More than 150 years ago Alexis de Tocqueville warned that self-government which did not regularly involve individual citizens in their own governance was doomed to fail. Today the wall of estrangement between citizens and their central government is a constant theme in public discourse. More and more Americans mistrust Congress, have a low opinion of politicians and generally feel that their government is not working. Ironically, the culture of modern congressional campaigns contributes to citizens' profound alienation from the electoral process. Campaigns in 1994 eschew the participation of ordinary citizens in favor of a new and costly technocratic science of victory.
Modern campaigns disdain the nostalgia of late nights stuffing envelopes.
Thirty years ago no politician would consider a campaign without volunteers as a core component. Telephone banks, literature drops, mailings that required envelopes to be stuffed, sealed and addressed all relied on average unpaid citizen power. From urban to rural to the growing suburbs, campaign basics used to mean finding and keeping good volunteers. They gave some time and effort and got a free soda, cookies and a chance to get a thank-you from the candidate up close and personal. If they walked some precincts or worked the polls, they met their neighbors and friends, and the community grew closer.