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Loading ...All Call to Action: The Bloomberg Primer
During the last few weeks, we’ve been conducting an experiment. We posted an announcement of our intent to draft Mike Bloomberg on two prominent political blogs. One of them liberal, one conservative.
Karin’s experimental posting at the liberal site DailyKOS, and Andrew’s similar post at the conservative site RedState elicited a number of interesting responses. Many posters on both sides exhibited a reflexive dislike of the idea of Bloomberg running. On ideological grounds, both sides suggest that Mike is “impure” relative to their ideological purity.
Posters at DailyKOS were vocally critical of Mike’s willingness to employ the free market as a means to solve problems. Conversely, posters on RedState were critical of Mike’s willingness to use social programs as a means to bootstrap people out of poverty. Interestingly, both sides claim conspiracy. Both sides suggest that Mike is running as a part of a clandestine plan to spoil the other.
If there is a lesson we might draw from these responses, and the communities they represent, it seems to be that ideology comes first, and actual solutions are a distant second. This is unfortunate. This is also why millions of American voters have unplugged from our political process.
Vocal and active minorities rule each political party, and force candidates to pass a grueling litmus test in the primary process.
This test is not what candidates have done, or will do. It is simply question, “Will candidates submit to a patch-work web of simplistic slogans?” “Will they say whatever it takes to get elected?” If candidates bow down to the bumper-sticker belief system, they will be graced with the support of the community. If they are too moderate, they get railroaded out.
December 24th, 2007 at 1:04 pm
Fantastic post. I often wonder how much the candidates who are forced to pander the “party line” actually believe what they are saying. Mitt Romney is the classic example. Something tells me that he was once a good independent thinking moderate. Now, I have no idea what he believes anymore after all his pandering to the extreme right.
We need public servants who will serve the people and not just “win at all costs” Most the major issues facing our country (energy, immigration, War on Terror) are extremely complex and cannot be solved when each side thinks they have the monopoly on what is right. Life isn’t that simple.