OpEdNews » The Grand Delusion

Support OEN
With Your
Tax-Deductible Donation

Tags for This Article:

Populum Tag Cloud Control Panel
	Fine tune your search to access content

Articles	Links
Diaries	Products
Events	All

All time
Last 6 mos
Last month
Last week
Last 24 hrs

From:
Month Day Year

To:
Month Day Year

Alphabet Popularity	Count ON Count OFF
This Level	Sub-levels

Tag(s): Boycott; Congress; Conspiracy; Corruption; Democracy; Impeachment; Politicians; Power; Presidency; Reform; (more...) Revolution; Truth; Voting (less...)
Add to My Group

November 10, 2007 at 12:19:25

Headlined on 11/10/07:
The Grand Delusion

by Joel S. Hirschhorn Page 1 of 2 page(s)

www.opednews.com

SAVE FAVORITES

VIEW FAVORITES

View Ratings | Rate It

With an endless, futile and costly Iraq war, a stinking economy and most Americans seeing the country on the wrong track, the greatest national group delusion is that electing Democrats in 2008 is what the country needs.

Keith Olbermann was praised when he called the Bush presidency a criminal conspiracy. That missed the larger truth. The whole two-party political system is a criminal conspiracy hiding behind illusion induced delusion.

Virtually everything that Bush correctly gets condemnation for could have been prevented or negated by Democrats, if they had had courage, conviction and commitment to maintaining the rule of law and obedience to the Constitution. Bush grabbed power from the feeble and corrupt hands of Democrats. Democrats have failed the vast majority of Americans. So why would sensible people think that giving Democrats more power is a good idea? They certainly have done little to merit respect for their recent congressional actions, or inaction when it comes to impeachment of Bush and Cheney.

One of the core reasons the two-party stranglehold on our political system persists is that whenever one party uses its power to an extreme degree it sets the conditions for the other party – its partner in the conspiracy – to take over. Then the other takes its turn in wielding excessive power. Most Americans – at least those that vote – seem incapable of understanding that the Democrats and Republicans are two teams in the same league, serving the same cabal running the corporatist plutocracy. By keeping people focused on rooting for one team or the other, the behind-the-scenes rulers ensure their invisibility and power.

The genius of the plutocrats is to create the illusion of important differences between the two parties, and the illusion of political choice in elections. In truth, the partner parties compete superficially and dishonestly to entertain the electorate, to maintain the aura of a democracy. Illusion creates the delusion of Americans that voting in elections will deliver political reforms, despite a long history of politicians lying in campaigns about reforms, new directions and bold new policies. The rulers need power shifting between the teams to maintain popular trust in the political system. Voting manifests that trust – as if changing people will fix the system. It doesn’t.

So voters become co-conspirators in the grand political criminal conspiracy. Those who vote for Democrats or Republicans perpetuate the corrupt, dishonest and elitist plutocracy that preferentially serves the interests of the Upper Class and a multitude of special interests – some aligned with the Republicans and some with the Democrats. Voting only encourages worthless politicians and those that fund and corrupt them.

Public discontent leads to settling for less through lesser evil voting rather than bold thinking about how to reform the system to get genuine political competition and better candidates and government.

I understand why sane people would not want to vote for Republicans, based on the Bush presidency. But I cannot understand why politically engaged people think that putting Democrats in power will restore American democracy and put the welfare of non-wealthy Americans above the interests of the wealthy and the business sector. Bill Clinton’s administration strongly advanced globalization and the loss of good jobs to foreign countries. Economic inequality kept rising. Trade agreements sold us out.

And in this primary season talk about reforming our health care system among Democrats never gets serious about providing universal health care independent of the insurance industry. And why should citizens be supportive of a party that favors illegal immigration – law breaking – that primarily serves business interests by keeping labor costs low?

Nor have Democrats stood up to challenge the official 9/11 story that no longer has any credibility to anyone that takes the time to seriously examine all its inconsistencies with what really happened and the laws of physics.

Whoever wins the Democratic presidential nomination will not be free of corruption and lies. He or she will owe paybacks to all the fat-cat campaign donors. Voters will be choosing the lesser-evil Democratic presidential candidate. Is that really the only choice? Is there no other action that can advance the national good?

There seem to be just two other choices. Vote for some third party presidential candidate, but the downside of that is twofold. No such candidate can win in the current rigged system. Worse, voting gives a stamp of credibility to the political system, as if it was fair, when it is not. Voting says that you still believe that the political system merits your support and involvement.

The second option is to boycott voting to show total rejection of the current political system and the plutocratic cabal using the two-party duopoly to carry out its wishes. When a democracy no longer is legitimate, no longer is honest, and no longer serves the interests of ordinary citizens, then what other than violent revolution can change it? When the electoral system no longer can provide honest, corruption free candidates with any chance of winning, what can citizens do? Either stay home or just vote in local and state races and for ballot measures.

I say remove the credibility and legitimacy of the federal government by reducing voter turnout to extremely low levels. Show the world that the vast majority of Americans have seen the light and no longer are deluding themselves about their two-party democracy. A boycott on voting for candidates for federal office is a form of civil disobedience that has enormous power to force true political reforms from the political system. This is the only way to make it crystal clear that the presidency and Congress no longer represent any significant fraction of the people. This is the only way to show that America’s representative democracy is no longer representative and, therefore, is no longer a credible democracy. Just imagine a federal government trying to function in the usual ways when only 20 percent of the eligible voters actually voted.

It takes more courage to boycott voting than to vote for lesser evil Democrats and in the end this is the only way for people to feel proudly patriotic. This is the only way to not contribute to the ongoing bipartisan criminal conspiracy running the federal government.

We have broken government because the spirit of Americans that gave us our revolution and nation’s birth has been broken, in large measure by distractive and self-indulgent consumerism. It is better to recognize that those who vote suffer from delusion than to criticize those who do not vote as apathetic. Non-delusional nonvoters recognize the futility of voting.

1 | 2

www.delusionaldemocracy.com

	Contact Author
	Contact Editor
	View Other Articles by Author

Bookmark this page: (what's this?)

(More...)

6 comments

Retire high school English teacher. Grandmother of eight grandchildren, six of them Muslim. Love to travel. Have been to Russia, Spain, Morocco, Crete and Santorini, Cosumel and Chichen Itza. Alas, not enough places. However, the ocean anywhere satisfies the soul.
ChristieRetire high school English teacher. Grandmother of eight grandchildren, six of them Muslim. Love to travel. Have been to Russia, Spain, Morocco, Crete and Santorini, Cosumel and Chichen Itza. Alas, not enough places. However, the ocean anywhere satisfies the soul.

Suppose the other 80% voted for Kucinich

You say, “just imagine a federal government trying to function in the usual ways when only 20 percent of the eligible voters actually voted.” Seems to me we already are functioning under Bush/Cheney that way -- ignoring the desires of 80% of the voters. Also, dictators function very well according to their own desires without interference of voters. Stalin said that it is not the voters who count but the vote counters. So I suggest that if people think that the two parties are really one--not enough difference to matter--then voting third party is not being a spoiler, as there is nothing to spoil. So, I recommend that 80% of the voters vote for Kucinich in the primary and in the general election. What a mandate he would have then. Here is what you would be voting for--in Kucinich’s own words: {The people} “are telling the candidates and the nation that they want the war in Iraq ended now. They want to stop the insanity that is leading us into another war in Iran. They want real health care reform, and they want a candidate who is willing to challenge the Bush Administration's Constitutional abuses to our civil liberties that are being condoned and advanced by the Democrat-controlled Congress,"

by Christie (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 143 comments) on Saturday, November 10, 2007 at 8:40:53 PM

DAV, trying to remain vigilent on my/your office-holders.
victorasDAV, trying to remain vigilent on my/your office-holders.

divide and conquer

the Republicrats are grinning from ear to ear

(and possibly covertly funding the opposition)

having both Ron Paul, Dennis Kucinich

actively engaging the population,

then the mono-party Republicrats are sure to win the vote, as the opposition has been diluted

by victoras (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 21 comments) on Sunday, November 11, 2007 at 6:13:57 AM

SW Texas ultra-liberal
john riggsSW Texas ultra-liberal

Hirshhorn get a job.

Either we work within the system we have or have civil war. The FOAVC relys on state reps demanding changes when they are as bad or worse than the US reps. To effect a change under art.V would require citizens actually get involved on the state level and elect honest politicians, did you catch it HONEST POLITICIANS, its an OXY MORON. I suggest You get with the Ron Paul campaign or boycott writing to save bandwidth and electricity Hirshhorn.

by john riggs (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 441 comments) on Sunday, November 11, 2007 at 1:36:58 PM

Joel S. Hirschhorn is the author of Delusional Democracy - Fixing the Republic Without Overthrowing the Government (www.delusionaldemocracy.com). His current political writings have been greatly influenced by working as a senior staffer for the U.S. Congress and for the National Governors Association. He advocates a Second American Revolution, beginning with an Article V Convention to propose constitutional amendments. He is Chair of the Independent Party of Maryland.
Joel S. HirschhornJoel S. Hirschhorn is the author of Delusional Democracy - Fixing the Republic Without Overthrowing the Government (www.delusionaldemocracy.com). His current political writings have been greatly influenced by working as a senior staffer for the U.S. Congress and for the National Governors Association. He advocates a Second American Revolution, beginning with an Article V Convention to propose constitutional amendments. He is Chair of the Independent Party of Maryland.

I can't wait to see....

The assorted comments of all the supporters of Ron Paul and Denis Kucinich when they, obviously, do not get their party's nomination. Will they have the integrity to say what Mike Gravel has said, namely that their supporters should NOT vote for whoever wins their party's nomination. I figure my voting boycott will gain considerable more support when all the minor candidates lose the primary - if anyone should support the boycott it is certainly the delusional Ron Paul supporters.....

by Joel S. Hirschhorn (133 articles, 37 quicklinks, 60 diaries, 533 comments) on Sunday, November 11, 2007 at 5:39:07 PM

DOB -- September 20, 1940. Became active in civil rights and peace movements in 1962. Active in socialist and antiwar movements -- 1963-69. Active in Gay Liberation from 1969 to present.
rhalfhillDOB -- September 20, 1940. Became active in civil rights and peace movements in 1962. Active in socialist and antiwar movements -- 1963-69. Active in Gay Liberation from 1969 to present.

NOT VOTING CHANGES NOTHING;THIRD PARTY POTENTIAL FOR CHANGE

   The number of people who don't vote in U.S. elections is already notoriously higher than in the other economically developed democracies. If, at the time of the American Revolution, someone had predicted that the percentage of citizens voting would decline to its
present level, someone might have said that such a low turnout would deprive the government of its legitimacy to the extent that it could not survive. Yet the government is perfectly able to maintain its illusion of legitimacy with the present low turnout and it could continue to maintain that illusion even if the turnout declined to 5% or less.
   Not voting is not even civil disobedience since not voting is not illegal in the United States.
   You speak of "fixing the Republic without overthrowing the government," yet say in this post that when a democracy has lost its legitimacy and no longer represents the interests of the people, violent revolution is the only alternative. I agree. I do not think that a government that murderered nearly 3000 of its own citizens at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon would peacefully give up its power if it were voted out of power. However, for legal reasons, we should always point out that if the ruling class attempts a military coup when the majority of the electorate votes for a President and Congress that really intends to remove the ruling class from power, it will be THEY and not WE who will be trying to overthrow the government and we will merely be doing our citizens duty to prevent them from overthrowing the government by any means necessary. This is not just a mere legal dodge for it is literally true that if the ruling class attempts a coup and we have to vilently resist them, it is they who will be trying to overthrow the government and we will be the ones trying to defend the government.
   And this brings me to your advocacy of not voting rather than voting for a third party. You say a third party can never win because the system is rigged against them. But if people become so fed up that the majority of the electorate does vote for a third party that really intends to change the system, that party will win despite having to campaign without the ruling class funding that the two major ruling class parties receive -- unless the ruling class attempts a military coup or there is a fascist party large enough to attempt to overthrow the government.
   And I think that the majority of the electorate will have to elect a third party that runs without corporate funding and really intends to change the system, and see the ruling class attempting to overthrow the government they elected, before they realize that revolution is the only alternative. Of course, if Bush or someone else cancels the elections and installs himself as dictator before that revolutionary third party is elected, it might be possible for the majority of the electorate to skip the stage of trying to elect a third party before they learn that our supposed democracy is an illusion.
   In short, not voting will change nothing, Working on building a non corporate, revolutionary third party is the only think that has the potential of revolutionary change.
Robert Halfhill rhalfhill@juno.com

http://halfhillviews.greatnow.com (SITE NOW BANNED ON AOL)
*Write AOL to complain, here: aolaccessibility@aol.com, or call 1-888-212-5537.

http://RedLavenderInsurgent.blogspot.com

by rhalfhill (3 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 310 comments) on Monday, November 12, 2007 at 2:44:23 PM

EVERY ATTEMPT TO REFORM THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY HAS FAILED

I forgot to mention that I intend to vote for the Green Party candidate unless the Green Party repeats its 2004 fiasco of caving in to covert lesser evilism and nominates somebody like David Cobb who would not make a serious attempt to campaign in states where he could throw the election to the Republicans. If that happens, I will have to see if I can find another third party candidate who is at least minimally acceptable.

I am afraid I'll have to disappoint you on your expectation of hearing from a Kucinich supporter. Kucinich ran in 2004 but continued to adhere to Democratic Party discipline and supported that party's endorsed candidate in the general election. When someone from the Kucinich campaign called to ask for my support, I replied that it was tempting because of all Kucinich's wonderful positions on the issues but I had given up on the Democratic Party and joined the Green Party and that people had been going into the Democratic Party to reform it for years and it had never worked.

Robert Halfhill rhalfhill@juno.com

by rhalfhill (3 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 310 comments) on Monday, November 12, 2007 at 3:18:31 PM