Look at the process NOT the people

[linazelle]

The election campaign process has rapidly deteriorated since Lee Atwater engineered Regan's smear-based election in the '80s. It's now common for opponents to target the Thursday before an election to dump as much negative information as possible so people can absorb the scandalous reports at their leisure over a weekend while they observe candidates under fire fending off charges at a time when they should be addressing the real issues in their campaigns.

(Of course, something like this happened with Arnold, aka "Black Thursday", but my point is, it's done from both sides.)

As a result, we don't get the best and brightest candidates because they are afraid of some long-buried skeleton jumping out of their closets.

So we lose viable candidates before the elections ever begin and those who stay are inevitably attacked through the media. If the components of being elected to office are broken down, the media has to be THE biggest determining factor. It enables the smear campaigns which--since the scales tip in favor of right-wing ownership--are predominantly aimed at democratic candidates and issues. The CONs determine the frequency and the content of political messages that in America.

If the media enabling smear campaigning weren't enough to tip the scales, there's campaign financing with Bushco raising unheard of sums and, in turn, selling off the last vestiges of democracy.

All of this is being said to conclude that people are not stupid. They aren't asleep. They are going about their business as usual barely noticing that there has been a seismic shift in the political landscape because they are still looking to the same places most have always looked for information as they lead busy lives. Besides the 2000 election and 9/11 the changes aren't that noticeable if you aren't really scrutinizing the issues we discuss here.

It won't be until people are affected personally--by the economy (i.e. record foreclosure rates), by overtaxation, etc.--that they will make the connection that will put us on the mend. I just hope it happens in time to save democracy before it's too late.