"Politics isn't the oldest profession, but the results of it......

[liberalhistorian]

are still the same."

A couple were both wearing this T-shirt at the grocery store today. I thought it was a really interesting statements, so I struck up a conversation with them. I was almost afraid to ask, since wingnuts often claim to hate politics and government (unless their businesses are running to the treasury, demanding billions of dollars in aid and an end to regulation), but it turned out that they couldn't stand Shrub and anyone working for him.

The problem was, they saw ALL politics and politicians as crooks and thieves who talk a good game, but who would always think of themselves and their needs first, no matter what. They didn't see much point in voting because, no matter who got in, they'd just keep doing the same dirty political tricks and we'd still all be screwed. My gentle rebuttal that it was up to the people to monitor their representatives and to work against them and vote them out if they weren't doing their jobs, as well as to work for legislation beneficial to them and the community, went unheard. I might as well have been talking to the produce freezer behind us. They were polite, but absolutely adamant.

I found this a bit discouraging. If this is how a lot of people think, how can we ever change anything? How can we convince people that the attitude demonstrated by that couple is defeatist and selfish, and that not all politics and politicians are like that? How do we convince people that it's up to them to maintain their democracy?