Over at the Independent Voter Network, they are admirably advocating that
voters make a New Year’s resolution to stay informed, be open-minded, and don’t
get sucked into election year talking points by politicians or nonsense
portrayed as campaign news by the media.
IVN laments that 2014, like every election year, will be dominated by
mudslinging, finger pointing and gaffes by candidates that are inflated into “issues”
that linger for days. This is what writer
Michael Austin
refers to as the Great
American Outrage Machine.
The author of the IVN piece, Shawn M. Griffiths, makes a
compelling case for voters in 2014 to stay focused and reject the usual
bloviating from commentators and campaign rhetoric from candidates. Too many
voters and political junkies, he wrote, are people
who are comfortable in their own bubble, where the world is exactly how they
perceive it to be and refuse to look at the larger picture.”
compelling case for voters in 2014 to stay focused and reject the usual
bloviating from commentators and campaign rhetoric from candidates. Too many
voters and political junkies, he wrote, are people
who are comfortable in their own bubble, where the world is exactly how they
perceive it to be and refuse to look at the larger picture.”
Here is the heart of Griffiths proposal:
“Let us, together, make a commitment
to see the bigger picture. The only way we are going to find pragmatic
solutions that go beyond partisan agendas is a willingness to understand how
people we disagree with see the issue. Perhaps we missed something. Perhaps
there is more to the issue than we once thought. We will never know unless we
are willing to explore different perspectives. We shouldn’t be afraid of
knowledge.
to see the bigger picture. The only way we are going to find pragmatic
solutions that go beyond partisan agendas is a willingness to understand how
people we disagree with see the issue. Perhaps we missed something. Perhaps
there is more to the issue than we once thought. We will never know unless we
are willing to explore different perspectives. We shouldn’t be afraid of
knowledge.
“This commitment should not just be
a New Year’s resolution to be cast aside in a week. It should be a promise we
make to ourselves. We should promise to work within our means to become a
little more informed. We should make a promise not to feed the Great American
Outrage Machine. We should make a promise to look beyond the distractions and
focus on what matters. If for nothing else, we should make these promises for
our own benefit, because knowledge is a rewarding pursuit.”
a New Year’s resolution to be cast aside in a week. It should be a promise we
make to ourselves. We should promise to work within our means to become a
little more informed. We should make a promise not to feed the Great American
Outrage Machine. We should make a promise to look beyond the distractions and
focus on what matters. If for nothing else, we should make these promises for
our own benefit, because knowledge is a rewarding pursuit.”
In a separate piece, Griffiths
essentially argues that only voters with an independent streak can break the
cycle of the blame game that permeates the nation’s capital. An electorate that
is pragmatic and demands a fairer system which is not so closely tied to
primaries can demolish the emerging process in which a sliver of the voting
population is targeted by candidates.
essentially argues that only voters with an independent streak can break the
cycle of the blame game that permeates the nation’s capital. An electorate that
is pragmatic and demands a fairer system which is not so closely tied to
primaries can demolish the emerging process in which a sliver of the voting
population is targeted by candidates.
“… Lawmakers never truly get out of
election mode,” Griffiths wrote.
election mode,” Griffiths wrote.
“… It is all about what lawmakers
can tell their constituents when they return to the campaign trail. In most
states, this means the smallest of ideological bases. Most lawmakers don’t care
about the electorate as a whole — just (the) 5 percent or less they need to
appease to get past the primaries, because they know that is all they need.”
can tell their constituents when they return to the campaign trail. In most
states, this means the smallest of ideological bases. Most lawmakers don’t care
about the electorate as a whole — just (the) 5 percent or less they need to
appease to get past the primaries, because they know that is all they need.”
