Americans Disapprove Of The Us Political System

[Dr. Rosenpenis]

Revolutionary socialists often talk about Americans' lack of political consciousness and the many years that we'll have to wait before we acquire the ideal conditions for popular uprising. I'm not necessarily saying that the US is ripe for revolution, but I think it's fairly rational to say that Americans are certainly dissatisfied with bourgeois politics and the false "democratic-republic" they're given.

What I'm getting at is that most Americans don't participate in most elections! That's because they know that they have nothing to gain by doing so. If Americans believed that the US political system could improve their lives (which need improvement certainly), they would vote!

The fact that Americans abstain from the polling booth is evidence that they are no longer buying the capitalists' bullshit about the beneficence of capitalist "democracy". Americans obviously do not feel that the US political system can act in their interest.

Americans may not be revolting against the system, but they're certainly not buying into its lies... partially at least.

[Dr. Rosenpenis]

so... not input? I'm dissappointed.

::bump::

[Louis Pio]

Well I agree with your post, but that's probably not the input you were looking for.
I think it's fairly obvious that people don't vote because they know it won't change a thing. Democans or Republicrats - they are almost entirely the same.

[Exploited Class]

Well to expand on that.

I think there is a lot more to it than just citizen's not intrested or feeling betrayed by the current upperclass electoral process. Granted and not to take away from your argument, I think there is a good portion of people who do not vote for the reason you put forth, however I think a majority don't vote for other reasons.

Voting is not on the weekend.

You have to go out and actively find out where you can vote.

Voting occurs mostly during the buisness hours.

Most voting places are busy, long waits.

Police sometimes "hang around" voting areas, discouraging some people from going in.

They go to vote on the wrong day.

Voting only happens on one day.

Many people are woking over 50 hours a week, or have kids, or have dinner to get to, or something.... life is too busy to get to it.

Sometimes wrong information is passed around like, "People with outstanding traffic fines will have to pay up before they let you vote".

Wrong information is passed around like, "You need to bring your birth certificate, Social Security Card and a driver's license."

There are a lot of methods and reasons discouraging people to ever go out and vote.

There are new ones out there now. Like Police and investigators showing up at retirement centers and questioning about absentee ballots to seniors, scare tactics.
One republican senator was saying that new voter registration cards have to be on 80 weight paper or they are not valid. Think if the old methods of keeping the black vote out, forcing tests prior to voting.

It completely assists the ruling class to discourage people from voting and only recieving a very low turnout. If more people were active, you would probably see somebody like Dean instead of Kerry going heads up against Bush. Then again if everybody was voting, Bush wouldn't even had gotten nominated.

But that is the upperclasses fear, that all people become active in government, that they start picking their representation instead of the ruling class chosing for us, and that starts a democratic change to system, electing officials going against the upperclass.

[Exploited Class]

I will just add, and the ruling class was brilliant in creating the electoral college, probably the single most discouraging system to voters.

Let's say I am in Alabama and I fucking know that it is going red. What is my reason to vote democratic? So I can add to a popular vote that counts for ABSOLUTELY NOTHING?

To show my support? Whatever.

Second the winner takes all, and second place get zip, zilch, nada, nothing.

So second place gets the popular vote, has the more active supporters, big deal. He didn't get the electoral college vote. So all the work, even with a majority, did nothing. Talk about defeatist attitude and turning sour towards something. Which of course the ruling class would love!

Then you can get into, no women running, no blacks. A third party canidate and its supporters hated by a majority (whichever one the third party might effect) because they are considered spoilers to the wonderful election system.

So bringing out canidates that might get people more active, will just hurt the majority and probably get the person or party polar opposite to you elected. So I like Nader, so I support and vote for him. I don't like Kerry, but I don't dislike him as much as Bush. So I vote for nader and so do others and Bush is elected. How fair is this when all I want to do is voice my support for a canidate that more closely matches my ideals.

These are the big reasons this American Election system or machine, makes people turned off to the whole procress. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

[Dr. Rosenpenis]

I think there is a good portion of people who do not vote for the reason you put forth, however I think a majority don't vote for other reasons.

Voting is not on the weekend.

You have to go out and actively find out where you can vote.

etc. etc.

Exactly!
If they believed in the system and actually "loved their democracy", they would vote! That shit only stops people from voting because voting isn't very important to them. If the system was genuine, people would feel that their votes count, and they would vote. The fact that people don't prioritize voting shows that they don't believe that voting can even help them, at all. And that's the premise for overthrowing capitalism.

To say otherwise is to say that people don't care about their welfare, which is ludicrous. People do care about their welfare. They don't vote not because they don't care about their welfare, but because they can't improve their welfare by voting. And they know that That's the whole point. That's why folks don't vote. They know it's bullshit. They wouldn’t be too busy to vote if they believed it could help them. But they know better.

[cubist]

americans are so unpolitical concious, that they don't think they are an imperialist nation,

its not that they don't care its that they are to stupid to shout stop when they don't like whats happening in there country, they selfishly think that there voice doesn't count. and that they can't help.

[Dr. Rosenpenis]

its not that they don't care its that they are to stupid to shout stop when they don't like whats happening in there country, they selfishly think that there voice doesn't count. and that they can't help.

Well, to begin with, you're just generalizing.

And secondly, you missed my point completely.

Americans are not involved in their political system because they know it's not gonna accomplish anything. They live here and they can see that their government can't help them. That's why they don't vote. That's a good thing. That means that they're rejecting the system.

I've heard a lot of socialists say that if Americans don't vote, then the system will loose credit. But that's happening right now!

[truthaddict11]

i simply dont see a point for "voting" in a system that the ruling class has and always will control. its no use "voting" for any third party canidate. the only way for real change for the working class in through direct action, not relying on the bourgeosie election system, to "reform".