Today's Extreme Partisan Politics is Bad For American Democracy

I would agree that negative campaigning acts as a detriment in the minds of many potential voters. I can not agree that it is the primary reason for the decline in voter participation. I think you mentioned that negativity has been present in politics since the early 1800's. I think historians can trace negativity to the dawn of democratic elections. It is a sad, but necessary part of the political process. Politics truly is a dirty business and it is not for the faint of heart. We have hopefully reached a point of higher civility where the arguments do not result in frequent assassinations, duels and other physically damaging acts. The process of pursuing power ranks at the top of human pursuits and those who successfully engage in this endeavor know full well the importance of using every tool in the shed. True, many of these revelations are dirty, nebulous, half truths, innuendo, spin and frequently out right lies, but some of the accusations are true and worthy of consideration. In a utopian society, perhaps this element of the election process might be eliminated, but in the real world of today's dynamic politics, it is an integral part of the process. Think of this ugly business this way. For the better part of a year, the presidential candidates have largely steered clear of negativity and attempted to present their positions on a number of various issues. I have watched as a candidate came up with a new take on an issue that was soon imitated by another candidate. It has become repetitive, boring and all the sameness has failed to produce an evident front runner. Negativity and the ability to handle just and unjust claims seems to be the final differentiators between the candidates who may or not believe in the positions they have advocated. Viewing this process as a voter gives one an interesting perspective on the character of both the attacker and the recipient of the attack. How one handles themselves in the contest of verbal abuse can be quite revealing of the leadership qualities of the candidates. Negative campaigning may be disheartening, but like anything else disagreeable, it can be made a source of valuable information. I repeat my contention that the major cause of voter apathy is the failure of elected officials to properly represent the people. It is difficult to continue to support a system that inevitably will not respond to the needs of the people. The rapid growth of the non-party Independent group is perhaps the greatest sign of voter fatigue. These Independents vote, but openly reject affiliation with the Democrats and the Republicans because these parties have openly failed the democratic process. Add to the Independent movement the tens of millions who feel so disenfranchised that they do not even bother to register, and I believe you develop a massive majority of American people who are fed up with the way our government responds to the people. Consider also the numerous polls which continually indicate the approval rates of congress and the presidency in the high teens to the mid 30's. and the evidence is clear that the people do not feel they are represented. During the Boston Tea Party, the revolutionaries proclaimed that "Taxation without representation is tyranny". Today the battle cry might be "Taxation with nefarious representation is a fraud against the American people and the democratic process". Democracy in the USA might be declining, but it is not due to partisan politics, but rather the failure of representative government.