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Opinari - Latin term for Opinion. Opinari.net is just what it seems: a cornucopia of rants, raves and poignant soliloquy. |
Friday, July 19, 2002
Stupid Focus Group Politics...
Does it irritate you that our country is not so much governed on principles, or by a leader that takes a stand and presses forward with his convictions, as much as upon polls and focus groups? As a teenager, I was mesmerized by Reagan and what he did to empower those that earned their fair share to actually keep it. Does anyone remember the gargantuan tax rates of the late 70's? Stagflation? Gas lines? It took vision and leadership to move America in the right direction. The task was handled masterfully by a leader who listened to his counsel and his heart. Does anyone recall a reliance on focus-group demographics when Reagan made a decision? I don't, and I was a politico-in-blooming during the Reagan era.
These days, we read about Republican Special Interest Candidate/Democratic Special Interest Candidate, and how they are doing in the "polls". What interests the American public? What should the candidates do when elected? Why, they should poll and govern by the poll! Democracy gone technocrat. Sadly, there is no more leadership, or conviction, or genuine belief in our candidates. We have digressed to this. Rest assured, with Zogby and Gallup and the Internet in 1860, slavery would indeed have kept its awful aura of legitimacy.
So, how do we disband this popular trend of asking the masses what they desire from the public largesse? How do we with full force tell these publicrats that they are way off base in deciding our fate as a nation on a weighted set of statistical probabilities? Simple. When you are fortunate enough to be polled, give the most irrational, erratic answer you can fathom. "Yes, ma'am. I think the government should tax air, limit use of contractions in sentences, and penalize all citizens regardless of creed, color, or other bias $25 for every sock lost in the laundry." Consider the implications of a man in elected office rationalizing a bill drafted for the sole purpose of fining the electorate for losing a sock. The irony! Maybe then, politicians would be forced to think, have conviction, and lead by their example, and not by polling data. Wouldn't that be a sight to behold?
Labels: Archives_2002
.: posted by
Dave
4:52 PM
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