I was talking to a woman I work with about the Akin comments, and she was understandably upset. We ended up discussing voting in general, and she said something all to common among the electorate.
She had voted for Obama in 2008, but didn't in the 2010 midterms. She said she was frustrated, and wanted nothing to do with politics.
I let it drop at that, but in the back of my mind one thought kept bouncing round.
Why should anyone care about her rights, if she doesn't?
I know this sounds cruel, but try to keep an open mind here.
I'm not discussing the way things should be. I'm discussing the way they are, and I hope you can see the difference.
Do you know why year after year African Americans aren't addressed by our political system?
Why aren't student loans and grants an important issue?
Why doesn't immigration reform move forward?
Why have women seen their rights slowly trimmed back over the last few decades?
Why is pot still illegal?
The answer to all three is the simple cold hard transactions of politics. The people, who care most deeply about those issues, don't turn vote on them (if they vote at all).
Many on here believe a politician should be a noble individual, who seeks fairness for all. The truth is that a politician aligns their interests with a coalition that can produce a majority in their electorate.
You might see that as cynical, but it is the only way anyone can get elected in a democracy. These coalitions not only help elect politicians, but also act in punitive ways when that politician deviates from the agenda present.
The reality in this country is that women will not punish a politician for intruding on their rights to make their own choices, but the religious right will punish anyone attempting to moderate a pro-life position.
That is why there are no pro-choice Republicans and increasingly more pro-life Democrats. Because at the end of the day, the people, who vote on that issue, are pro-life.
We are on ledge right now as a country. The way we go from here is not about whether President Obama or Mitt Romney win the election, because if things go the way they seem, we'll have variations on the same basic philosophy.
Unless the electorate looks different, here is what we'll get.
In 2013 the federal government will begin a fire sale on behalf of the baby boomers.
Remember that 55 or older number attached to Paul Ryan's budget. Get used to that number, because 54 and younger is going to be where the deep cuts start. Entitlements will be moved to set benefit amounts, even if it isn't in a voucher form.
The tax base will be flatter, broader and lower rates. The Republicans will be more regressive than the Democrats, but both will be in line with the regressive direction over the past 3 decades.
Privatization of government functions will continue, as they have for generation. Expect more solutions like the AHA, which rely on subsidies to private markets.
Why are we heading in this direction? Because the people most negatively effected by these changes don't bring their political influence to bear. They are happier being disenfranchised.