotten uglier and more combative than usual, is it possible now that more people are actually paying attention to the system? I pause for your gasps. :DYou should pause for my retching. A friend of mine told me yesterday that in her office of about 15 people, who work on the outskirts of a major metropolitan city, not A SINGLE ONE OF THEM knew who Karl Rove was! Not in a "the name rings a bell, but I don't remember who he is" kind of a sense, but in a "I've never heard his name before" way. And when my friend tried to discuss the whole Valerie Plame thing, nobody had a clue that there was even a scandal going on.

I think when you see who actually votes in 2006, you'll be thoroughly disgusted.

[Steven Grant]

I think when you see who actually runs in 2006, you'll be thoroughly disgusted. A good deal of the apathy and even antipathy toward politics and voting in the average American hasn't been engendered by stupidity but by the knowledge, reconfirmed in practice time and time again, that whoever you vote for will screw you over in the end.

[WatsonGlenn]

I think when you see who actually runs in 2006, you'll be thoroughly disgusted. A good deal of the apathy and even antipathy toward politics and voting in the average American hasn't been engendered by stupidity but by the knowledge, reconfirmed in practice time and time again, that whoever you vote for will screw you over in the end.

Thats fashoinable to say and very American. Americans have always been suspicious of politicians. But IMO, for the most part, politicians in the USA do their best for their country. Its easy to point out mistakes and say how you would have done it, but come on Grant the country is doing ok. Politicians should get a little of the credit for that.

In my experiance the people that complain about being screwed over usually have screwed themselves worse than any politician ever has.

[fumetti]

I for one don't think voter turnout is a big issue. Those who care enough about the issues at hand will probably go vote.

I wish voting correlated to being informed, but it's the best we're going to get.

I regard the non-voter as a person taking the political position that they don't believe it matters who wins. Either because they think they'll get screwed by either candidate, or they think it doesn't matter which policy gets put into law. These may not be wise thoughts, but they do reflect a political position.

[The Mirrorball Man]

Thats fashoinable to say and very American. Americans have always been suspicious of politicians.
That's true. It's a very American trait. Being cautious is one thing, but some Americans seem to despise their politicians with a passion.

It raises a couple of interesting questions: who benefits from that kind of mistrust? Who gains power when politicians lose credibility? Who has enough money, influence and media access to slowly change the way politicians are perceived by American citizens?

[WatsonGlenn]

Who gains power when politicians lose credibility? Who has enough money, influence and media access to slowly change the way politicians are perceived by American citizens?

Americans are an independant lot. And politicians attack each other. Those are the too main reasons many Americans do not like politicians.

[Inkthinker]

Americans are an independant lot. And politicians attack each other. Those are the too main reasons many Americans do not like politicians.

I think an additional reason is that there is a powerful record of political corruption within our history (as well as the history of other nations, we are not special).

Power corrupts, even if it's merely the power to be enigmatic, personal and popular enough to become a succesful politician.

I just wish people saw things like Congressional elections, State elections and Local elections as being as important as the so-called "big one"... and I think that if the media treated these elections as being as big a deal as the presidential runoff then we might get better levels of participation and a government that's composed of representatives that more truthfully represent their actual constituency, as opposed to representing those who are the most motivated, informed or influential.

Not that those people don't deserve representation, but democracy should be about the majority, not the vocal minority.

[WatsonGlenn]

I think an additional reason is that there is a powerful record of political corruption within our history
No more so than anywhere or anywhen else and in fact a great deal less.

I think that if the media treated these elections as being as big a deal as the presidential runoff then we might get better levels of participation
Again with the Media bashing. You sound like Rush Limbaugh.

[fumetti]

I think an additional reason is that there is a powerful record of political corruption within our history (as well as the history of other nations, we are not special).

This comes from transparency and investigative journalism. We have greater access to the machinery of politics, therefore we can spot the scheming much easier here than in many other nations. The more we know about them, the less we trust them. It's the price of being informed.

I think that if the media treated these elections as being as big a deal as the presidential runoff then we might get better levels of participation

Yeah, but how to do it? Americans rely heavily on nationally broadcast news programming, and those networks probably can't sell ad time to justify giving proper coverage to a House race in Montana. Plus, even if they did try, how much could they actually cover? If they gave one full hour for every House race, and covered absolutely nothing else during the day, the best the networks could do is air it once every 18+ days. That's just two hours in over a month before the election. And many races' shows would be aired at very odd hours.