Recall! by gimleteye

Bush-era Supreme Court justices permitted campaign money to swamp the US political landscape. But even without the Bush era choices, a wealthy individual like Norman Braman would have been able to self-fund a recall of Miami-Dade county office holders. Still, there is something out-of-whack with the diversion of attention away from the circumstances of the money-fueled permanent incumbency.

Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez is the focal point of vast dissatisfaction by voters. Although he is solely responsible for jeopardy to his office -- the truly awful Marlins stadium deal and unrestrained salaries of government employees are the most risible examples-- he is hardly the cause of public anger. As Alvarez knows, he will pay the price for the unreformable majority of the county commission: commissioners who voters should have turned out of office long, long ago.

Voters. It is regularly noted that voters bear the final responsibility for allowing government to paper-over realities that are obvious but unpopular to reveal. Consider, for example, how the rise in government salaries is a symptom of the deep crisis in America, how workers -- unless one works in government-- have been left exposed and vulnerable to structural changes in the world economy while our own shifted to service and financial sectors leading to serial asset bubbles that fleeced Americans of trillions of net worth. Who is responsible for this dismal scenario? Voters. Voters dumb and happy to follow charlatans home to the barn, willing to allow home equity lines of credit to substitute for change while net worth vanished to the wages of hidden inflation and cheap foreign labor.

Who allowed two terms of George W. Bush and Republican majorities that turned the US economy into a big pinata? Or, in Florida, where GOP majorities have done the work, for decades, of Growth Gone Wild? Voters. It appears, finally, that the sleep-walkers are awake. And what about the Democrats? The turn toward Tea Party candidates funded by the same corporate interests who depend on manipulation of the "free" market and suppression of regulation bodes poorly. Super high tides flood in along the lowest pathways first. But voters still can't find their way to differentiate between political fortunes above or below water. Voters may be awake, but no closer to being saved by choices at hand.