Posted: December 25, 2008
1:00 am Eastern
© 2008
My dad never voted – at least, not while I knew him. "They're all crooks," he'd say when pressed. One of the generation for whom Jack Kennedy was viewed similarly to a certain messianic president-elect we presently have, when JFK was assassinated, it was sort of the last straw where elected officials were concerned. He became the perennial cynic. Of course, living in New York – where he was not raised – likely didn't help his outlook, since the corruption there was as legendary as in the city from which the aforementioned messianic president-elect hails.
I have a good friend whose family escaped from Castro's Cuba years ago. His is a profoundly enlightening perspective, so I occasionally cite his experiences and anecdotes. Although he loves this country, one of the things he finds appalling about America is that half of our eligible voters don't vote. This apathy is symptomatic of the subject matter that follows.
My political leanings are no secret to anyone who regularly peruses this space. That said, it has become clear that both of our major political parties have degenerated into dangerously destructive, subversive entities. The Democratic Party's leadership is rife with socialists and neo-Marxists who deny history and the realities of geopolitics, sociology and economics. The Republican Party has abandoned the pillar of its greatest success – conservatism; it is captained by socially disconnected milquetoasts and career politicians whose political philosophy varies from their Democrat counterparts but little in the practical sense.
In short, politicians have become more corrupt, rather than less.
In November 2008, the electorate effectively (and even eagerly) swept the Chicago political machine – one of the most notoriously corrupt in the history of politics – into Washington. This was punctuated by the arrest of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich on charges of corruption mere weeks after the election. While informed opponents of President-elect Barack Obama were not surprised, it is probable that most Americans see this as incidental, rather than a harbinger of things to come. All this is happening despite that the age in which we live provides a wealth of easily accessible information, and on a scale dwarfing that which existed 40 years ago.
So it would appear that voters have become less savvy, rather than more.
Ted Kennedy killed a woman while driving drunk, yet he became one of the most powerful senators in American history. Why? Because of his celebrity (he's a Kennedy, after all) and the public's moral ambivalence. Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg, with zero political experience – is currently a contender for a Senate seat (that will become vacant when Hillary Clinton becomes secretary of state in the Obama administration) for some of the same reasons.
Lest I wax partisan, the list of corrupt and disgraced GOP lawmakers covering recent years rivals that of the Democrats. Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert, dubbed "Hastert the Bastard" by his constituents, became a multimillionaire profiting from congressional earmarks. In 2007, Sen. Larry Craig of Idaho was accused of making a sexual advance toward an undercover officer in a men's room. In October, former Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska was convicted for concealing his receipt of expensive gifts and services eight days before he faced a tight re-election contest. He lost his seat.
And then there's Richard Nixon, whose name became synonymous with corruption due to the Watergate scandal, which led to his resignation from the presidency in 1974. Who can blame Democrats – whose party was more quickly associated with corruption – for reminding Republicans of this fact when the need arises?
So … is everybody crooked?
No, but politics has become a radically different animal over the last 100 years. Gone are the days when the majority of lawmakers were successful, conscientious people who went to Washington to serve. Politics has long since become a career game, with corruption being an accepted and integral aspect of the play. In particular, the vice that used to be associated with urban centers has become the norm in national politics. What is known as "Washingtonian" or "beltway" politics manifests a narcissistic elitism among those who practice it – and this phenomenon transcends party lines.
The axiom "They're all crooks" is taken as a truism by millions of Americans. One can surmise that among the 50 percent of non-voting Americans, there is likely a majority of concerned and conscientious citizens who are nevertheless plagued by apathy. Failing to see the forest for the trees, and disbelieving their ability to affect change, too few become involved in the process to make a difference.
What remains? Ideologues and poorly educated, propagandized Americans who continue to vote for politicians with whom they are familiar on only the most superficial level. Indeed, the general election of 2008 is a stark example of this self-evident proposition.
Whether it will be through the emergence of a strong third party, or some widespread social upheaval such as a world war or economic depression, it is becoming clear that drastic and sweeping changes will have to be made to preserve our nation as something we might recognize 50 years hence. For now, we are effectively living under an oligarchy and marching dangerously close to the borders of totalitarianism.
Source: http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=84461
