if honesty is a prereq, will anyone take the class?
Bush's staged talk with soldiers makes me sick. Public office holders (and candidates) should be... well... candid. We don't always have to agree with them, but we should know what they are thinking and doing; democratic competition simply doesn't work if we don't know what we're voting for or what positions our candidates actually hold. In short, if politicians are not honest with us about their positions and political posturing activities, then democracy itself is undermined. Frank discussion and debate over an issue is what democracy is about. Moreover, such honesty embodies a respect for the people one represents, the nation one governs, and the office one holds. A lack of honesty, however, is just "playing the people," and is both disrespectful and ignoble.Is anybody surprised that Americans don't vote these days?
I hope we are not seeing the beginning of the end of a short-lived experiment in idealized political forms. Sometimes it just seems like true democracy, while theoretically superior to other forms of government, is practically untenable.
posted by Skay @ 8:54 PM
3 Comments:
You ever watch the TV show Freaks and Geeks, circa 2000? They had an episode about a similar subject in which vice-president Bush (show was set in the early 80s) was visiting the protagonist's school and fielding questions from students. She wanted to ask a question about Iran or something, but Bush's staff rejected her question and told her to ask what Bush's favorite restaurant was, instead.
When it came time for her to ask her question, she stood up in front of the student body and press and everyone and asked George I, "Why did your staff reject my question?"
Interesting. I never did see that.
Of course, it's worth pointing out that spin, practice, and preparation is de rigeur in the the political arena. Joe Gandelman rightly notes that the problem, in this case, is the lie: the Bush administration explicitly told reporters that this exchange would be UNSCRIPTED. (See http://www.themoderatevoice.com/posts/1129267774.shtml.) Oops.
Nice news links
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