Coyne sums it up pretty nicely. What point committees when it's partisan staffers making the calls? Elected officials tasked with representing their constituents' interests are increasingly disillusioned, unsure who they answer to or even what they're supposed to do.
It's a sentiment countless voters are feeling these days; what difference does it make who gets voted in? They're all going to get caught with their hand in the cookie jar, they're all going to make cynical moves designed more for their Party's interests than the Public Good, etc.
The more leaders say "they're corrupt, only I will tell you the truth" the more this cynicism is fueled.
Which is why we're seeing leaders move away from trying to prove what they are and undermining the process as well.
Imagine a world where no neutral third party is tasked with encouraging people to engaged in the democratic process. In this world, partisans will actively encourage voters to decline their ballots if they are likely to support another Party - a new and devious form of vote suppression.
Opposition is diluted, of course - facts are suppressed, history rewritten and messaging replaces real consultation. Decisions are made not because they lead to good policy but because they serve ideological purposes.
Those who should oppose this democratic slide actually jump on the bandwagon, convinced they can wrest the reigns of power away from the incumbent. Then, they get to play tyrant themselves.
Only this isn't a fantasy; it's the world we live in right now.
Should the last light of democracy wink out, we will look with righteous anger at those we opt to blame.
In truth, we need only look in the mirror. There's no they out there pulling our strings in ways over which we have no control - there's only us, making the choice not to care.
It's a tragedy of the commons; the only way out is as clear as it's always been. It's time we became conscious of this.
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