Honesty In Politics – How Novel

Subtitled: You had your say in the last election, now sit down and shut up until it’s your turn again

I’ve mentioned on [numerous] previous occasions that the old “if you don’t vote you can’t complain” line is a weak position taken to either try to get people to participate and/or to shut people like me up and/or to try and marginalize our positions. The fact of the matter is that if you do vote you have voluntarily participated in a system of choosing a government that, by extension, you have also agreed to abide by the decisions of – in for a penny, in for a pound as they say….. and that’s the very position the Bush administration takes.

At a White House press briefing today, Press Secretary Dana Perino effectively tells veteran correspondent Helen Thomas that the American people’s say in the Iraq occupation ended after the 2004 election.

“The American people are being asked to die and pay for this,” probes Thomas. “And you’re saying they have no say in this war?”

“No,” Perino responds, “I didn’t say that, Helen. But, Helen, this president was elected–”

Thomas interrupts: “But it amounts to it. You’re saying we have no input at all.”

“You had input,” Perino says. “The American people have input every four years and that’s the way our system is set up.”

(emphasis mine)

Is that clear enough? The American people had their say in 2004 and now the electorate should sit down and shut their gob holes until November of 2008 when, as we’ve often said, their opinion will (at least for a little while) once again matter to those who hope to become their political masters.

It works the very same way up here. Those who voted 2 years ago (regardless of who they voted for) agreed to the process of selecting a government and agreed to be bound by the outcome until the next time government asks for their opinion….. in other words, “you had your say two years ago, now sit down and shut yer gob hole until it’s your turn again”.

If you want to complain, don’t vote – remember that next time around OK.

Trackposted to The Virtuous Republic, Rosemary’s Thoughts, Allie is Wired, Adam’s Blog, Right Truth, Pirate’s Cove, Blue Star Chronicles, Oblogatory Anecdotes, The Pink Flamingo, Cao’s Blog, A Newt One, Right Voices, Pursuing Holiness, and The Yankee Sailor, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.