Interesting short article at Mitch Kapor’s blog that I completely agree with. Americans’ dissatisfaction with pretty much every politician seems to be near or at historic highs, yet voter turn-out remains low. Why? Well, it could just be apathy or a total misunderstanding among citizens of how our government works, but Mitch suggests it’s just a general dislike for all the available options:
You would think that widespread dissatisfaction (Iraq, Congressional corruption, price of gas) would give rise to intense efforts to improve the situation, but instead there is general passivity, active political web sites of the right and left notwithstanding.
My speculation is that people simply aren’t moved by the choices they see. There is no belief that candidates of either party would really make a difference in setting us on a different course, in meeting the challenge of getting onto the right track. So, being as practical as they can, people go about their lives. If we’re not numb, we know there is something really wrong.
[tags]Politics, Mitch Kapor[/tags]