Capitol Hill Blue Forums Capitol Hill Blue Opinions CHB Columnists Mitt Romney: Empty suit, empty mind

Personal character flaws aside, those men did set our country on an intellectually sound course, initially.

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Yes, possibly, way back when, in the 18th century !!

Too bad the USA has not kept up with the evolution of parliamentary systems since then !!

What might have been progressive in the 18th century is distinctly archaic and outmoded today, in the 21st century !!

Agreed.

When asked about the type of government created in the founding days of the nation, Ben Franklin replied, "A Republic, if you can keep it."

We have insisted on electing the worst keepers of Republics since Kennedy was assassinated, if not earlier. It's been downhill since Lyndon Johnson, and that's a steep decline.

Adding injury to insult, we've also dumbed down the public, eliminated real civics education, and have a public unable to identify the location of the Pacific Ocean, Japan, the US, and those that cannot identify the three branches of government in the process. Worse, we allow these dolts to vote. In Republican circles, I understand we insist upon it.

What we have accomplished is the amassing of a body politic that is the least educated, most entertained, in the history of mankind. We cannot simultaneously expect these same to elect someone by actually evaluating the candidates. We are lucky if they hear the right sound bites that inform them, even a little, of what a candidate stands for. Mostly, they hear negative adverts that convince them the opposition is the very spawn of Satan.

In the end, Clint Eastwood turned out to be right. He chucked the speech that had been vetted by the RNC, and insulted both major parties in one 12 minute, rambling, Dada-esque performance.

Unfortunately, we'll be living with the results of these two conventions for the next 4.5 years. Heaven help us all.

A constitutional republic. I know. I'm being picky. And yes, I acknowledge that, sadly, we continue our descent into a democracy.
Yours,
Issodhos

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So, is that because the voters are such abominable cretins that they cannot, at the same time, both watch TV and think -- or is it because the Constitutional system is such a degraded piece of garbage that it makes rational governance impossible?

Of course, I suppose it could be both. · ·

The Brainwashing Machine could be a factor, too.

Actually, it's the bizarro world of nominations that is accomplished with voters knowing nothing beyond the shortest soundbites that gives us the competitors for office, and which are just two sides of the same party.

It is not the Constitutional system. It is the manipulation of voting machines, counting fraud, and lying to an extent that were candidates really Pinnochios in Saville Road suits, we'd be able to satisfy lumber requirements for the next fifty years, at each election cycle. Possibly with the current Romney/Ryan ticket, we'd be able to stop cutting trees altogether for centuries to come.

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Well, you can claim that by fiat, but is it really true?

Suppose Glinda the Good Witch of the South waved her magic wand and all the fraud, manipulation and lying miraculously disappeared (that in itself would probably create such chaos that the present US social system would collapse, but never mind).

I claim that, very quickly, the Rich and Well Connected would very quickly re-constitute their apparatus of lying, manipulation and fraud. How could this not be so? There is nothing in the form of government laid out in the Constitution that could prevent it !!

This, alone, in my view, means that the Constitution is a failure!! That seems so obvious to me.

That people do not see something this obvious means to me that they are like little children lost in a forest, too frightened to be willing to admit to themselves that they are powerless, and surrounded by a host of hungry, vicious predators.