Here's one reason that voting is not the way to restore the Republic: once well-meaning newcomers get into the DC Club they are effectively neutralized by the Good 'Ol Boys (& Gals). Another reason: there simply are not enough well-meaning candidates who want to get into that snakepit. Another reason: running is one thing---getting elected is another. Another reason: it takes a significant amount of money to run for national office. Another reason: the Corporate Media virtually will destroy (or completely ignore) someone like Ron Paul (as an example) who is running for President...with very little effort. In the Establishment system, he'll be lucky to get 15% of the vote...that is, if he even gets the nomination (which is unlikely). Even if by some miracle he gets elected, he won't have a prayer of "cleaning up the mess". He will be shut out, ostracized, and neutralized by the "no-term-limits" hacks who have been there for years and control the whole show.
I could go on, but you get the drift.
Proposing well-meaning candidates has been going on for decades. I don't see any significant change. The Corporatocracy likes us to believe that voting at the national level still matters. In my opinion, it doesn't...and hasn't for a LONG time. [Just look at the last two Presidential elections: in 2000 King George was appointed by the Supreme Court; in 2004 he scraped in due to confirmed voting fraud in at least Ohio, and if I recall correctly, Florida as well.]
We are way past having any chance of success at trying to change the system by actions within the system. Unfortunately, 50% or so of the people still think that voting matters (they still vote because they mistakenly believe that it makes a difference); the other 50% realize that voting accomplishes almost nothing...and so they don't vote. It's not because they're lazy, or apathetic, or dumb...it's because they've seen that the same old crap keeps rolling downhill---no matter who gets elected. Want to make a real difference?---boycott...or write in "None of the Above". That's what people who are NOT voting are doing wrong---instead of just ignoring national elections, they should go to the polls, or obtain an absentee ballot (which makes the whole process easier), and write in "NONE OF THE ABOVE". If over 50%-75% of the voters would do it, that would do more to shake up DC than anything else. People should lobby for a "None of the Above" box on every national ballot.
It's time to seriously boycott national elections, the Corporate Media, big corporate sponsors, etc., AND inform all Establishment, professional politicians that they no longer have our support...because they have failed, and failed miserably.
Here's another idea (some rich person needs to organize, fund, & promote this):
Boycott the Establishment national elections by having our own grassroots elections online. Where is it written that only the Repub & Dem Political Machines get to organize elections. We the People gave them that power---we can take it away. Instead of their hacks, we'll run CITIZEN politicians...but NOT in the Establishment system. Properly promoted, that might result in their hacks getting 40,000 votes (an arbitrary number), and our citizen politicians getting 40 MILLION votes. What are they going to say?---"You didn't follow proper procedures". Yeah, but our folks received 99% of the votes. [Unrealistic, perhaps...BUT the point is: a lot can be tried without resorting to the system that is entirely sewn up by the Corporatocracy.]
I think that currently there is an effort similar to what I'm suggesting...and it's already on the web. I believe it's called the "Unity" ticket, or party, or whatever. But they don't go far enough---they are attempting to get unlike ESTABLISHMENT, professional politicians to run on their ticket. I'm not sure if anyone has agreed to run.
Boycott, Boycott, Boycott. Once the Establishment Political Machine crumbles from sheer lack of support, decent candidates will make themselves known...and more importantly, have a chance to make a genuine difference.
Political hacks exist in the system ONLY because we support them...having been duly propagandized to do so by the Corporate Media. The corrupt system exists ONLY because we don't boycott it.
