4 ms·

I lived in Argentina on and off for about ten years. Similar bullshit there. Government is a joke. Whoever is in power pulls the strings and makes shit up to

I lived in Argentina on and off for about ten years. Similar bullshit there. Government is a joke. Whoever is in power pulls the strings and makes shit up to favor, well, whoever is in power. US citizens ought to study the political history of these countries to really understand why it is very, very important to keep your government as honest as possible (honest government == oxymoron) and working for you and your interests rather than their own. It doesn't happen in the US? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09cEwnivdr0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09cEwnivdr0 Virtually nothing in a democratic system is as sacred as a vote. Observing a politician flat-out ignore voters and make-up his own result is down-right disgusting. It is beyond me why this did not generate a revolt at all levels. What was being voted on is of no consequence here. What is important is that you are seeing the true nature of some politicians: You, the people, don't really matter. It's about politicians for politicians. Sad. BTW, It happens at all levels and ALL parties. We just don't get to see it. This just happens to be one example that is very public.

ender7 14y ago
That video is from the DNC, not from the US government. The Democratic Party is free to structure itself however it chooses, especially with regards to agreeing (or, in this case, failing to agree) on party policy. The days of convention delegates actually voting on anything of substance are behind us -- conventions are just infomercials now.
- ajross 14y ago
  It's also not a subject of government policy. They're voting (or not) on a party platform, which is literally nothing but a set of guidelines. I'm not saying that the DNC fight wasn't "undemocratic" either -- just agreeing that holding this up as an example of "government corruption" is a huge stretch. They held a fake vote on a fake document; the most notable thing here is that they did it embarassingly in public.
- robomartin 14y ago
  It's an example of the mindset more than anything else. The fact that they (politicians --not being partisan here) are willing to do stuff like this. We do have a perfect example of this at the congressional level: The healthcare law. Most senators did not read it. And it was rammed through by using parliamentary tricks (legal, of course) rather than votes. What's worst, nobody actually read the law ("We have to pass the bill so that you can find out what's in it"). And, of course, it was piled high with all sorts of pork. The general idea is that politicians (all parties, all levels), as a class, will work hard to optimize their own benefits --be it political or financial. They seldom act with a sincere aim of benefiting the people or the country, and certainly not with any real long term thinking (despite statements to the contrary). The problem is that nobody has come up with a viable alternative that could fix some of these issues. We humans are a sorry-ass species.
  - deleted 14y ago
    [deleted]
evan_ 14y ago
That guy's not a politician, he's a glorified MC. He might as well have been asking what pizza toppings they wanted- there's no actual political decision in that video. The DNC is a private organization. This is not a governmental election. It's roughly comparable to the Miss America pageant, or American Idol. If this was on the floor of the Senate or something there'd be massive protests.
- dllthomas 14y ago
  It still should get those registered Democrat out of their seats and to their local party meetings.
- mturmon 14y ago
  "That guy" is also Antonio Villaraigosa, the present mayor of LA, and a reliable machine hack. (I should know, I voted for him.) It was no accident he was the one presiding over that particular proceeding, and not, say, Howard Dean. ;-)
  - evan_ 14y ago
    oh, honestly I didn't re-watch the video, I misremembered it as a DNC official. In any case he's not acting in his capacity as a politician. It's too late for me to edit the grandparent, unfortunately.
    - mturmon 14y ago
      I'm not disagreeing with you at all; I upvoted your comment because I think you are correct. Antonio Villaraigosa was the chair of the convention, so I guess you could say he's a politician as well as convention MC and a party functionary to boot. He's termed out of his job as LA mayor this year, so he's looking for a new position and doesn't want to turn the party leadership off.
batgaijin 14y ago
Hey man, the supreme court made the best choice they could when they chose bush.
fleitz 14y ago
Yeah, the problem is in the US judges can't be trusted to deliver injustice so the president takes that role upon himself. He's a real go getter, everything from instructing jurors on the guilt and innocence of the defendants, to unilaterally ordering the execution of citizens. The man and the law have finally been unified. Whatever his whim so shall the law be.

ender7 14y ago

That video is from the DNC, not from the US government. The Democratic Party is free to structure itself however it chooses, especially with regards to agreeing (or, in this case, failing to agree) on party policy. The days of convention delegates actually voting on anything of substance are behind us -- conventions are just infomercials now.

ajross 14y ago
It's also not a subject of government policy. They're voting (or not) on a party platform, which is literally nothing but a set of guidelines. I'm not saying that the DNC fight wasn't "undemocratic" either -- just agreeing that holding this up as an example of "government corruption" is a huge stretch. They held a fake vote on a fake document; the most notable thing here is that they did it embarassingly in public.
robomartin 14y ago
It's an example of the mindset more than anything else. The fact that they (politicians --not being partisan here) are willing to do stuff like this. We do have a perfect example of this at the congressional level: The healthcare law. Most senators did not read it. And it was rammed through by using parliamentary tricks (legal, of course) rather than votes. What's worst, nobody actually read the law ("We have to pass the bill so that you can find out what's in it"). And, of course, it was piled high with all sorts of pork. The general idea is that politicians (all parties, all levels), as a class, will work hard to optimize their own benefits --be it political or financial. They seldom act with a sincere aim of benefiting the people or the country, and certainly not with any real long term thinking (despite statements to the contrary). The problem is that nobody has come up with a viable alternative that could fix some of these issues. We humans are a sorry-ass species.
- deleted 14y ago
  [deleted]

evan_ 14y ago

That guy's not a politician, he's a glorified MC. He might as well have been asking what pizza toppings they wanted- there's no actual political decision in that video. The DNC is a private organization. This is not a governmental election. It's roughly comparable to the Miss America pageant, or American Idol. If this was on the floor of the Senate or something there'd be massive protests.

dllthomas 14y ago
It still should get those registered Democrat out of their seats and to their local party meetings.
mturmon 14y ago
"That guy" is also Antonio Villaraigosa, the present mayor of LA, and a reliable machine hack. (I should know, I voted for him.) It was no accident he was the one presiding over that particular proceeding, and not, say, Howard Dean. ;-)
- evan_ 14y ago
  oh, honestly I didn't re-watch the video, I misremembered it as a DNC official. In any case he's not acting in his capacity as a politician. It's too late for me to edit the grandparent, unfortunately.
  - mturmon 14y ago
    I'm not disagreeing with you at all; I upvoted your comment because I think you are correct. Antonio Villaraigosa was the chair of the convention, so I guess you could say he's a politician as well as convention MC and a party functionary to boot. He's termed out of his job as LA mayor this year, so he's looking for a new position and doesn't want to turn the party leadership off.

batgaijin 14y ago

Hey man, the supreme court made the best choice they could when they chose bush.

fleitz 14y ago

Yeah, the problem is in the US judges can't be trusted to deliver injustice so the president takes that role upon himself. He's a real go getter, everything from instructing jurors on the guilt and innocence of the defendants, to unilaterally ordering the execution of citizens. The man and the law have finally been unified. Whatever his whim so shall the law be.