Just a thought: all the corporate $ in the world wouldn't matter if the US electorate...

[SeekerBlue]

were not comprised largely of semi-literate, historically ignorant, constitutionally clueless, surface-obsessed dimwits.

I mean, seriously - all the money in the WORLD and the ads it could buy would NEVER convince me to vote for Sarah Palin. WHy are so many others so easily led? So easily terrorized? So easily convinced to vote against their own interests?

Ignoring for a moment the fact that, because of the influence of corporate money, we get very few people with any integrity even running for office - why is it that money spent by corporations on television ads can lead to people voting against their interests? It doesn't really make sense, does it? Why is it that corporate interests yelling loudly make us go all googly-eyed and forget what real courage and humanity are?

This SC decision wouldn't matter if our populace wasn't so suicidally stupid.

I know it's not helpful, but it's just what I was thinking.

[napi21]

1. YEP! I thought that same thing. Corp. interests have played a part in politics

for a long time. Where do you think most of the $$ to fund the paks comes from? All this decision did was open the door to who's really behind it!

[abq e streeter]

2. Doesn't make the Court decision any less despicable...BUT, you're absolutely right

I've said similar things since I started posting on DU regarding right wing hate mongering elected officials. They're the symptom; the idiots that vote for em are the problem.

[stray cat]

3. My thought as well - no money is buying my vote or yours if we do our homework

[CoffeeCat]

4. I spent my lunch hour trying to deprogram...

...a co-worker who can't wait to run home at 6:00 p.m to watch his Tivo'd Glenn Beck program.

He absolutely insisted that:

--Progressives are Fascists who are trying to put the tea-party movement into concentration camps
--John McCain is a Progressive
--The government forced the banks to give low-income earners loans they couldn't afford and this collapsed our entire economy. Therefore
we need LESS government regulation to avoid another economic collapse.
--Most of Obama's advisors are communists or Maoists.

Ok, I know what you're thinking---nuuuuutjobbb. This person is a senior engineer. Also, I watched Glen
Beck that evening--and he Beck does say these things--on an almost daily basis!

I'm not saying that this senior engineer is the brightest light bulb in the box. However, he's not some totally uneducated person.

These people are being bamboozled by very devious propaganda techniques and outright lies. Furthermore, Beck plays into
their insecurities. Beck convinces them that he's giving them inside knowledge and that they are on the right side of
God. These people get so psychologically invested in Beck being right--that they believe the lies. They must believe
them. Otherwise, Beck is an idiot, and they're even more idiotic for believing it.

It really is quite the scam.

[SeekerBlue]

8. Honestly, I cannot understand how anyone over the age of 12 can buy this shit

Much less someone that educated and "functioning" (in the same way an alcoholic does!).

Having lived outside the US for four years and come back here against my will in 2005, I am continually astounded anew. Why are we so much more ignorant than Canadians, Europeans, others?

For my part, I come from a small town in the South. Republican Christian family. Hated the place, sensed their illogical BS pretty early, escaped to the state university at age 17. If I can do it, why can't these dumb motherfuckers? I'm not from a privileged background, but I see BS for what it is.

These people are functioning illiterates, I swear. Or emotionally stunted at about age 12. Or just clinically insane. Seriously, do they put something in the water in this country?

[SeekerBlue]

5. I have to say, too

that I am at least somewhat encouraged by the apparent sea change in attitude here at DU. Last time I was a regular, I was generally constantly being shouted down for not falling into line and saluting our DLC masters.

The problem isn't the GOP; it's the corporations. They only allow the Dems to exist so they can maintain some semblance of partisan bickering, a sign of democracy. With this SC decision, even that faint mirage will soon evaporate.

I'm glad to see that so many DUers are now openly acknowledging the real problem.

[readmoreoften]

6. And why is our population so "suicidally stupid"?

Corporate-funded university behavioral research on how to market to and manipulate the human brain and body haven't helped. There are tangible material factors in why we're fucked. Instead of calling people "stupid" it's a little more productive (not to mention, accurate) to call them immiserated, impoverished, and psychologically experimented upon.

[SeekerBlue]

10. see my post #8, above

Having come from these folks myself, I have no sympathy for them.

They are stupid. Well, ignorant. I'll give you that. They're ignorant. But willfully ignorant, which is nigh close to stupid. And they're destroying all of us along with themselves because of their idiocy. That makes me rather angry.

[readmoreoften]

16. As a working class person who teaches at a state university, my sense is that many a

"stupid mouth-breathers" changes their tune after actual education begins. Not all--a certain percentage of the population are brownshirts and sociopaths, for sure--but many are simply mis-educated, mis-informed, and mis-directing their anger.

[havocmom]

7. There's a reason the puppet masters got so many tru-believers on school boards in the 70s

Along with tax revolts, a lot of fundy winger types started getting on school boards. They sure as hell launch waves of mediocrity and willful ignorance. Cut requirements for graduations, often citing budgetary considerations while also working to dodge the responsibility of society to pay taxes to assure public education.

Waving their flags, beating their breasts, and being used to dismantle America, step by step.

[justabob]

18. indeed

The school board issue is really important, along with the textbook content committees or whatever they are that decide what will be in textbooks. Of all the problems we face, it is one that is relatively easy to fix. Any of us could run for a seat on the school board without too much trouble, it's not like trying to mount a campaign for the Senate or anything. (Not that it would be easy, just do-able for a large pool of people.) Seeing how we are doing on a national level, I think it would behoove us to turn our focus to the micro level, and try to make lots of small, but significant changes that will grow over time - like filling the school boards with reality-based people. The available money will be better spent in this way than on big national campaigns and everyone from the students to employers to society at large benefits... IMHO.

[havocmom]

20. your name might be brilliantbob rather than justabob

You make a lot of sense and point to a solution that is do-able. Sadly, so many don't want to really work from that level up, preferring to think quick fixes will work, that one guy at the top can fix all the ills of decades.

The long campaign is the one that preforms best... for the long term.

[justabob]

22. thanks

Thanks for the kind words. Sadly, I have just had a lot of time to think about it,being in Texas(which has been plagued by this for some time).

I am not in any position to take on something like running for the school board, but there are lots of people who are. I hope people will consider this route. It is an area where there are real, simple to implement opportunities to make a difference that is tangible.



on edit.... problem with verb tenses :)

[havocmom]

23. You and I are beating the same drum. GOOD people for school boards!

Nice to know somebody else sees the need. :hi:

[Sebastian Doyle]

9. The problem is a lot of that corporate money goes to ensuring that the population REMAINS clueless.

And that's because of what Reagan did and what Clinton did to enable the corporate stranglehold on the media, long before this disatrous Supreme Court case.

[NRaleighLiberal]

11. But don't forget how many Democratic congresscritters are bought by corporate money.

You are right - partly it is an uneducated electorate, but it is also about who ends up with the money to run in the first place. And that's where the major problem lies!

[SeekerBlue]

12. Yes, it is a bottom-up and a top-down driven problem!

Indeed!

[nadinbrzezinski]

13. Keep people consuming, and happy

and dumb, and ignorant...

Walla

[Bitwit1234]

14. But just think a thirty year old picture of a greasy nudeo

got everyone excited enough to vote for him, your reasoning is correct. The guy probably has a pouch and flabby muscles by now. And the stupid wenchs over at Fox and the Washington Post are , as you say, all googly eyed.

[BrklynLiberal]

15. and do not forget about the horrifying low turnout for elections.

It is incredible to realize how few people..compared to the total population..actually participate in the elections..and therefore elect the people who are supposed to serve the public.
Voting should be mandatory...with fines if you do not..and voting should proceed over the course of several days...not just one day.

[leftstreet]

21. That could indicate that citizens are actually pretty smart n/t

[surrealAmerican]

24. Mandating that people vote will not make them well informed.

They would vote randomly, or base their votes on who had the most ads.

Low voter turnout is a symptom of an ill informed citizenry, not a cause.

[Kaleva]

17. We can't pretend to know what's in the best interest of others.

Making that assumption has cost candidates elections.

[kudzu22]

19. Excellent point. Most elections are decided

by idiots. I'm sure we remember Florida 2000. How many people were too stupid to know that voting for both presidential candidates doesn't work? Or that X-ing out a punch card is just stupid? I'd love to impose an IQ test for voting, but I don't think it would fly, legally. Maybe we can just make voting a little more difficult -- make them write out the name of the candidate, and spelling counts :-)