The recent vote on the big bailout demonstrates a fundamental weakness in our political structure. The fact is that while the President, the two leading presidential candidates, and the duly elected House leaders of both parties favored the bill, it failed. Representative democracy failed because a vocal uninformed majority cowed enough members of the House to defeat the bill. Though there was some.more to it than this, as can be seen by the ideological breakdown of those voting against.
I will grant it likely that there were a few nay sayers with decent arguments for alternate plans, but the facts remain that polls greatly favored a no vote and those voting no were in the main either Bush-haters or those fearful of socialism. And both groups contain a good share of conspiracy theory followers.
A revolution that has been struggling to take place for a long time could be coming to pass. I mean that revolution which wants to reject all constituted authority, such as the major political parties, unions, elected officials, government officialdom, big business, and the "official word" on anything..George Wallace and Ross Perot each tapped into this sentiment. Don't confuse this with an Anarchist.revolution. The concept of mutual aid is missing from this one. It is a populist revolution of rugged individuals. I think Lou Dobbs is in their somewhere. And I expect a new crop of pied pipers to emerge.
The time is ripe. We have somewhat recent books and movements rejecting all of mainstream economics, accusing our President of being behind the 9/11 attacks, removing all corporate charters; and there is an internet culture where the most outrageous lies and false charges find millions of willing dupes. A new type of underclass has emerged, immune to reason - though specializing in a pseudo reasoning - and easily converted to a mob. This group is not in the position to yet lead but is close being able to obstruct and blackmail and thus destroy the country as we have known it.
