The End of Democracy: Losing America's birthright, the George Bush way

[G_j]

http://www.villagevoice.com/print/issues/0442/perlstein.php

Sucking Democracy Dry
by Rick Perlstein

The End of Democracy
Losing America's birthright, the George Bush way

October 19th, 2004 10:40 AM

Once upon a time, not too long ago, the president of the United States declared that the war on terrorism was the most important issue in this year's presidential campaign.

Then every time his opponent brought up this most important of issues, George W. Bush cried foul, accusing John Kerry of hindering the war on terrorism. (America might be a democracy, but that doesn't mean the Democrat has a right to campaign.)

The president's campaign enlisted the taxpayers' servants as agents of his re-election, with Secret Service officers submitting attendees at Bush rallies to ideological X-rays, and election officials systematically suppressing the franchise of groups most likely to vote Democratic. Meanwhile the president, who earned some 500,000 votes less than his opponent, busied himself ramming through a radical legislative program as if he had won by a landslide—his congressional deputies all but barring deliberative input from the opposition party in order to do it and gaming the legislative apportionment system in ways, as the counsel to one Texas representative bragged in an e-mail to colleagues, that "should assure that Republicans keep the House no matte the national mood."

In Washington, it has turned some once calm souls into apocalyptics.

Thomas Mann is a senior fellow in governance studies at the Brookings Institution, noted for his deliberateness of manner, his decency, and his near religious devotion to the ideal of bipartisan comity. Now, he says, "I see the damage to our system and our sense of ourselves as a democratic people as really quite substantial. . . . The consequences of both the policies and the processes have been more destructive of our national interest and our democratic institutions than any president I know." When someone as level-headed as Tom Mann begins to worry for the future of our democracy, that's news.

..more..

[cybildisobedience]

1. excellent article

peeps -- really take the time to read this --
the most important things I took out of this is that the centrist Dem strategists and media bigwigs just don't get it.
They think this is just business as usual and are missing the big picture, which is that Bush and co. are dismantling democracy while the so-called opposition and watchdogs twiddle their thumbs.

[indigobusiness]

2. This is the kind of dialog America should be having

...not the bogus, red-herring, non-issue bs.

on edit- frightening -

snip

In Washington, it has turned some once calm souls into apocalyptics.

Thomas Mann is a senior fellow in governance studies at the Brookings Institution, noted for his deliberateness of manner, his decency, and his near religious devotion to the ideal of bipartisan comity. Now, he says, "I see the damage to our system and our sense of ourselves as a democratic people as really quite substantial. . . . The consequences of both the policies and the processes have been more destructive of our national interest and our democratic institutions than any president I know." When someone as level-headed as Tom Mann begins to worry for the future of our democracy, that's news.

Here's something that's even more newsworthy: Spend three days talking to movers and shakers around this town and you're hard-pressed to find anyone who agrees. Even those who think the president is stealing our democratic birthright are eloquent in their excuses for why we shouldn't do anything much about it at all.

[Bandit]

3. You did hear that Mary Cheney was a Lesbian didn't you?

:shrug:

[G_j]

4. yes and how dare

that be mentioned to those who are attempting to divide Americans against themselves and write discrimination into the Constitution.

[Stone_Spirits]

5. kick

[WEagle]

6. great article!

I'll be passing it along

[WEagle]

10. kick

[Zhade]

7. Amazing.

NT!

[G_j]

8. kick..

[Zhade]

9. Kick

Kick

[DeepModem Mom]

11. Very important article -- thanks for posting

[G_j]

12. kick

[G_j]

13. kick