Special Elections in case of Disaster? No thanks..
The older I get, the less I like direct democracy.
Consider the bill passed yesterday by the US House that provides for special elections within 45 days in case the Congress is decimated by some catastrophe.
James Sensenbrenner (R, WI,) never a friend of individual rights, and a backer of the bill says it's important to “preserve democracy.”
Suppose a terrorist group kills 100 or more members of Congress in some horrific attack. What sort of Congress would we get when the electorate reacts? It'd make the PATRIOT Act look quaint.
I'm writing my Congresswoman and asking her to support one of the proposed amendments that would provide for appointing replacements by state governors. Hell, I'd also support eliminating direct election of Senators. It'd make people pay attention to local races.
Again, I suggest you read The Future of Democracy which has hammered the point home that without rights, Democracy is just a mob empowered. The attempts by reactionaries in the Congress to overrule the courts are recent examples of this sort of mob rule. [More Like This WebLog]