The Virginian Pilot reprinted an article today written by Jonah Goldberg about politics and polls. Personally, I think the original headline is much better than the one the Pilot used. Nevertheless, it is the message that is most important:
…this is a column about how confused and at times idiotic the United States is about polls, public opinion and, well, democracy itself. We all love to tout the glories of democracy and denounce politicians who just follow the polls. Well, guess which politicians follow the polls? The popular ones, that’s who. And guess why: Because the popular ones get elected. Bucking public opinion is the quickest way for a politician to expedite his or her transition to the private sector.
More to the point, Americans — God bless ’em — are often quite ignorant about the stuff politicians and pundits think matters most. They may know piles about their own professions, hobbies, and personal interests, but when it comes to basic civics, they get their clocks cleaned on Fox’s Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?
I think Goldberg hits the nail on the head. Between the relative ignorance of the populace and the ego-driven desire of politicians to be elected, we end up with a situation whereby looks and sound bites become the basis of our voting.
Do politicians give us sound bites because that is all we can understand or is that all we can understand because that’s all we are given? I don’t know. What I do know is that when those who have the information are unwilling to share that knowledge, we citizens are done a disservice. What I do know is that when citizens fail to go beyond sound bites, we do our fellow citizens a disservice.
In order for our democracy to work, both sides – the politicians and the citizens – have to have a conversation, not a shouting match. There’s a reason I keep the Thomas Jefferson quote in my sidebar:
I know no safe depositary of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves; and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education. This is the true corrective of abuses of constitutional power.
Mr. Jefferson’s words are as true today as they were nearly 200 years ago. Candidates need to beef up their websites, explain their stances, and stop making us hunt for their true positions on things. “Debates” such as the display over the last couple of weeks by the presidential candidates need to be avoided, as they serve absolutely no purpose. Slick campaign fliers which say nothing about where a candidate stands or merely attacks the other candidate does not move the pile forward.
But we have to hold up our end, too, Mr. Jefferson’s admonishment notwithstanding. Citizens need to hold those who would represent us to a certain standard. Look at the candidates with a critical eye, not just party affiliation. Take the time to learn about the issues – or at least, get a working knowledge of them.
And, for goodness sake, try to put yourself in the shoes of someone else. If you are rich, try thinking like a poor person. If you are male, try thinking like a woman. If you are a member of the majority, try thinking like a member of the minority.
At the end of the day, we are all in this together. Doesn’t it make sense to try to do what’s best for everybody?
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 
Perhaps people should endeavor to read “The Wealth of Nation,” “Das Capital,” and “The New Industrial State” before proposing absurdities such as increasing the minimum wage.
There was a reason the Senators and President were not chosen by the people.
Jonah Goldberg howling about the ignorance of the American people is like P.T. Barnum telling us he’s sad about his ticket sales.
The core point that you’re making – about knowledge and education being the bedrock upon which democracy depends – is an important one. While the US is busy “spreading democracy” around the globe, its own is rotting at its base.