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  • From: paxamicus AT earthlink.net
  • To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Homestead] Impeachment & other nonsense
  • Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2008 10:51:04 -0400

I thank you for taking the time to explain at such length. I wasn't sure where you were going with it so I'm really glad I asked. Pretty elegant in it's simplicity.


On Jun 10, 2008, at 10:02 AM, bob ford wrote:


Everything in politics is tied to "advantage". Remove
"advantage" and power shifts, in this case back to
where the Constitution says it belongs, the citizenry
(the voters).

A group the size of Moveon , could go against instinct
and proclaim that it's resources and membership would
temporarily work exclusively for one purpose. To vote
every single incumbent out of office. Forget party
affiliation, ideology and dogma. Simply vote against
the incumbent. With an insistence that every single
newly elected official not hire a single aide,
staffer, beauracrat that had ever worked for a past
elected official or that that newly elected official
would, too ,be summarily dismissed in two or six
years.

Other groups would follow,and individuals would pay
attention; the cry to "throw them out" has always been
attractive.

People who have never worked for a an elected federal
official have no idea of the power of the unelected
staff. They never go away. When Senator Kennedy
leaves office, for example, if one of his senior aides
goes to work for a freshman representative, that
staffer,immediately, will demonstrate more defacto
power than the elected official for whom the staffer
works. The non-elected beauracrats form the fluid
pathways between the elected officials and the
politically and economically advantaged.

The common adage for this simple idea is "throw the
bums out". But, you must me willing to throw out
*all* of them, even *your* bum and to work to throw
out your favorite "bums".

The point is not to instill fear in the elected
officials, the point is to remove *advantage* from the
powerful outside interests.

The elected representatives, while still having to
address the grievances of interest groups would no
longer have to fear or depend on them. People, in
general, have no idea of the power of groups such as
AIPAC, AARP, NEA etc.
The next step would be to make sure the Moveon sized
group didn't become a power in and of itself.

This idea is simple, not new; but still revolutionary.
It has never been done
I probably did a poor job of explaining its
simplicity.
Do i think it will occur? No. Because it goes
against short term *advantage* for any group large
enough to start such a movement.

Like monkeys, we are primates who will not give up to
a weaker group of monkeys, a good fruit grove on which
to feed today , even with the knowledge that we could
have a much better grove tomorrow.

....hanging by my tail in my coconut tree, hoping
Tarzan is out of town and Jane wants to go for a
swim......bobford





--- paxamicus AT earthlink.net wrote:



But changing the system in D.C.; as difficult and
revolutionary as it might appear; I repeat: is
simple.

Another thing I'd like to hear more about if you
have the time,
please. : )

Celia
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