Using Technology to Deepen Democracy, Using Democracy to Ensure Technology Benefits Us All

Saturday, October 12, 2013

"Politics Is A Battle of Ideas, But You Advance Those Ideas Through Elections and Legislation -- Not Extortion."



The President's emphasis on the norms of electoral and legislative processes connects as well, needless to say but I am saying it anyway, to Republican efforts to disenfranchise voters, limit elections, insulate Representatives through gerrymandering from diverse constituencies, and so on. Refusing to accept the verdict of legitimate elections and interfering with elections are of a piece.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Rhetorically, Obama's linking the financial impact(s) of default to a "new tax" is apt, given that the party responsible for this whole fiasco (and potential fiascos-to-come) is patently and vocally anti-tax...although, in practice, we all know this not to be the case.

Dale Carrico said...

It's a bit cute, I agree, but of course, while the first definition of a tax is the imposition of a compulsory contribution to state revenue, a second definition of a tax is the imposition of a burden or strain more generally, which is not just truthy here but true. Given how often anti-tax Republicans impose undue burdens and strains -- in part because they simply don't understand what public and common goods are -- it is a rhetorical reframing that needs to happen more rather than less in the service of the necessary progressive defense of democratic good government against elite incumbent anti-democracy (usually framed as anti-government).