Much of the electorate — who seem to have reached a saturation point of lies and deceptions provided by party candidates — appear unwilling to wait until general elections to voice their dissatisfactions. Reagan and Bush promises to “get the government off your backs” melted into lies, while Obama’s very loose reference to “change” has produced only an acceleration of the same policies for which he was thought to be an antidote.
Voters now seem inclined to go after the culprits in party primaries, depriving incumbents of the opportunities to get to the general elections. Utah Senator Bob Bennett — who had held this position for 18 years — came in third in a three-man nomination race at Utah’s Republican convention. He lost out to two men who had never held elective office. Meanwhile, a West Virginia Democrat, Congressman Alan Mollahan — who had held his seat for 28 years — was soundly defeated in yesterday’s Democratic primaries.
It seems as though 2010 might be a year in which there is “bipartisan” support for one principle: if you are an incumbent, you might not even get renominated for the office you have heretofore held in comfort. Voters used to regard seniority in Washington as a benefit that could trickle down to them in some illusory fashion. It may now be regarded as a millstone around the necks of office-holders who have consistently failed to represent the deeper concerns of their constituents.
