Are Americans to blame for the crisis in this country?

[ProSense]

Gore got 500,000 more votes than George Bush despite Ralph Nader, and Americans sat around while the Supreme Court handed Bush a victory. Would a revolt or mass protest have helped? There should have been mass protests in the streets.

In 2004, 10 percent of the U.S. voting population believed the election was stolen, and again the wait was for a handful of the 535 members of Congress to do something. Ten percent of 122 million voters, that's more than 12 million people, and no massive demonstrations. In fact, the big event was watching to see how many members of the Senate would object, knowing that the likely group comprised only about 12 people. If all 12 had stood up, would it have mattered?

There were elections in 2005 and 2006 that saw Democrats make steady gains, and 2008 looks really promising for the party.

Still today, the gains are slow and many Americans are angry, and they're taking it out on Democrats: Kucinich is blasting Democrats; Cindy Sheehan feels betrayed by Democrats; some of Moveon.org's members are revolting; and others are making the case for Nader Are Americans to blame?

Bush tried to past the blame off on "America’s strained psyche."

I'm still inclined to blame the Republicans and look forward to as many of them being held accountable as possible. Democrats for their part need to move forward with hearings and investigations and stop making excuses for Republicans, as Bill Richardson did yesterday for Alberto Gonzales.

I blame Republicans, every last lying, cheating, stealing, greedy, corrupt, immoral one of them.



Edited: typos

[Donnachaidh]

1. I blame the media

THEY control the message. I've lost track on how many times I've convinced others to read about the issues on the net.

We need to break the monopolies that own the newsmedia.

[MistressOverdone]

3. I'm with you on that

the media has more power than all our armed forced combined. "The pen is mightier than the sword" extends to include electronic media, as well. I don't think there is a concerted effort to distort, but just regular news is so...well, tiresome. Much more exciting to keep you tuned in for the next commercial to appeal to our more prurient or sensationalistic (is that a word?) natures. Bottom line, what they want you to think is important becomes important. For example, Britney's bald head. Even here online anymore it is next to impossible to find reporting without an agenda, be it political or economic.

[HappyWeasel]

5. Yeah...I think we are doing the right thing by bypassing the media

We now just need a powerful and fresh counter-insurgency to deal with the reich-wing insurgency that has been allowed free reign for so long (since the 70s)....its like escaped nazi war criminals found their way to america in order to start over again in the american apparatus.

This is probably too close to the truth. Hopefully I will not get arrested.

[juno jones]

18. I agree

they never expected us to do this. It was all about shopping, don'tcha know....WE now have the advantage they had in the 80's. Let's get the other 30% of the poputaltion a computer and link, and insist that our representatives keep the internets free.

[napi21]

6. The media certainly deserves some blame, but so do the

American People! There was very little media at the time when Americans fought to win their independence. I really believe way too many people are comfortable enough that they're willing to let this mess be sombody elses problem, because it doesn't affect THEM directly!

Most on DU don't fall into that catagory, but we are still a very small number of the American population. I don't see much dramatic happening in our Country until some major collapse occurrs. Something that affects MOST of our people! Until people are directly affected,you're going to see a lot more of the same.

[Donnachaidh]

9. I'm sorry, but your information on the American Revolution is FAULTY

Back then, the people who were fighting for independance HAD control of the printing presses. And not only that, they made damned sure their arguments were going out to other colonies.

We had an ACTIVE and OPEN line of communication to ALL the people out there.

NOW -- we have mega-corporations SPINNING news, and censuring things that WE THE PEOPLE need to mak eup our minds.

It's flat out CENSORSHIP by the Corporations that make money from WAR.

[napi21]

10. Yes they had control of the press, but there was NO Radio,No TV,

No Internet, and only Local Print! I'm not arguing thatthe media isn't biased today. They are! But I still believe if problems don't directly affect people and/or their own families, they're simply going to go on with their lives and ignore the things that "only affect others". In the past, there was much more "community" involvement. Now it's seems to beeverybody for themselves.

[Donnachaidh]

11. and they have been CONDITIONED to do that by -- TAAA DAAAA!!!

THE MEDIA.

Sorry, I'm not going to wrongly place the blame on people who have had YEARS of conditioning pushed down their throats by a few extremely wealthy corporo-magnates that CONTROL the Message.

They ARE waking up now. Give them some credit, rather than blame them for something THEY have had NO CONTROL over.

[napi21]

12. We're going to have to agree to disagree on this one. Some are

waking up now. We'll just have to seehow many do, and if it's enough of them!

[indie_voter]

17. I couldn't agree more

The media, cable news in particular, is a menace.

[ProSense]

22. Agree with you on the

media monopolies.

[melody]

2. Multinationalist psychopaths

To try to blame this on average Americans is fairly naive, imho. The mechanisms
of government are now far beyond the reach of the average voter, which is a dangerous
thing. It's the kind of thing that triggers massive violent uprisings.

[timtom]

No more than

I would blame the local candystore owner for paying protection money to the neighborhood gangsters.

On the other hand, in 2000, I made it a point to do a little homework on "w". In a small number of keystrokes, it was immediately apparent that I wanted no part from this **********! So, in that respect, YES!! Americans are to blame for allowing this dipshit to even make it out of the primary.

[opihimoimoi]

4. Enough Americans are waking up to make the corrective course of action, vote BLUE

The Pubs have blown their opportunity to do good for the Nation...instead, they invested in BushCo....lookit wha happened...a mega fkup....

Yes, the Dems share some blame for allowing this to occur but the bulk of the Blame rests on the Pub Party...

Gore is now seen by many as a missed op...we shoulda, coulda, woulda....but.....

The Pubs have confirmed theirs is a NEGATIVE PARTY...they have a LOCK on this...Nothing pos about them....thus, they will get their asses in 08 nx year...and 09 will see the return to Honor and Credibility/Integrity w Dems controlling the agenda...

[Greyhound]

7. Of course we are.

To claim otherwise is comparable to the CEO claiming s/he didn't know what was going on in the company. If you're suckered once, it's the perpetrator's fault, getting suckered every other year for 30 years is just plain pathetic.

Ignorance and apathy.

[Ian David]

8. I was there protesting in the street after the 2000 Selection

We were standing across from the Massachusetts State House. When MichaelMoore.org organized the nation-wide protests, they didn't know that the Veterans Day Parade was going to have their reviewing stand at about the same spot, at the same time.

Many of the Vets derided us as being anti-American and tried to shout us down.

We responded by reminding them that they fought and bled and died to protect our right to vote, and to protect our right to protest. And we shouted back, "Thank you, Vets! Thank you, Vets!"

Yeah, we protested.

We weren't like, lost-a-basketball-tournament angry, apparently.

Nobody set fires, turned over cars, or smashed windows-- you need an organized sporting event to get people that worked-up. The future of your country pales in comparison to the fate of something like a big metal trophy that changes hands every year.

But yeah, we took the streets and peacefully protested en masse, and the only thing that taints it in my mind is that if we had won, we'd all be working hard to elect Joe LIEbermann for President in 2008.

But maybe Joe LIEbermann wouldn't have turned evil if he'd become Vice President.

Maybe the Republickers got photos of Joe with a little naked boy (some people say) in the days following the 2000 Selection.

No, we didn't roll over and go about our business.

But maybe we didn't do enough.

Maybe what we needed was a General Strike, and massive, peaceful, Civil Disobedience.

If we'd known then what we know now?

[shance]

13. You rock Ian. Thank you for protesting so early on. I remember feeling alone.

That others didn't get the magnitude of the fact that the election had just been stolen.

There have been a series of coup detat's here in this country. We have no responded and countered them with near enough magnitude apparently. Of course this is partially why so much of our money is going to weaponry to where at one point it will be too late to fight back.

[Ian David]

16. Well, I didn't rock so much back then. I almost voted for Nader.

I was afraid that since Al Gore supported The Clipper Chip, he might not respect our personal privacy.

Boy, was I naive back then!

The Clipper Chip?

How quaint THAT "controversy" seems now.

[shance]

20. That's cool. I have to say I'd probably vote for Nader now after the way the Dems have treated

Americans, with legislation like the Military Commissions Act, the Patriot Act, the Bankruptcy Act and a host of so many more wonderful assaults on our power as citizens.

[Ian David]

21. I'd sooner cut off a couple of my own fingers than vote for Nader NOW. n/t

[originalpckelly]

14. A citizen of a republic can never abdicate their responsibilities.

They may try to deny them, but they are always responsible.

[omega minimo]

23. That's the answer. Well put.

[xchrom]

15. the People have to take responsibilty for something in this mess.

they certainly know they aren't benefiting from the system -- demolition of unions or voting fraud or wage squeezes or media manipulation{Yes the average joe and josephine six pak is aware that what they see doesn't replicate their experience}.

i certainly put responsiblity of the republick party's manipulation of evens -- certainly very well documented since reagan -- but the People MUST and SHOULD shoulder some of the blame here.

i have my thoughts and i'm sure others have theirs.

[indie_voter]

19. I also agree. The media was a huge culprit in this, but

the people who bought in to this debacle need to take personal responsibility. I remember, after the election was stolen,flame wars about this bloodless coup on an on-line mothering group. I had to leave after the air carrier stunt. No matter how many times one would point out to the sheep, Saddam was not a friend to bin Laden and we could be creating a disastrous situation, they wouldn't listen. The day after the "mission accomplished" stunt was drool fest, I can still remember the gushing posts. A few of these crazies thought Bush was "hot". HOT! The mind boggles.

I'll never understand how people believed the lies spewed by this admin and pushed down our throats by the media.

[xchrom]

25. it's not just conservative christians who suffer from willful ignorance.

americans on the one hand -- poll after poll bears this out -- display extraordinary dis-enchantment with ''the government''.

but give them a cut in their taxes or a phony patriotic theme and they suddenly turn into something quite different, don't they?


the People were willfully played post 9-11 -- it's the reason why bushco rushed -- but on the other hand the People went along with it -- regardless that plenty of evidence was looking them in the face that war in this case would most certainly be disastrous.

and of course it has been.

everyone has their role to play in what has to be a near dismantling of our country.

[Selatius]

24. I hate to quote lines from a fucking movie, but here is one that answers it in my mind..

"...And the truth is, there is something terribly wrong with this country, isn't there? Cruelty and injustice, intolerance and oppression. And where once you had the freedom to object, to think and speak as you saw fit, you now have censors and systems of surveillance coercing your conformity and soliciting your submission. How did this happen? Who's to blame? Well certainly there are those more responsible than others, and they will be held accountable, but again truth be told, if you're looking for the guilty, you need only look into a mirror. I know why you did it. I know you were afraid. Who wouldn't be? War, terror, disease. There were a myriad of problems which conspired to corrupt your reason and rob you of your common sense. Fear got the best of you..."

-- V, V for Vendetta

[ProSense]

26. Kick! n/t