Dem lawmaker: 'I think the people have gotten dumber'

[WI_DEM]

(I can't say I disagree. People don't seem to pay attention and they are willing to always let history repeat itself. They are persauded by negative ads without really looking into issues):

Bloomberg Businessweek invited four retiring members of Congress, including Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-NY), to speak candidly about what being a member of a highly partisan Congress is really like.

Said Ackerman: "Society has changed. The public is to blame as well. I think the people have gotten dumber. I don't know that I would've said that out loud pre-my announcement that I was going to be leaving. [Laughter] But I think that's true."

http://politicalwire.com/archives/2012/06/21/lawmaker_says_people_are_dumber.html

[hrmjustin]

1. how can you disagree with that! n/t

[BlueCaliDem]

2. I totally agree. The American people *have* gotten dumber.

I believe having given up our 4th Estate - thanks Reagan and Michael Powell - the Nazis got it right that propaganda does work on the people no matter how intelligent they believe themselves to be.

This is the net result of privatizing everything = dumber Americans.

Union-buster Walker gets re-elected - helped by 34% of union households, for chrissakes.

They were screaming about the $787 billion Stimulus Bill, but they - including TeaBaggers - are awfully silent on the Farm Aid bill at a whopping $969 BILLION dollars and what would cut food aid by $435 billion dollars or $90 per needy family, per month.

More money for corporations, less for the citizen. When will America finally wake up or is this it?

[shcrane71]

3. When people give into their petty, schadenfreuden side, I think they appear dumber.

But I'm not sure that people who obsess about oppressing other people can't smarten up.

[Autumn]

4. 'I think the politicians have gotten dumber'

and greedier and serve only themselves and their fucking class. I think that's true.

[SammyWinstonJack]

7. +1000!

I think the mega wealthy have gotten meaner in their greed.

[bigwillq]

14. Indeed

Good post.

[lumberjack_jeff]

5. We only know what we're told

If the news tells us that "electrolytes are what plants crave", who are we to disagree?

[Baitball Blogger]

6. It's a combination of things.

More people have received law degrees and have moved their way into politics. Perhaps what we have is a combination of corrupt leaders taking advantage of people who are easily manipulated?

[Doctor_J]

8. And he should finish this thought...

the reason they're dumber is because of Fox "News" and Hate Radio actively making them dumber for an entire generation. Period. SAY THAT, FOR CHRISSAKES. TELL THE WHOLE TRUTH FOR ONCE

[dmosh42]

9. And the red states have the most dummies by far. They fall mostly in the lower half as far as educat

[flamingdem]

10. FOX

fox fox fox

[liberalnationalist]

11. this is why

Obama has to "dumb" down his campaign rehtoric

for instance instead of saying "the other party refuses to balance the budget in a fair way"...he needs to say..."they are out to screw you!"

instead of saying "we resolved this or that issue"
he needs to say "its a done deal"

people are stupid..they can't even find the United States on the globe.....americans for the most part are dumb.

[Carolina]

12. some dumber, yes. But also some apathetic

because of go-along-to-get-along Dems and the sad realization that George Carlin was right. The system is rigged against us (as in We, the People).

So he can retire and point fingers, but he needs to look in the mirror as well regarding that societal change!

[EOTE]

13. What a dumb comment to make.

I, on the other hand, KNOW that people have gotten substantially dumber.

[Marr]

15. Without knowing this man's positions, I can't agree.

I've noticed repeatedly that people making comments like that quickly follow them up with opinions the 1% love, but just about everyone else hates.

"The public is so dumb-- why don't you understand that we need to lower billionaires' taxes some more so they can create a job for you?"

[4th law of robotics]

16. As someone who owes his position to what a majority of people think

he may not want to push that idea too much.

/My boss is an idiot! Well yeah, obviously. He hired *me*.

[Octafish]

17. Television.

The drug of the nation. Breeding ignorance and feeding radiation. -- The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy

[Ghost of Huey Long]

18. WE have gotten dumber? Congress is the most inept group of morons ruining our country!

I suggest everyone read "Profiles in Courage" by JFK to see that it is not the American people leading the way on the stupid here. To read how our intelligent the members of Congress were, how they actually discussed things, and thoughtfully considered consequences...and the amount of accountability was a very powerful motivator for them to serve the American people.

Now look at the Congress we have now, serving the corporations openly and arrogantly, knowing they will be without judgement of corporate media, misusing our public airwaves to serve corporate interests, not the public interest as required by the FCC license to use our public airwaves.

Congress ended Tariffs which we have had since the American Revolution, and suddenly all the the corporations loyal only to money sent all of our jobs overseas, and now they are all scratching their heads wondering 'what happened to all the jobs'. And then they blame Obama for something that happened under Bill Clinton pushed on us by Republicans. Absurd!

They start two new wars, two new BIG Government programs with unending slush funds, meanwhile giving record breaking tax cuts and they can't figure out why the debt got so huge. Must be them folks wanting their social security.


As Huey Long said:

It is not the difficulty of the problem which we have; it is the fact that the rich people of this country—and by rich people I mean the super-rich—will not allow us to solve the problems, or rather the one little problem that is afflicting this country, because in order to cure all of our woes it is necessary to scale down the big fortunes, that we may scatter the wealth to be shared by all of the people.

All Congress can think to do is give rich people more money.

You think someone has gotten dumber....look in the mirror!

[bvar22]

19. Well DUH!!!