Short diary, and sure to fall right off the list. But this is something I wanted to say, in particular as a response to the debate debacle. I know that there are already a hundred reasons why this election is critical to the future of our country, but I have to add one more.
This election is not just about whom we elect--it's about how we elect.
There's no law saying that a President must release his tax returns. It's just something candidates do... because the voters demand it.
Likewise there's no law that says a candidate can't lie about what he's going to do when elected. Or say one thing to their "base" and something completely different to the general voting public. It's just something candidates try to avoid--or avoid getting caught at--because voters, it is generally believed, don't like mendacity in their leaders.
There's no law stating a President must be the President of all Americans and not the 53% that, at least so they think, actually deserve to have one.
But the Romney campaign, as we are seeing, doesn't buy any of this. It is, as has been said by people far smarter than I, a "post-truth" campaign.
They think, we don't need to be honest, or forthright about our intentions. We just need to say the right thing, in the right circumstances. It's not the product that gets votes--it's slick packaging and careful scapegoating of the opposition. When you think about it it's a really radical, and frightening, view of democracy. And they've got a gazillion dollars riding on it.
If they win--if the gazillion dollar bet pays off--who knows what will happen. But I can virtually guarantee what won't happen ever again. You'll never see another presidential candidate release his or her tax returns. You'll probably never see one worrying too much about whether their plans work, or whether they're actually good for all the country, and not just their tribe, their donors, and of course themselves.
I hope this doesn't happen. We can't let it. Because it's not just the next four years that are at stake. It's a lot bigger than that.
GOTV