Against Incumbents of Both Parties
I was recently approached by someone with an idea: there should be a drive to vote against every single incumbent in this year's Congressional elections. Every single one, Republican and Democrat. Including the (very, very few) good ones. That's a small price to pay; the good Congressmen obviously aren't very effective or influential anyway.
There are some good reasons for an anti-incumbency campaign:
1) Congress deserves an "F" for its performance, particularly over the past few years. And this isn't just the Republican's fault; most of the worst bills received overwhelming "bi-partisan" support.
2) A 100% turnover in Congress would abolish the seniority system. Party and committee leadership would have to be earned, not inherited or bought. While the Democrats would probably become the majority, they would not be the same Democrats who are there today (they will have been kicked out along with the Republican majority). The new leaders that do emerge will be fully aware that if the American people can kick out the incumbents once, they can do it again. This would serve as an incentive to govern with greater responsibility and accountability.
3) Voting against the incumbent does not mean voting for the other major party candidate. It could mean voting for an alternative party or independent candidate. An organized anti-incumbent campaign will benefit smaller parties and independents. This brings more voices to the table, which is good for the republic.
4) People who normally don't vote may be drawn to the polls if they believe their votes can help make a difference, if they believe they will become a part of history. An anti-incumbency project is the sort of peaceful revolution our country needs.
5) Even partial success would scare the heck out of the incumbents who do survive. Imagine if one member repeatedly gets elected by 70% of the vote, sees that fall to 51%. That would be a sign to shape up.
I see that there is at least one organization who has committed itself to this project. It's called Vote Out Incumbents for Democracy, or VOID. Whether one wants to join that organization or not, I think it is, uh, incumbent on all of us to spread the anti-incumbency meme whenever we can.
9 Comments:
I'm all for voting out the incumbents. BTW not to get too off track but how in the hell can Rhode Islanders vote Kennedy into six terms with all his drug addiction problems. I mean hello? HIs addiction interferes with his ability to DRIVE, how can it not interfere with his ability to legislate?
Anyway, Congress deserves an "F" and even more so every person who voted them back in office ought to be bitch-slapped (sorry, it seemed so appropriate here!). Maybe we keep voting them in because we are scared of what might happen if we don't. I say it's time to take a chance on the newbies see what they can do for us.
I would personally LOVE term limits on all federal and state offices. This being in Congress for fifty years is bull.
I agree. There is no chance of freedom, of grass roots movements shaking up the system because the system perpetuates itself. Republicans and Democrats are six of one and half a dozen of the other. They all want more of my money. One wants to spend it on the military and intrusive homeland security programs of dubious value which violate civil rights...the other wants to give hand outs to people to keep them enslaved to the system which keeps them fed and intrude into our homes and churches. they both bite.
Hell yes, James. Sign me up!
I have to disagree with one thing that Jessica said, though. If voters can get enough folks together to pass term-limits laws then we can get enough together and just vote the bums out. I see term-limits as a way for voters to not take responsibility for their own choices.
Lady Raven, your comment about grass roots movements having no chances really struck me because I had literally just finished reading this right before I opened the blog and read James' kick-ass post.
The piece is about Vermonters, a famously Independent state, delivering Impeachment petition signitures to Speaker Hastert in Congress. From all appearances it was a grassroots operation all the way. They were encouraged by some semi-mainstream organizations. But, they accepted the challenge and acted upon it and then delivered the results themselves.
I would definitely agree that the odds for genuine grassroots movements are low because the two-party system has stacked the deck against any serious competition. But, I think that the Vermont story demonstrates that the system can be bucked. Whether it'll do Vermonters any good, I dunno. But at least they did something!
No offense...but what does this idea actually serve?
Are there bad people in office who should be voted out? Sure. But every single congressperson and senator who belongs to the GOP or the Dems is lousy and horrible? Based on what?
This is a baby=bathwater idea if I ever heard one.
Electing an Independent is no guarantee that you're getting a competent, decent person in office. Ask the people of Minnesota. They couldn't boot Ventura's ass out of there fast enough when his term was up.
This reinforces my belief that "Independent" is no different than "GOP or "Democrat". Its all about labels..not ideas.
Give me a decent idea over these ridiculous labels any day.
No offense, Carla... but what does "electing an Independent" have to do with a post and comment thread solely about anti-incumbency?
Here's the problem . . . it is us. All of us.M
Irresponsible incumbents and voters too.
We keep re-electing them.
We keep empowering them to keep using and abusing us.
You know what they say about doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting a different result ?
No wonder our severely bloated, do-nothing, bought-and-paid-for, corrupt, arrogant, elitist government grows and grows to nightmare proportions, violating the Constitution in more and more ways every year:
[X] eminent domain abuse backed up by the Supreme Court ,
[X] spying on citizens,
[X] secret prisons,
[X] torture,
[X] Gerrymangering,
[X] corpocrisy, corporatism, the race to the bottom,
[X] government excessively influenced by a few with vast wealth and power,
[X] pork-barrel, corporate welfare, graft, bribery,
[X] refusal to secure the borders and forcing the burdens onto U.S. citizens,
[X] extremely irresponisible intelligence about WMD that lead to unnecessary war in Iraq,
[X] dysfunctional legal system, and perversion of the laws to do the very things the laws were supposed to prevent,
[X] severe abuse of Presidential Pardons, politicians are above the law,
[X] selective or insufficient enforcement of the law; some obviously are above the law; especially corrupt politicians,
[X] meddling, corrupt middlemen (government and insurance companies), and greedy lawyers that are destroying the healthcare system,
[X] unfair advantages of corrupt incumbent politicians,
[X] an unfair and ridiculous tax systems, and the refusal to reform them,
[X] the failure of the Congress to declare war (the Constitution states that only the Congress can declare war, but the cowardly Congress has abdicated that responsibility to the Executive Branch in all wars since WWII,
[X] declining public education and other abused public systems,
[X] ponzi schemes (e.g. Social Security, Medicare),
[X] and the general fiscal and moral bankruptcy of the government.
. . . not to mention these pressing problems and these 99 most recent blunders.
I agree. It's time to make a clear statement about who our government officials work for. For a long time, it has begun to look like the only reasons for someone to seek political office is to stuff their pockets or stuff their ego if they already have money (which most of them do!) The system has been stagnant for so long that the only way out is to hit the flush bar.
I personally would like to see the development of new parties because the ones we have are old, corrupt, and worn out. Their very names are seemingly synonymous with decay anymore.
It honestly scares me to think that our government who controls most of the power of this world may be made up only of people who truly care about nothing but their own personal welfare. It sure looks that way more and more as time goes on.
James, great article. I am the founder and president of VOID linked to in your article. Thank you for the reference. But, I am commenting to say that you laid out the anti-incumbency case as efficiently and cogently as I have ever seen it done.
A link has been created to your article our the VOID site, and The Independent Voter has been added to our blogroll. Well written, James.
I've been advocating that we Vote Agaist The Incumbents [VATI} for more than twenty years.
It makes me sick to see how America has deteriotated. Fifty years ago, when I was a young man, you could mention just about any subject, and America was best - at that.
We had the best health care, best schools, best working conditions, and worked the least hours for the best wages, on Earth. Our steel-mills put out the most steel, we built the best cars, and produced twice as many of them, as any other country. We excelled at producing refrigirators, wash-mechines, dryers, kitchen ranges and the thousands of other small appliences that for the first time in history, actually gave humanity a live of ease.
But, now if we hope to stop America's decent into mediocirty, first we must clearly articulate what, or who, is responsible for her decline.
America's real enemy is the international business cartels that funnel billions of dollars [pac-money] to the political parties which, in turn, control our congress-people and senators.
Now term limits are okey. I am for them. But I seriously doubt that they would accomplish much, because under the present system, the party that the retirees was affiliated with, would just replace them with other stooges, and business would continue as usual.
When all the republicans vote one way, and all the democrates vote the other way, they are not voting their conscience, or even the way they want to vote, and they sure aren't voting the way you want them to vote. They are voting the way their political party tells them to vote. and folk that's not democracy, that's bureaucracy, and to turn America around, that is what we have to stop.
Well this is still America, and we can stop it, all we have to do is vati. If just 10% of us vati, we would get about a forth of the senators and congress-people. If as many vitied, as voted for Ross perot, we would get over 35% of both houses. And folks, we would have their attention. If we did it two elections in a row, we would turn this country completely around. I know it sounds simple, but it would work. The power to vote is an unbelievably powerful tool.
About 20 years ago I wrote a poem which I would like to share with you. It is also on my web site.
VATI, VATI.
AS MIGHTY ROME FELL, AMERICA COULD DIE.
WHETHER IT FAILS OR NOT, IS UP TO YOU AND I.
I worried and stewed, but by—and—by,
came up with a plan, where you and I,
can put America the a road, to a brand—new high.
Just blame the politicians, get blood in your eye,
and Vote Against The Incumbents. Vati, vati.
Now just voting won’t do it, we’ve got to vati.
That’s v, a, t, i, with a long A, and long I.
Vote against the incumbents, and you vati.
Things will never get better, until we vati.
Vote against the incumbents, Vati, vati.
This is no time, to just set and sigh.
America will fail, without you and I.
The time has come, we must do or die.
We must all vote, and we must vati.
Vote against the incumbents, Vati, vati.
Things won’t just get better, by—and—by.
Unless the apathetic voters, you and I,
hit those poles with blood in our eye.
And not only vote, but wisely vati,
Vote against the incumbent. Vati, vati.
We dare not buy, some political lie,
the America we love, is about to die.
Politicians no longer, serve you and I,
but all acquiesce to the powers that buy.
Vote against the incumbents. Vati, vati.
The newly elected may want to serve you and I,
until that powerful pac—money catches their eye.
Then party loyalty becomes, their big lie.
As they vote with the pac, for their piece of the pie.
Vote against the incumbents, Vati, vati.
Congressmen and Senators, are nigh as apt to die,
as meet defeat at the poles, by you and I.
They know we’ll vote for’em, they don’t have to try.
America is declining, as democracy goes awry.
Vote against the incumbent. Vati, vati.
Waxing fat on the apathy, shown by you and I,
Politicians became hogs, and Washington’s a sty.
But we can change all that, in the blink of an eye,
if we just get off our apathy, and dutifully vati.
Vote against the incumbents. Vati, vati.
If just one out of twenty, of us would vati,
We’d get nigh a forth of that Washington sty.
Now that might be to few, to help you and I,
But we’d darn sure make the rest of them shy.
Vote against the incumbents. Vati, vati.
And when; “Foul, foul,” the politicians cry.
And charge that; “Great careers will sadly die.”
Stand up and look them, straight in the eye,
And vow; “Losing only makes the truly-great try.”
Vote against the incumbents. Vati, vati.
From the County Coroner, to that Washington sty,
if you don’t love the incumbent, always vati.
Help turn America toward, a brand—new high.
Teach your kids and your friends, they must vati.
Vote against the incumbents. Vati, vati.
If the state of America, makes you want to cry,
then help start a revolution, no one has to die.
Our party loyalty sent elections go so far awry.
And we can fix that error, just revolt and vati.
Vote against the incumbents. Vati, vati.
Part your 2nd and 3rd fingers; that “V” means vati.
Send this to a friend, who you think will comply.
Let’s all band together, and give’em a black eye.
Vati, vati, and hearty bye-bye.
If you like this, copy it, and send it on.
Grandpa Nate @ Rawlins, Wyoming.
Http//grandpanate.com
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