Stupid Voters Not, Uninformed Voters Yes

Jonathan Gruber, the MIT economist, has received a lot of bad press lately for speaking his mind so freely about our collective knowledge level and subsequent gullibility, which he claimed could be leveraged to make and pass the demonstratively proven poor piece of Federal legislation known as Obamacare (AKA the Affordable Care Act [ACA]).  We should actually thank and praise him for his honesty.

Why do we not value his honesty?  Maybe because it is so offensive?  I hope not.  I hope the contempt we hold is because he made his proclamations behind our backs versus in an open forum. More importantly, we should hold contempt for all those whom embraced his language and did not bring to the fore his observations because if they did then people would have not lost their health insurance, rates may have not continued to increase greater than the rate of inflation, etc....

We are not stupid, just uninformed due to a multitude of reasons, some of which I have written about in the past.  While it is our responsibility to be knowledgeable, we are not omniscient.  We must trust and rely on those whom we charge to act on our behalf.  Trading on that trust for short term gain is what is most offensive about this sordid mess.

I encourage us all to become more involved so we do a better job of electing those that represent us whether in local, state or federal government.

No Go For Glo

No surprise, Corrine Brown soundly wins another term in Congress. As I expected she handily beat Glo Smith, her Republican challenger. Ms. Brown received 66% of the vote while Mrs. Smith received the remainder.  

These results line up with what my research predicted four years ago. As I noted then and still believe today, approximately 20% of the voters were undecided, but these voters lived in the inner city. I found that these voters want someone they can trust to help them improve their lives. While Ms. Brown is not the best, she is someone they know.

I still believe Ms. Brown is beatable, even in one of the most Gerrymander districts in the nation today.  Sadly no one has taken me up on my offer to help.

Unpack The Tent! - At least for now

We wake to find that the Republican tent has been unpack and spread open for all to come in.  Their victories yesterday say more about the Democrats' failings rather than the Republican successes.

One thing the Republicans did do correctly was avoid shooting themselves in the foot this time around.  Joe Biden could learn a thing or two from them after his ill-timed comments pertaining to the Kansas senatorial election yesterday; he should have waited a day. Secondly, last night's victories should give some hope to the Republicans that they can cross racial lines and overcome perceived misogynist positions with the elections of Tim Scott in South Carolina, Mia Love in Utah and Joni Ernst in Iowa.

For these successes to continue and not be one-offs then I believe the Republicans need to focus on the basics, such as improving the economy, shrinking government and most importantly, enabling and helping people take responsibility for their own success.  If they do then it is possible that I was mistaken two years ago when I suggested we help them pack the tent.  However, I still have reason to believe that I am correct for the following reason: People do not involve themselves much in the political process, which leaves a void that is subsequently filled by well-funded interests that do not necessarily align with the founding fathers' principles.