Politics 101: treat the audience as a bigger douche than you

I'll get back to the End of My Generation soon, just lacking the creative hojules to get a complicated blend of hate and psychic powers to write about it right nows.

But what I have noticed is, along with probably anyone with a quarter of a brain, is how Politicans talk down about their own people they represent. Bush is a prime (and far too easy) example of this, as he wrongly defines words he uses in the speeches he didn't write. For anyone that can cut through the bullshit of politics, which frankly is difficult even for a skeptic as strong as myself, to get to the actual point, I tip my hat to you.

But when campaigning (which is always, apparently), it's easy for a major party member (example: Layton in Canada) to round up a bunch of idiot supporters and tell them everything they already know. If you're running for a socialist party, it's not like you're going to go in front of a mass of supporters and say they're going to give corporate tax-cuts. And yet, they seem to underline the point that they won't, which creates a big-ass "he's perfect, looking out for us!" bullshit mentality. Harper did it in Canada, basically saying that "vote for us cause we're not fuckups like the Liberals", and it worked. Nobody seemed to notice that since being in office, Harper's increased the military combatants heading to Afghanistan, to actually REPLACE the troops Bush threw in there.

Is it just me, or are Canadians becoming just as retarded as the average "Bush is the best president evar" American voter? I mean, it's pretty clear most of Canada/the world not including the UK do NOT support the war in Iraq, or how the administration handled Afghanistan - and the approval ratings reflect this in the states as well - but yet, here's the Canadian government, taking a page out of "my god, I think he's onto something, with all that disapproval!" and fucking up our country just as much (or at least heading us that way).

There's so much American politics seeping into Canadian politics. Attack ads are a given; although they all lack creativity and offhand I just remember how shameful they were rather than effective. Then there's the closed-door mentality, where everything big happens quickly and without people catching wind... but when they do, well it's already too late.

I'm a firm believer in open government - these people were elected by us, so why the fuck should they keep anything secret from us? They don't even have a right to do it, in my opinion. Sure, there's a shit-ton that most Canadians and Americans wouldn't give two shits about reading - but there's a minority, like myself and a few others, that would actually care about the little shit that goes on.

The open government creates more pressure for the government to do what's best for the country, not just their party or personal interests. And the fear of having rising tension between different groups would make sure that everyone is included, not just from your country, but to the world (example: If you're gonna bomb the shit out of a country, then one would have to declare so to your people - thus making wars only out of absolute necessary, not pointless escapades.

But in an age where Politicans advertise that "I'm just like you!", they're treating you as though you're a bigger douche than they are. Think about Bush - his whole campaign was "I'm just like you" and it worked. Do you think you could run a country, you asshat? Do you really give a flying fuck about balancing a budget, improving the state of the country, solving poverty and diseases, keeping the infasctructure strong, and most importantly, looking out for the population of an entire country? Of course not, your major dilemma is what the fuck you're going to eat tonight - home cooked or take out, or if you're younger, why that bitch of an ex-girlfriend slept with your friend while you were still together. But you voted for Bush cause he's just like you. And you're getting what you voted for - a trainwreck of a leader.

Canada's not innocent of this either - the only advantage we have is that it's a minority government and a different electorial process (vote in ridings for a specific person, not vote for one person in all the country). Harper can't just fuck off and do whatever he wants cause his opposition can shut him down.

But the states? Yeah, you're fucked.

-Mark