Sorry if I didn’t directly describe the media as being idiotic. I thought it was obvious that the press completely failed the country to do their job to educate and inform, in its desire to generate ratings and profit. Considering the disastrous consequences of its past failures to report the truth in the run up to the Iraq War and the financial melt down, maybe idiotic is too generous for the fourth estate.
With regard to the idea of preventing a tyranny of the masses, that would be valid, except that the country is now ruled by a tyranny of an extreme minority. For the last seven years, GOP Speakers of the House have refused to allow any bill to come up for a vote, unless it can be unilaterally passed by Republican support. The result is less than 10% of Congress — the 48 extreme right wing members of the Tea Party House caucus — have blocked any legislation that moves the country forward, regardless of whether they would pass easily with massive bi-partisan support.
Next, the Founders expressly designed the House of Representatives to voice the will of the people. And yet, in 2012, Republicans received 47% of all votes for the House, and yet through partisan gerrymandering, they still controlled 53% of the seats. I haven’t tallied this year’s results, but it won’t be much different in the swing states, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin, where Republican candidates receved less than 50% of the vote but control 67% of the House seats.
In every national poll, you will find a substantial majority of this country, comprised of all parties, support issues like maintaining Social Security and Medicare, reducing military spending, addressing income inequality, background checks on guns (72% of NRA members!), closing the terrorist gun loophole, government drug price negotiation, taking action against climate change, workplace protections for the LGBT community, getting rid of unlimited corporate political contributions, and fixing the student debt crisis. And yet, these positions are the exact opposite of the Republican Party’s platform.
So, please tell me. What is “ultimate goal” again?
