We aren't going to get real change in this country

[MadHound]

As we head into another election season, there is a stark fact we must face. We're not going to get real, progressive, liberal, constructive change in this country until we adapt publicly financed elections as a Constitutional Amendment.

Despite polite mouthings, and nominal claims of representing the will of the people and other such claptrap, in reality the "people" that our elected representatives will listen to the most are corporations and the wealthy elite. These are the people who get them elected to office, who fund their massive campaigns, who fuel the party machines. We, the people, have become almost meaningless in this process, our votes nothing but a formality. Nine times out of ten, the person with most money, especially on the national level, is the one who is going to win.

Thus, if we want real change in this country, if we want our representatives to actually do their nominal job and represent us, we have to make a push for publicly funded elections as a Constitutional amendment. For this to succeed, we will have to make it the entirety of our electoral focus, the penultimate single issue vote if you will. Make it an ironclad vow that if a candidate won't actively support an amendment to establish publicly funded election, then they won't get your vote.

If this doesn't happen, then our country will continue its slide into oblivion and the wealthy and power elite will continue to raid this country, and its population of every single last dime, leaving us nothing more than corporate serfs.

If you want real change, then that is what must happen. It is that simple.

[sellitman]

1. Agreed.

We get the Politicians we deserve.

Right now that isn't saying much.

Is all thats left is a vote for a more Liberal Supreme Court? That seems the only reason to even bother voting.

[MadHound]

2. "Liberal" Supreme Court is a relative term,

Even the "liberals" on today's Court hold more to the interests of the corporations and wealthy than the rights of ordinary folks. That's the slide they've been on for forty years, and it is only going to get worse.

[bvar22]

21. The Supreme Court is even MORE conservative AFTER Obama's apointments.

Liberals have been replaced with Sensible Moderates.

Net Results = The Supreme Court moves further to The Right.

[ThomCat]

22. Moderate = somene willing to agree with conservatives

and able to tell liberals to shut up and wait for later without sounding offensive. Thus allowing the political spectrum to move further to the right.

x(

We need our party to start supporting people on the real left for a change.

We need our party to stop thinking that the left is bad for some reason.

We need our party to start making just as consistent, and just as hard a push to the left as the republicans have been making on the right.

Until our party pulls the political spectrum back to the left, we are never going to succeed in being allowed to frame debates Our Way, and we are never going to be allowed to win those debates with Our Arguments, Out Policies, and Our Solutions.

We need to stop adopting and advocating for Republican ideas and policies as if they were our own, as if they were acceptably liberal, and as if they were good ideas. They were not, they are not, and they should not be acceptable anywhere in our party.

[Donnachaidh]

3. wasn't that another *disappeared* campaign promise?

Seems it's yet another carrot on a stick. But the voters get the stick in a really unceremonious place after the dust settles...

[Obamanaut]

15. Suggestion for the new campaign. Republish all the old promises, and add on

"And this time I mean it."

[northoftheborder]

4. You are exactly 100% correct in your thesis.

[Lorien]

5. Campaign finance reform, election reform and reinstating the Fairness doctrine

all must be accomplished for Democracy to have a chance in America again.

[Lorien]

6. Oh yeah-and canning Alito and Thomas. nt

[deacon]

14. ...and canning Alito and Thomas. n/t

[lonestarnot]

7. Simple that, and tax all richie riches.

[Octafish]

8. They don't say it's the best government money can buy for no reason.

These people earn it.



Scalia, Thomas & the Kochtopus

[MadHound]

10. Buying up both sides of the aisle.

Koch brothers finance the DLC. Other wealthy elite and corporations donate to both Dems and 'Pugs. It is the two party/same corporate master system of government at work.

[MadHound]

9. People have put up some excellent examples of change that we need to see in this country

Reinstating the Fairness Doctrine, taxing the rich so that they pay their fair share. All of these measures are well and good, and need to be implemented.

But the simple fact is that these measures, and far too many like them, don't have a chance until we take our government back from the corporations and the power elite. There is no way that these measures, and the many others like them, have a chance in hell of passing while our government is controlled by the elite and corporate.

That is why publicly funded elections need to be addressed now. That is why we need to make it the single issue that we force any candidate for office, at the local, state and national level, to address, to promise to pursue with all possible speed.

Until such a time as we have publicly funded election, no other true change is possible. The only change we'll see is faux change, change that simply amounts to rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

[deacon]

13. It's why even the smallest little thing is so difficult to change. n/t

[slay]

11. Agreed

n/t k&r.

[deacon]

12. It's the root. Until then all politicians are corporately owned. n/t

[Kablooie]

16. The next election will be the first corporate gloves off fight, thanks to the SCOTUS.

It's been nearly impossible for anyone but a corporate stooge to win up to now.
From here on out it will be a total impossibility.

The evaporation of rights and wealth will only speed up no matter who wins.

[blindpig]

17. The electoral process is no vehicle for change.

It is ridiculous to expect politicians to vote away their gravy train, once they as a class got on they ain't never getting off.

New tactics are required, the same old ones which scared the ruling class into accepting the New Deal. Apparently they weren't scared enough, no half measures next time.

[MadHound]

18. Well, it is either change through the electoral process,

And if we can push publicly funded elections through, it would bring about a massive change in our country.

Or it is change through violent revolution.

Personally, I prefer the former.

[blindpig]

20. What we might prefer has nothing to do with it.

It is a matter of what works and what doesn't. To insist upon 'preferences' in the face of current reality and history is delusional at best, or indicating a lack of seriousness at worst.

I certainly don't look forward to the inevitable upheaval, getting too old for this shit. But what alternative is there, the ruling class is going medieval on us, fast or slow. I would much prefer that they hand over their ill-gotten goods and just go away, history says fat chance. So we do as we must, there is too much at stake to do otherwise.

[mike_c]

23. +1

[louslobbs]

19. Maybe not, but we have to stop force changes made by Republicon Dicktators that are extreme and

destructive. And I agree with this totally:

"Thus, if we want real change in this country, if we want our representatives to actually do their nominal job and represent us, we have to make a push for publicly funded elections as a Constitutional amendment. For this to succeed, we will have to make it the entirety of our electoral focus, the penultimate single issue vote if you will. Make it an ironclad vow that if a candidate won't actively support an amendment to establish publicly funded election, then they won't get your vote".

Lou