Skip to main content

Why don't they care about politics?

Downstate nobody really knows who Jack Markell is. This came as a shock to me when I read the voter recognition numbers in a poll the other week, because I thought everybody (like him or not) knew who he was.

Downstate everybody may know Carney's name as Lieutenant Governor, but nobody knows a thing about him. And they don't care.

As I wander around the state, nobody except political insiders knows or cares who Levin is, or remembers that Protack keeps running and losing.

When I hear people talk about political apathy in this state I take it with a grain of salt.

When political apathy rules and Democrats hold a substantial majority in registrations, then co-equal apathy means victory at the polls and a lack of accountability in office.

When political apathy rules and the Republican Party is disintegrating on both the state and national levels, then it means the possibility of a prolonged period of one-party rule (and for how much good that does, look at the history of Mexico under PRI).

When political apathy rules, the disenchanted seek individuals and not parties--Ron Paul, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jesse Venture, or Ross Perot--which jolts everyone, but can be outlasted. Political movements don't turn into long-term political parties through campaigns. Political parties hold their bases with what they do between campaigns.

And when political apathy rules, we get midget candidates on both sides of the aisle, so much so that a class act like Matt Denn (and I'm not a Democrat by any means) can disappear into the bland sameness of mediocrity, because everyone assumes that nobody of quality would stand for office any more.

Why don't they care about politics?

You gotta ask?

Comments

Anonymous said…
The beach areas pay more attention to politics, mostly due to a general dissatisfaction with the growth in the area, just pick up any edition of the Cape Gazette and that'll be apparent. Western Sussex county... apathetic. If it's not on WBOC, it's not worth talking about.

Popular posts from this blog

The Obligatory Libertarian Tax Day Post

The most disturbing factoid that I learned on Tax Day was that the average American must now spend a full twenty-four hours filling out tax forms. That's three work days. Or, think of it this way: if you had to put in two hours per night after dinner to finish your taxes, that's two weeks (with Sundays off). I saw a talking head economics professor on some Philly TV channel pontificating about how Americans procrastinate. He was laughing. The IRS guy they interviewed actually said, "Tick, tick, tick." You have to wonder if Governor Ruth Ann Minner and her cohorts put in twenty-four hours pondering whether or not to give Kraft Foods $708,000 of our State taxes while demanding that school districts return $8-10 million each?

New Warfare: I started my posts with a discussion.....

.....on Unrestricted warfare . The US Air force Institute for National Security Studies have developed a reasonable systems approach to deter non-state violent actors who they label as NSVA's. It is an exceptionally important report if we want to deter violent extremism and other potential violent actors that could threaten this nation and its security. It is THE report our political officials should be listening to to shape policy so that we do not become excessive in using force against those who do not agree with policy and dispute it with reason and normal non-violent civil disobedience. This report, should be carefully read by everyone really concerned with protecting civil liberties while deterring violent terrorism and I recommend if you are a professional you send your recommendations via e-mail at the link above so that either 1.) additional safeguards to civil liberties are included, or 2.) additional viable strategies can be used. Finally, one can only hope that politici

More of This, Please

Or perhaps I should say, "Less of this one, please." Or how about just, "None of them. Ever again. Please....For the Love of God." Sunshine State Poll: Grayson In Trouble The latest Sunshine State/VSS poll shows controversial Democratic incumbent Alan Grayson trailing former state Senator Dan Webster by seven points, 43 percent to 36 percent. A majority of respondents -- 51 percent -- disapprove of the job that Grayson is doing. Independents have an unfavorable view of him as well, by a 36/47 margin. Grayson has ignored the conventional wisdom that a freshman should be a quiet member who carefully tends to the home fires. The latest controversy involves his " Taliban Dan " advertisement, where he explicitly compares his opponent to the Taliban, and shows a clip of Webster paraphrasing Ephesians 5:22 -- "wives, submit to your husbands." An unedited version of the clip shows that Webster was actually suggesting that husba