CNN say’s 75 percent of the voters want to throw the bums out.
Well known political analyst Brewster Rockit goes one better:
“Don’t Let the Bums in.”
The ANTIPARTISAN VOTERS GUIDE – YEAR ONE
With Federal mid-term elections looming tomorrow and important contests facing voters in many states, please memorize The ANTIPARTISAN VOTERS GUIDE – YEAR ONE.
The ANTIPARTISAN VOTERS GUIDE for the inaugural year of the AntiPartisan campaign can be reduced to four simple rules:
1. If the incumbent is a Donkey Clan member, vote for the Elephant Clan candidate UNLESS there is a creditable non-aligned candidate* who can win.
2. If the incumbent is an Elephant Clan member, vote for the Donkey Clan candidate UNLESS there is a creditable non-aligned candidate* who can win.
3. If the office in question is ‘open,’ vote for the Donkey Clan member, UNLESS there is a creditable non-aligned candidate* who can win.
4. In the rare instance where there are two creditable non-aligned candidates* who can win and one is a lawyer, vote for the other one.
*‘Non-aligned candidates’ include all candidates who have formally and irrevocably renounced partisan Clan affiliation.
A BRIEF EXPOSITION OF THE FOUR VOTERS GUIDE RULES
On the first two rules:
Most voters would feel better about themselves if they voted for someone they believed REALLY wanted to make the world a better place for someone besides the candidate, his / her Clan and the Clan’s financial backers. However, it is not prudent to waste votes on someone who has no chance of winning UNLESS the candidate is an avowed AntiPartisan candidate that supports Fundamental Transformations. In this case, every vote WILL count, even if the candidate does not win.
On the third rule:
Voting for the Donkey Clan candidate in open contests will avoid the GRIDLOCK that would result from a Donkey Clan administration and Elephant Clan legislature at the Federal level. Citizens of the US do have two years to waste on more governance gridlock.
One should not worry that a single Clan would control both administration and legislature. The goal, for reasons spelled out below, is Transformation, NOT gridlock. Voting out ALL the Clan-aligned incumbents will send a clear enough message that Business-As-Usual is not an acceptable strategy.
On the fourth rule:
Shakespear stated the proper strategy with respect to lawyers and he was centuries ahead of the most egregious problems caused by ‘the bar.’ However, the Bard’s strategy must be broadened to reflect 21st century reality:
Society must evolve to rely the actions of citizens, not the actions of agents, surrogates and unaccountable / unresponsive ‘representatives.’
With respect to governance, citizens must have representatives who understand the need for solutions that meet the needs of the vast majority, NOT representatives who are trained in the art of advocacy for client that are, by definition, WRONG HALF THE TIME.
It is clear that the enlightened interest of the vast majority of citizens INCLUDES respecting the legitimate interests of ALL minorities.
Note: These rules reflect the view voters in ‘swing districts’ as documented by “In Swing Districts, Old is Out and New is In: Seniority no longer prized as more voters demand results.” WaPo 15 October 2010 Page A-1. The key problem will come from entrenched candidates.
Some suggest term limits would address the problem of entrenched Clan candidates. Term limits are nothing more than an excuse to postpone Fundamental Transformations in governance structure.
It is the STRUCTURE that is the problem. It matters far less WHO is in office.
Within a transformed governance structure, term limits would be an integral component of any fair the system. That is not because term limits remove dead wood but because they encourage office holders to change venues, change perspectives and change Estates.
In addition, term limits would provide an incentive for those with good ideas and initiative to move up – from Community manager to Regional cabinet member to MegaRegional legislator to Continental chief executive – even it they do not change Estates.
EMR
