Well said. Why am I the only commenter on your blog? Anyway, good stuff.
9:46 PM
The other day I read a post on a mailing list lambasting the current state of the union (specifically how both candidates are shirking their jobs to run for office) and saying, essentially "it's not my fault, I voted Libertarian". I've heard that a bunch of times in a variety of forms, so I had to respond as follows: "If you're advocating a policy change to prevent active senators, legislators, governors, and so forth from campaigning while on the job, I think you'd have many supporters from all sides. We need more of that constructive discussion.
But it's not helpful to bash the status quo and then claim you're not responsible merely because your party consistently loses at the polls.
If you're a US citizen, then you're responsible for the result of our political system, whether or not your guy won. Voting for the loser doesn't excuse you from the results of the process. It just means you're doing a shitty job." We're all equal participants in this process. We all share equal responsibility for its results, both the good *and* the bad. if you dislike like those results, don't vent: rally some friends and make a difference. Because if you don't, somebody else who thinks otherwise will just rally their friends, harder.
posted by David Barrett at 5:11 PM on Sep 28, 2008
"Voting for the loser is no excuse"
1 Comment -
Well said. Why am I the only commenter on your blog? Anyway, good stuff.
9:46 PM