Political Theatre category archive

Anne Laurie at Balloon Juice posted this so I don’t have to (and, frankly, I had not realized it in its entirety-that’s why I read stuff, to learn–but she is spot on: there are those who divide us to gain their own ends).

In the Bangor Daily News, conservative commentator Jim Fossel offers advice for identifying phony “advocacy” groups.

Given the current tendency for the proponents of the most venal causes to wrap themselves in the most colorful display of American flag bunting, like buzzards in pheasant suits, his guidelines are timely. The Society for Puppies and Kitty Cats, from which you received a touching appeal, may turn out to be a front for the CCCCFF (Corporation for Commercially Canning Canines and Freezing Felines).

However, if a group never — or incredibly rarely — endorses anyone in one particular party, no matter where they stand on the issues, that can be a red flag that the group is truly a partisan one. Similarly, if the group never criticizes members of one party, even when they go against their issues, that’s telling. A group that truly advocates for an issue will work with or against a politician based on his or her record, not political party.

Another telling indication of partisanship is legislative ratings. Many organizations rate legislators, supposedly on how well they agree with their issues. Groups that are merely partisan fronts will have highly polarized ratings — for example, almost all Democrats getting 10 percent or less, and all Republicans getting 90 percent or more. Of course, though it’s rare, an issue may be truly partisan, so it’s not fair to judge based on that alone; this is just one indicator.

Really, now, both sides don’t do it.

Until persons stop buying the myth that they do, we are stuck.

Der Spiegel looks beyond the distressingly rightward leanings of the EU elections to find a ray of hope. The EU is starting to be noticed.

Although voter turnout was down in many places and right-wing populists scored significant gains, this weekend’s European Parliament election was historically important. It has shifted the balance of power in Europe in favor of voters.

For the first time in the European Union’s history, the major parties in the European Parliament launched top candidates who campaigned for the job of European Commission president and gave stump speeches across much of Europe in an experiment that affected more than 400 million voters.

I don’t know enough about the European Union to have an opinion beyond this: that the states of Europe, whose petty wars inform the curriculum of “Western History,” are trying to work together is an unavoidably good thing. Just read the rest.

Steven M.

Via Juanita Jean.

Reg Henry, registered Republican, is fed up with primary elections in Pennsyltucky.

A nugget:

If you are a true GOP stalwart, the sort of person who thought Sarah Palin highly intelligent, it is probably about now in the column that you are saying: “This guy shouldn’t be voting in Republican primaries.”

Guess what? You are right. But you can rest easy, because in this primary Republican voters in my area had almost nothing to vote for: a governor opposed by a write-in candidate, some unopposed lawmakers, some committee people. To someone like me who thinks of voting as an act of civic communion, it was like going to the altar and finding that they had run out of bread.

I don’t agree with him–primaries are better than conventions, as the Virgina Republican Party learned to its sorrow, but he has a larger point–too often, because of gerrymandering and voter apathy, primaries don’t matter.

Here in Virginia, we have elections every year. Statewide offices come up for election in off-years (it’s nothing more than an attempt to reduce turnout in off-year elections, but it’s unlikely to change). Nevertheless, it’s easy to find Virginia voters who aren’t aware that elections are taking place in odd-numbered years, even though it’s hard to see how they could be so far inside their personal bubbles as to miss them.

Voting is not a right. It’s duty.

If you do not vote, and vote every time you can, you deserve what you get.

Unfortunately, you take me right along with you, and I should not have to pay the price for your dereliction.

Steven M. investigates the Mysterious Case of the Missing Teabags.

Follow the link; find out why they went missing.

A nation of immigrants ignorance.

Via Delaware Liberal.

Daniel Ruth is mildly skeptical of Marco Rubio’s readiness to hold the nuclear codes.

Ready for the presidency? Rubio isn’t ready to be promoted to sixth grade.

Read the remainder for his rationale.

What the Booman said.

You can say whatever the hell you want.

That doesn’t mean I have to be forced to listen to it.

They are not subject to polling.

Via Delaware Liberal.