The US founders, who thought long and hard about the mechanics of government, put strict limits on their constitutional version of representative democracy. People only directly voted for a “mob” of House of Representatives who would yell about the issues of the day. More mature senators were to be appointed by state legislators. The elite would nominate the best “electors” in the land who would pick the wisest of the wise to be temporary leader. Party politics were never to arise.
How’d that work out for ya?
We seem to be completely in an age of reviled or idolized avatar democracy. We seek not politicians to consider our “interests”, but rather politicians who are us – with all our prejudices, fears, hopes and especially anger at just about everything.
More than that, we’ve decided the role is the person. Staff and bureaucracy does not count or is the enemy. Only the symbolozed candidate _ who should be exactly like us _ is acceptable. Very much like a video game avatar.
Like a video game, short, dumb, and irrelevant. As the avatars are played by the mob, the real governance is done by the wealthy, who _being defined by their wealth _ care only about their wealth.
Interesting to observe. Distressing to live through.
HuntingtonHarborThoughts 