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1. 

   Ken Warren said, 19 days ago

   Sad, sad, so sad, but so true.

   Those who say “throw the scoundrels out” have to remember that it may start with our own congressman. For some strange reason so many of us seem to beleive it’s other peoples politicians that are bad.

   Democracy is hard work, that’s way it so often goes bad, people get lazy and “leave it to the experts” or believe what they see in the political ads.

2. 

   scottfreitas said, 19 days ago

   I’ll be glad to vote against every GOP incumbent in 2010 if y’all lefties will vote against every Demoncrat incumbent… ;)

3. 

   Ken Warren said, 19 days ago

   That’s not the answer – the answer is who do you replace them with? Not just more of the same, don’t go by labels, find out everything you can about the person, and PLEASE don’t vote becasue of a what a political add says.

   It is hard work, that’s why it isn’t that people have tried Democracy and found it wanting, it’s that they have tried Democracy and found it difficult so they haven’t really tried it at all.

4. 

   HOWGOZIT said, 19 days ago

   If background indicates lawyer–don’t vote for him/her.

5. 

   scottfreitas said, 19 days ago

   Agreed. Law schools today are just training centers for sociopaths in suits. We need to embrace Jefferson and Adams’ view of a “citizen legislature”, filled with people from hands-on professions (farmers, mechanics, clerks, etc) who get elected, spend a term or two improving things, and then retire back to their private-sector jobs to live under the laws they so recently helped pass…

   It’s not an impossible dream. We DO have that power. We’re losing the political wars mostly during the primaries, where only 10-20% of voters turn out, and the career Party hacks on both sides hand-pick the candidate THEY want, rather than the one who is more in tune with average, ordinary people..

6. 

   NeoconMan said, 19 days ago

   Geez. scott; OF COURSE we hand pick the candidates! We know best how to run this country. We should leave elections to the great unwashed and unlettered masses? Don’t THINK so!

7. 

   curiosity1 said, 19 days ago

   Democracy is even more challenging, because you also need to be willing to listen to the needs of your minority and fringe constituents and work toward building a society which best suits everyone’s needs, and not just those of the largest populations. Sometimes, good governance is not popular governance.
   Majority rule is only part of the solution. An ideal government includes intelligent rule as well even when it is at odds with the majority. Hence the need for an unfettered judiciary.

8. 

   d_legendary1 said, 19 days ago

   If you want true democracy get the money out of politics. No matter who you get in there (pick a side, it doesn’t matter) as long as big business money is out there influencing our elected officials this lobbying phenomenon will still continue.

   Its like a legalized version of Al Capone, except Benjamin Franklin replaces the Tommy guns.

9. 

   M Henri Day said, 14 days ago

   NeoconMan has an uncomfortable habit of saying it like it is - the whole point of «representative democracy» is to avoid real democracy by leaving an opening for the intervention of money. The real constituents of the «representatives» are the lobbyists and their bagmen - who pays the piper calls the tune….

   Henri