As a lens through which to study Louisiana politics, this column takes
three critical approaches: it loathes hypocrisy, it disparages self-deception,
and it does not suffer gladly the misinformed or ignoramuses who lack
self-awareness of these qualities in their argumentation or actions. Which is
why it takes such an interest in the presidential candidacy of former Gov. Buddy Roemer, as his quest illuminates elements
of all three of these traits studied.
Roemer’s candidacy has produced a cornucopia
of them – arguing he’s against politics as usual and big money in it, when his
whole professional and political careers he’s participated in them; his
stupefaction over how so few people seem to agree with him, but explained away
by the conspiracy theory that the very interests he rails against flex their
imagined powers to prevent that; and, while claiming to serve as the knight in
shining armor to free the people from such oppression, in reality is all about
his own
sense of ambition and need to rehabilitate his reputation, as evidenced by
his running as a Republican until in no longer suited his craving for power and
then openly campaigning for the experimental Americans Elect designation to fill state
ballot spots it has secured.
The organization desires to present a meaningful alternative to the
major party nominees for the presidency this fall, through a vetting process
that first presents candidates for nomination by popularity, then who are
vetted by the organization to adhere to what they claim are “centrist”
political preferences, and finally to have a national primary to select a slate
which has the presidential nominee from one party and the vice presidential nominee
from another. As what is known about the funders of the group indicates they
belong to the center-left of the ideological spectrum, the goal may be to
produce a candidate from the center-right that will siphon off enough votes from
the Republican nominee to ensure the reelection of Pres. Barack Obama.
But that strategy has been mooted by the apparent impending nomination
of perhaps the most center-right candidate for the Republicans, former
Massachusetts Gov. Mitt
Romney. In part this likely explains why, due to a lack of public
participation, the organization recently declared that its decision timetable
had been postponed and modified, to account for the fact that, according to its
own rules, no candidate even qualifies. To start the winnowing process by Internet
voting, candidates that previously held an office such as governor or having
been elected to Congress like Roemer needed at the web site 10,000 clicks in
support with at least 1,000 in at least ten states, while others needed at
least 50,000.
Romney’s apparent elevation no doubt sapped some incentive from the
process. However, the main reason why not much has happened on this front is
that the Americans Elect underlying rationale for existence – that a significant
number of voters are entirely disenchanted with the choices provided by the two
major parties and hungry for an alternative – is utterly mistaken. In an America
whose political culture disdains ideological extremes, its two broad-based major
parties do very well in providing sufficient alternatives for an electorate generally
not highly engaged nor deeply informed about many issues, but one that can
distinguish between choices on a few big important issues of the day that the
parties do provide.
Roemer in this campaign also has engaged in similar self-delusion,
unable to understand why his message doesn’t resonate except to join the tinfoil-hat-wearing,
black-helicopter-searching crowd in blaming some bogeymen that are powerful and
manipulative enough to keep the people from understanding the “truth.” Unlike
this space, which values highly Occam’s Razor as a guiding principle in human
behavior and reveals the actual reason why Roemer’s message is so unpopular: it’s
not a compelling cosmology in the first place, given the perceptions,
experiences, and discerning learning of the mass public. It just does not
comport to reality, as even those with just a passing interest in politics have
figured out.
1 comment:
My God, has there ever been anyone so caught up in his own arrogance and inflated self-worth as Jeff Sadow? He can't reocgnize all three of those "critical approaches" he discusses are part and parcel of everything he writes on this blog. You really need to seek help when you've reached the point where you think only you are ever right.
Post a Comment