We the Electorate regularly complain, with excellent and multiple reasons, about Electeds who don’t fulfill even some sliver of campaign promises. We fairly often talk about “accountability,” about that “holding their feet to the fire” thing. It’s a kind of campaign promise in reverse, Electorate to wannabe Electeds: I’ll be watching you. If you don’t do what you’ve promised, or make clear, substantial efforts to do so, I’ll hold you accountable. I’ll push you. I won’t vote for you next election.
Okay, that last one is seriously more iffy. At least as iffy would be something like: If you don’t do what you’ve promised – or even if you do – I’ll actively work for the “issues” and “causes” I support and you ignore or avoid, or do the calculated, pragmatic thing when you finally take action.
But when it comes time to fulfill the campaign promises of the Electorate, we don’t seem to do much better than the Electeds do.
Some pertinent thoughts from Rob Kall, at OpEdNews:
Once this damned election is over, we need to get to work – supporting Occupy, supporting progressive people – whatever party they are a part of. …
Progressives must organize outside any existing parties to develop ways to get traction with Obama and congress. We must also return to grassroots, local activism. Re-localization is the key to combat(ing) the system, … globalization, … big anything – government, pharma, farming, duopoly political parties…
As an individual it can feel daunting and frustrating, that you can’t do anything on your own. But be … absolutely certain that every… single change for the better, every single step of progress towards a better future, a better world, a more just kind humanity was taken starting with one person. Small acts are always at the root of the biggest movements.
One vital way of holding ourselves accountable is through organizing ourselves. Working with others on issues and concerns about which we are especially concerned, particularly doing that at the grassroots level, provides a face-to-face, we’re-in-this-together kind of accountability that electoral politics cannot, because Duopoly politics are ultimately not about us, but about the people at the top. The only kind of “accountability” the Republican and Democratic parties bring to the Electorate is of the “vote for us or else” variety, the kind that brings the “solutions” it pre-approves, declaring there are no other options. Either we accept their rules and preferences, they tell us, or we’re irrelevant.
I don’t think anyone – in or outside the two party structure – has “all the answers” toward addressing our totally screwed up political system, but for me, the no doubt complex solutions required must have people willing to invest their time, energy, thinking, creativity and whatever else working to build new structures and systems; willing to work at the grassroots level; knowing there are no quick and easy solutions, but willing to put in the efforts, keep plugging along, whatever dismissive, denying and demeaning words are coming from the Elites, Elects, Media and portions of the Electorate.
We the Electorate can only be held accountable by We the People.
(Nothing About Us design via RLM)
Interesting that you would pose a question that you obviously know the answer to. We keep voting for the same people based on something they did 20 years ago. Maybe we should ask every politician running for re -election the age old question, ” What have you done for us lately. ” Many of these older Senators and Reps who have been around for literally decades have morphed into a kind of fungus. You know how hard it is to get rid of a fungus. Even the ones that have only been around for two or three terms, the government/corporate connection is so intricate now , they have no worry about getting a job if they lose an election. I won’t waste time telling you things you already know but lets face it, they care about the money, the power, and their good fortune; not the voters. Bureaucrats in one party states don’t give a damn what voters think; were not to far away from that reality.
Joyce – you are very right about the Electeds not fulfilling their promises to We the People. We really don’t hold their feet to the fire. What’s worse – how many of us vote? I hear so many complain and when I ask if they voted they say why should I, nothing will change. Well my answer to that is the same as your answer. Vote and then get involved. If nothing changes, vote them out. But you have to stay involved. You can’t let apathy set in and I think that’s what has happened in this country.
The first time I ever got involved with an election was 1952 – I handed out flyers for Adlai Stevenson when he ran against Dwight Eisenhower – I was 15. I got to vote for the first time in 1958 (we had to be 21 in order to vote) and I campaigned and voted for JFK in 1960. I volunteered for my congressman/woman (William Fitz Ryan and later Bella Abzug) stuffing envelopes and answering telephones. I was involved in civil rights, the anti-war protests, the women’s movement and many other things. It seems like a million years ago. My friends were involved but most important I voted. I have never missed a year without voting. Even when I was out of the country I voted by absentee ballot. When I hear people say they aren’t going to vote because they feel their vote doesn’t count I just don’t buy that. I’ve been to countries where the people would give their lives to have the right to vote. If you don’t like what the people you elect do vote them out, that’s what your vote can do.
I agree with your conclusion, and yes, we the people have a responsibility for our own fates. One of the problems I’ve noticed is that the organizations that are supposed to be looking out for us to make sure our politicians do what we sent them to do don’t do a good job of that these days. That makes it tougher.