Friday, January 15, 2010

They really do not understand

It is astonishing how often one says that about politicians: they really do not understand. I do believe that may be the clue to the mess this country and our cousins across the Pond are in.

Readers of this blog may well have been following the run-up to the special Senate election in Massachusetts, where Scott Brown, the Republican candidate seems to be doing extremely well. I shall not describe here the various shenanigans the Democrats have tried to use, changing the state's constitution twice in order to have a sitting Senator for the Obamacare vote and threatening to keep the man in his place if the Republican gets in. All this can be followed on various blogs, such as Sister Toldjah and, of course, Instapundit.

The story that intrigued and amused me in a grim sort of way was of the TV debate in which
Brown also bristled at suggestions that the seat he was seeking was a Kennedy seat, despite being held for decades by a family member or confidant.

“With all due respect, it’s not the Kennedys’ seat,’’ Brown said. “It’s not the Democrats’ seat. It’s the people’s seat.’’
This story made its way round the American blogosphere in no time at all. Neo-neocon had some more details as well as the video of the exchange.

It would seem, therefore, that the problems with politicians are very similar on the two sides of the Pond (as if we didn't know that). They really do think that seats and votes somehow belong to them. The story above reminded me of numerous discussions I have had with Tory Boys of all genders who would say quite honestly that they really disliked UKIP because the latter was "stealing Conservative votes". Ahem, I would point out, they are not your votes, they are our votes. We, the people, owe you nothing; you have to tell us why we should vote for you; you have to win our votes.

Do they understand this simple idea? I really do not know.

8 comments:

  1. I couldnt agree more. Wherever you are....apart from places like Zimbabwe, it is us, the people who decide. I truly hope that in the UK that BNP win a seat in a 'Labour' area and that UKIP win a seat in a 'Tory' area.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Beautifully put and it really is a simple idea, perhaps that is what fools them. They are thinking calculus when it is simple addition that is needed. Oh, I don't know though, that might be overestimating Cameron and company.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Scott Brown is said not to be a conservative Republican but that statement was certainly reaganesque. The race in MA is hotting up. Obama has suddenly decided to campaign for Martha Coakley and she is blundering on. One gaffe after another.

    Mikgen

    ReplyDelete
  4. We were able to elect a Republican in NJ for Governor after numerous Obama visits for the Democratic incumbant Governor here. I am hoping for a Brown win as it would scare the Democrats in Congress away form this Healthcare Reform (mess) bill.

    ReplyDelete
  5. "We, the people, owe you nothing; you have to tell us why we should vote for you; you have to win our votes."

    Please tell that to my local Conservative PPC. I cannot get this through to him.

    (Oh why is it so difficult to make comments on this site. JSKit, OpenID, Google accounts all go round and round in circles and fail to log me in to anything

    ReplyDelete
  6. One reason politicians do not understand is that they are decreasingly in contact with the way real people must act. Fewer and fewer politicians have less and less in common with "the populace."
    Having all that information crossing one's desk hour after hour and making decision after decision gives the illusion of understanding. However, it actually narrows one's understanding more and more. When faced with the day-to-day activities of the man on the street, politicians could not function very well. This inability gets worse as time passes; a good argument for term limits.

    ReplyDelete
  7. The problem is with elected representatives,who gradually have discovered that they are not very accountable.Their impudence adds insult to the very real injury inflicted.

    I think a big rethink is needed on how to get this system to actually work-like allowing the public panel-picked by lot from the taxpaying rolls to veto legislation and spending and to remove gov't officials from the public teat.
    On our side of the pond the political class is facing a catastrophe,but they will not go gently into the night; it will be very ugly.

    ReplyDelete
  8. "Do they understand this simple idea? I really do not know."

    Helen, the answer is no, they don't ... because they (professional politicans) spend far more time talking to each other than to the people. To them, the people simply exist to rubber-stamp their decisions and fawn over their greatness (not)!

    And when the people take a decision the politicans' don't like ... then it's time for that Brecht quote about dissolving the people.

    Nick

    ReplyDelete