RE: vote Donald trump!?
March 28, 2016 at 11:09 am
(This post was last modified: March 28, 2016 at 11:19 am by JuliaL.)
"It helps if you think of it as a game, Bob" -Dick Jones
A candidates most important attribute of character is sincerity. Once they can fake that, they've got it made.
I don't see how anyone can look at the American political system and expect Mr. Smith honesty.
Our voting process, to outward appearances, seems well controlled, compared to, for example, Zimbabwe. At least the disenfranchisement, gerrymandering and outright fraud that goes on happens at a low enough level or is hidden well enough to give us the impression that things are on the up and up.
But if every vote is equal, and the winning candidate needs at least a plurality in the electoral college which supposedly represents the will of the people, then it is necessary for a winning candidate to attract the will of the people.
The people are a diverse mob, always with dearly held, diametrically opposed views.
So in order to win, a candidate is obligated to lie to one, the other or many sub populations on any specific issue.
Before the day of instant, global, communications, this could be done more in private where each group being misled could fool themselves into thinking the candidate actually did share their views. Now things like Mitts 47% bullshit gets outed too much of the time for us to keep our cherished, though false, beliefs. A large part of running for office is now keeping statements vague enough to be acceptable to both pro and con constituencies or to artfully distract them with bluster and sleight of hand.
Drumpf is the first candidate (I know of) to simply cut out the pretense of honesty and lie, lie, lie. It seems to be working.
Initially I thought he was only in the race to be paid off to get out. I don't know if he was a serious candidate from the beginning, but either he is now or the payoff hasn't yet gotten big enough.
What a mess. At least imperial China required their officials to pass competency tests before allowing them to join the kleptocracy.
A candidates most important attribute of character is sincerity. Once they can fake that, they've got it made.
I don't see how anyone can look at the American political system and expect Mr. Smith honesty.
Our voting process, to outward appearances, seems well controlled, compared to, for example, Zimbabwe. At least the disenfranchisement, gerrymandering and outright fraud that goes on happens at a low enough level or is hidden well enough to give us the impression that things are on the up and up.
But if every vote is equal, and the winning candidate needs at least a plurality in the electoral college which supposedly represents the will of the people, then it is necessary for a winning candidate to attract the will of the people.
The people are a diverse mob, always with dearly held, diametrically opposed views.
So in order to win, a candidate is obligated to lie to one, the other or many sub populations on any specific issue.
Before the day of instant, global, communications, this could be done more in private where each group being misled could fool themselves into thinking the candidate actually did share their views. Now things like Mitts 47% bullshit gets outed too much of the time for us to keep our cherished, though false, beliefs. A large part of running for office is now keeping statements vague enough to be acceptable to both pro and con constituencies or to artfully distract them with bluster and sleight of hand.
Drumpf is the first candidate (I know of) to simply cut out the pretense of honesty and lie, lie, lie. It seems to be working.
Initially I thought he was only in the race to be paid off to get out. I don't know if he was a serious candidate from the beginning, but either he is now or the payoff hasn't yet gotten big enough.
What a mess. At least imperial China required their officials to pass competency tests before allowing them to join the kleptocracy.
So how, exactly, does God know that She's NOT a brain in a vat? 
