What do you think would finally scare most politicians into serving the US citizens?

[bleedingheart]

What one or two things do you think have to happen for the politicians in this country to wake up and say...

"Holy hell...I better do something about this War/Healthcare..etc"


I don't quite know yet...but looking back at history...

- protests of course but a twist of violence seems to have been a catalyst in the past (not that I condone it..I am just making an observation)

- the rise of a third party....and specifically one that scares the hell out of the corporatists...the re-emergence of the Socialist Party...

What does it take?

They are all corporate fed...so our money doesn't seem to make them see it our way because in spite of all the campaign letters they sent me telling me that "they were going to do something"...and then they tuck in their plea for money...they haven't done much..


And we need something that scares the moderate Republicans too...

So what will it take?

[KG]

1. losing an election?

[bemildred]

6. Yeah, legal action is good too.

Like investors, they are driven primarily by fear and greed.

[bleedingheart]

8. well the loss of seats hasn't really woken up the republicans much

they are distancing themselves from Bush but they haven't abandoned ship in the numbers needed...

although losing elections is a great way to scare them...sometimes they lie to get elected

[unpossibles]

2. I'm not sure it's the violence of protests

but the numbers. We need to show our numbers, even though the media will do everything they can to downplay them (which will keep some people from joining, out of fear and out of not wanting to join a "bunch of lone kooks."

[LeftishBrit]

3. Thinking that they'll lose their seats if they don't...

that's what usually influences politicians most.

[lonestarnot]

4. Well they are obviously too stupid to be "scared," or they would have already

begun impeachment actions due to the destruction of the constitutional glue that holds this nation together.

[ananda]

5. ideas

A nationwide strike and taking to the streets..

.. not to end until justice is served and our
country and Constitution are in safe hands
again.

Sue

[Double T]

7. An Actual Revolution by Most of the American People.

[WilliamPitt]

9. Overturn Santa Clara v. Southern Pacific

And suddenly they don't have bosses anymore.

Yeah, I'm being realistic today. :)

[bleedingheart]

10. actually I like that...but that would be an after effect...cuz you would

have to elect the folks who would appoint the judges who would then overturn it...

[WilliamPitt]

12. Yup

22 of 34 GOP Senators on the chopping block next year. All with Iraq stapled to their forehead.

65-70+ seat majority.

2-3 Justices maybe splitting.

Good times.

Vote for the assholes if they have a D. We need the majority.

A thing that drives me nuts here: we want change, but don't understand that our principles and beliefs aren't worth the price to babies and old people and the air and everything else.

Win. Keep winning. It has it's own momentum.

[harlinchi]

11. Addressing ourselves as Jacques!

Seeing marginally employed women knitting, as they tally the outrages experienced at the hands of the ruling class.

[butterfly77]

13. The public puts a law on the ballot...

where we decide when and if they get raises,benefits and how they are dispersed. When and if they can go on certain trips and have them give an account. Certain things that they vote on we should get a say in how and what they are voting on. I can also see a third party.

[AndyTiedye]

14. A 3rd Party Would Only Split Us And Let the Repiglickins Win Again

Didn't we learn ANYTHING in 2000?

[KillCapitalism]

15. I love your idea of a rise of a socialist party.

I think you'd definitely see some sh*t get done then. It would be a dream come true for people like myself.

[libertypirate]

16. More fear of we the people then their own contemptible actions

We the people hold nothing over them... DC Madam is about leverage, relieve the leverage...

[Zywiec]

17. Nothing

What percentage of politicians are re-elected? Almost all of them. They're not too worried.

[NeedleCast]

18. Losing Their Jobs, However

it's not that easy. In most cases, we've allowed them to re-district (in the case of the House) to the point where many of them run un-opposed (which is just tragic to me) or with such little opposition that it doesn't really matter. Check for yourself. In the last election, how many House reps won their district by five percentage points or more? Those are pretty much your "locked in for life" politicians. They run in districts that are so strongly Democratic or Republican that the only real threat they get is from within their own parties. Getting their party nomination is about equal to winning the seat.

Right now, Congress is sitting at what, a 25-26% approval rating? We'll re-elect at least 90% of them in 2008. What does that say about us, as the voting public? It's the fallacy that everyone else's representative is the problem. That's not to say that some districts/states don't have good reps, just pointing out that with congressional approval sitting around an all time low, that we're going to send the vast majority of them right back to their seats.