To make Democracy work, People have to Think

I am appalled by all the requests for political donations I get in my email.

They usually say they will use the money to buy advertisements that will get them the votes they desperately need.

The voter, they assume - is an impulse buyer, who does not think, but acts on how he feels at the moment. And a clever advertisement, will push the hidden buttons, that will cause him to act.

I can compare this to the votes garnered by the political machines that used to operated in every large city. They knew their voters intimately - and could dole out the benefits they wantIed. They were corrupt, but they worked.

The Pendergast machine, in Kansas City - even got Harry Truman elected.

Is there another way of doing this? Yes, and Clair McCatskill (a senator from Missouri) is doing it, with my support. I am giving her $25 a month.

I got an email this morning Claire is my shero. Written by a woman suffering from sickle cell anemia. She will lose her insurance benefits, if the Republicans have their way.