How much real power do citizens have over Congress?

What third party would all of you like to see?

The Tea Party actually made a stir and got some people elected.

Today the Democrats demonize them and the Republicans are afraid to piss them off.

Independents? There are two in Washington I can think of, both of them vote 95% or better with the Democrats.

What 3rd party would make any difference?

What is the purpose of a party system? I think that is what I am questiong, can't speak for the other posters.

ETA: I am not trying to be simple, nor naive.
 
Last edited:
A party system keeps us a Republic instead of a true democracy. In other words, it protects government from the majority and uneducated/under informed public.
 
A party system keeps us a Republic instead of a true democracy. In other words, it protects government from the majority and uneducated/under informed public.

Precisely.

Change is a long arduous process. Compound change with competing strong willed idealogies and the task seems unsurmountable. A tipping point will occur, I just hope it is a peaceful one.
 
Seriously. We all have our one vote, IF we choose to use it. Only en masse will votes truly count. So, it takes a heft number of people seeing things you way for you to actually get your way. We are always hearing, 'vote the suckers out.' Ok. So........?
Not everyone in congress has it as a goal to stay there for a lifetime. Some have a special agenda and that is what they go after. The threat of voting those people out will have no effect. And then there's Rand Paul who was surprised as hell that he won.

Now, consider this: How many of you would WANT to be in congress at this red hot minute? I wouldn't. So what would happen if they all just got up, went home, and didn't return? I mean, I can feel the gut wrenching going on, and it wouldn't surprise me one bit if that happened with at least a few of them.

We stopped having ANY power over congress when they started taking money from lobbyist in Washington. Should make it illegal for ANY politician to take a penny from any company or it's sponsors.

Reelection becomes an all consuming thing to be sure. Term limits ends that. It would be convenient to blame companies, or parties, but the blame lies with us. We allow the media to shape the issues we see, vet candidates for us, show us ads not based in fact or truth. We don't vote in large measure. We complain about Congress, but make excuses for why our people are doing great. We let them spend, because someone we know would face hardtimes without the assistance. We allowed Social Security to be the main source of income in old age. We have failed ourselves. Now we don't want to face the consequences of our actions.

That's true this country seems to be afraid of hard times that are needed to fix our problems. In most countries if a government runs amok they simply go and physically toss their asses out and than rebuild. We have become to complacent to do that. Our founders went through terrible times, but they won in the end because true patriotism never fails.

As to the media shaping opinions. From about 1940 to 1980 we had the fairness doctrine in American. If any network let a republican pose his view, than by law they had to let the democrat opposition pose theirs. We did not have the type of media we do today before they repealed the fairness doctrine. Watergate was exposed by a mole and a reporter for the Washington Post. The media today would never get involved in real investigational reporting like that.
 
Last edited:

New Topics

Forum List

Back
Top