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Rush Calls Operation Chaos Pause |
| Rush Limbaugh is calling for people to take away others right to choose a candidate by telling Republicans to register as Democrats in primaries.Granted, there is no way to stop someone from doing this if they choose to, but to have a national radio talk show host encourage this is irresponsible.The success of our nation as a democracy rests in the belief that no matter the outcome of an election, everyone will follow the rules and abide by the laws of the land.For example, when a Democrat wins the presidency, the other side does not riot or try to orchestrate a coup-de-tat.As a nation we come together in an attempt to work out our differences...well most of us do.In W. Phillips Shively's book "Power & Choice," he explains why it is important that a nation's citizenship must play by the rules."Democracy requires an implicit agreement by the conflicting groups in a state to accept the possibility that they will lose out in the making of policy.In effect, it requires an agreement among labor unions, corporations, farm groups, environmentalists, vegetarians, motorcycle enthusiasts, and all other groups to take their chances on the outcome of a process of policy making in which the population as a whole gets the deciding voice.Each group accepts that it must abide by the end result and hopes that it will be able to get enough of what it wants out of the process.This is the 'democratic bargain'".Rush Limbaugh's call for people to register to an opposing party breaks the agreement that we will take our chances on the outcome of the voting process.It is an easy and cowardly way to help the candidates he prefers to win an election.It is a slap in the face of what this country is supposed to stand for.Is this the example of the kind of democracy we want for other countries?Rush Limbaugh is in effect, encouraging hacking the system.In "Power & Choice," Shively writes that it is easy to see why democracies are fragile."All that is needed to make a democracy collapse is for one or more important groups to reject the results of the democratic bargain and to have access to enough power to overthrow the system.Many parts of the world are beset by problems of overpopulation, ethnic and religious conflict, poverty, and chancy positions in world trade-problems so fierce that it becomes difficult for powerful groups to face policy defeats philosophically; the stakes are too high.And military forces or popular movements usually lie close at hand, willing and able to overthrow the system."Rush Limbaugh is overthrowing our system and it is reported on the news as though he is a mischievous little kid.What he is doing is dangerous to our democracy and someone in our leadership needs to say this.For our leaders to stand by and not say what a travesty he is committing gives those who cannot play fair encouragement to continue to do this.What will be the next step if they still don't get their way?It doesn't matter what party one belongs to, we must not bypass the systems in place which allows this country to function as a democracy.The same people who argue that not wearing a flag pin is unpatriotic are silent when an act far more dangerous is being played out before their eyes.Is this the kind of politics that we want?Do we want either parties switching sides to cause havoc with our elections?All of us are a party to the "democratic bargain."We must call out and shame those who encourage others to break it. |
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