Fucking retarded
posted by saurabh in Dumbo-crats, The two-headed hydra |Rahm Emanuel is being forced to apologize for saying something was “fucking retarded” because the use of the word “retarded” is unconscionable in modern America. Savvy commentators are pointing out that the lede is being viciously dumped here; what Emanuel thought was “retarded” was that some liberal advocacy groups are considering running ads against conservative Democrats whose stance on health care they disagree with.
Fair enough; let’s use this incident to exemplify a key principle of American politics: holding office is paramount, and representation of the public interest is only important insofar as it aids that end.
Utopianists might wish for something close to the inverse: where the office and the office-holder mean almost nothing, but public participation is 100%. A ‘representative’ should be little more than a delegate, a mouthpiece, a channel. The wonderful news is that nowadays it’s actually feasible to involve large numbers of people in the political process through “technology”. Unfortunately, we’re still saddled with a political edifice as recalcitrant as bone. This arrangement, where lordly Senators cling desperately to their thrones and curry favor with whatever seedy pimp will allow them to stay there, seems ready to topple. Time for something else.
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