The (not) voting public
Okay, I had a nice long, well-written rant about this that I wrote a while ago, but of course the computer froze just as I was finishing and I lost the whole thing. Anyway, I now feel compelled to recreate it.
According to The Capital Times, the latest Badger Poll shows that 35 percent of residents surveyed said they didn't know enough about Russ Feingold to say whether their impression of him is favorable or not. So he's been in the Senate for twelve years and more than a third of Wisconsin doesn't know enough about him to say whether or not they think he's doing a good job? Come on! No wonder half the public doesn't vote. It's hard to know who to vote for when you're completely clueless about the candidates.
How can so many people be so clueless? Do any kind of basic reading on the Patriot Act and you will see that Feingold was the only senator to vote against it. If you ask me, that's almost enough right there for a favorable opinion. That's more than a simple vote. It shows this guy has the courage to stand up for what he believes in and not by swayed by the Bush administration, or any other. It was only after he voted agianst the act that some other Democrats (and Republicans) decided it might be a good idea to attack it. He has websites in which you can find speeches from the Senate floor. It's not that hard to find out about him. All it takes is an iota of interest.
Now, one could argue that citizens do know about Russ Feingold, just not enough to be comfortable forming an opinion on him because they prefer to base opinions on more information. But does anyone really think that's the truth for all, or even the majority of the 35 percent. I bet some of them don't even know who Senator Feingold is. I don't think the great number of people that get their news from late-night television and movies are holding back judgement because they know lots about the Senator, but are withholding judgement until they know even more. It's sad, people havne't a clue about politics, something that affects their lives. If you're clueless about what you believe in, how can you stand up for it? It's not that hard to be at least somewhat informed.
According to The Capital Times, the latest Badger Poll shows that 35 percent of residents surveyed said they didn't know enough about Russ Feingold to say whether their impression of him is favorable or not. So he's been in the Senate for twelve years and more than a third of Wisconsin doesn't know enough about him to say whether or not they think he's doing a good job? Come on! No wonder half the public doesn't vote. It's hard to know who to vote for when you're completely clueless about the candidates.
How can so many people be so clueless? Do any kind of basic reading on the Patriot Act and you will see that Feingold was the only senator to vote against it. If you ask me, that's almost enough right there for a favorable opinion. That's more than a simple vote. It shows this guy has the courage to stand up for what he believes in and not by swayed by the Bush administration, or any other. It was only after he voted agianst the act that some other Democrats (and Republicans) decided it might be a good idea to attack it. He has websites in which you can find speeches from the Senate floor. It's not that hard to find out about him. All it takes is an iota of interest.
Now, one could argue that citizens do know about Russ Feingold, just not enough to be comfortable forming an opinion on him because they prefer to base opinions on more information. But does anyone really think that's the truth for all, or even the majority of the 35 percent. I bet some of them don't even know who Senator Feingold is. I don't think the great number of people that get their news from late-night television and movies are holding back judgement because they know lots about the Senator, but are withholding judgement until they know even more. It's sad, people havne't a clue about politics, something that affects their lives. If you're clueless about what you believe in, how can you stand up for it? It's not that hard to be at least somewhat informed.