What do you think is the biggest threat to our liberties?

[rhett o rick]

6 votes, 0 passes | Time left: Unlimited
	Rigged elections (i.e., gerrymandering, voter disenfranchisement, vote counting fraud.)
	2 (33%)
	Corporate corruption of our government (Citizens United)
	4 (67%)
	An unregulated NSA/CIA Security State (Gen Clapper with higher pay grade than the President)
	0 (0%)
	Unbalance between the branches of government (e.g., SCOTUS is too powerful)
	0 (0%)
	The “for profit” justice system.
	0 (0%)
	Other
	0 (0%)
	0 DU members did not wish to select any of the options provided.
Show usernames Disclaimer: This is an Internet poll

[fredamae]

1. All of the above are contributing factors, imo n/t

[Buzz Clik]

2. dead heat on the first two. I went with #1, but it's a tie.

[rhett o rick]

20. I agree that both, if not all, are important, but IMO if we can't assure free elections, we

won't be able to fix any of the other problems.

[Maedhros]

3. Can we get an honorable mention for Hyperpartisanship?

Both sides of our political spectrum are more interested in spitting on each other than holding our representatives accountable.

[haikugal]

4. All of the above

However, Citizens United and The Patriot Act are the top two for me.

[CanonRay]

5. Is Ted Cruz his own category?

[Cheese Sandwich]

6. All of the above?

[PoliticAverse]

7. Ignorance. n/t

[2naSalit]

8. All of the Above. n/t

[YOHABLO]

9. I'm curious about ''The Other''. Could that mean the Evangelical Christian Right?

Because if it does, then I would say they have a huge influence and perhaps a great threat to our freedoms.

[F4lconF16]

10. Pass.

Capitalism. That leads to all of the above, in addition the the splitting of the population along demographic lines. That split is more commonly referred to here as "social issues", which I am disappointed was not even mentioned as an option, because those population splits are the method in which the elite control us. They also have huge effects on our liberties: see the religious freedom laws, in addition to the rights of women, the rights of the AA community, etc. That those liberties were not even mentioned is pretty sad, imo.

[Man from Pickens]

11. 2 & 3 combined

with #3 slightly - but only slightly - more disturbing

The national security state is a de facto coup government - as we can see, no matter who gets elected as President, no matter how parties change in Congress, the security state agenda marches on with nary a peep except from the most marginalized individuals.

But they work so closely hand-in-hand with the megacorps that it's hard to say which is the driver and which is the passenger, or if they're just taking turns at the wheel.

[bananas]

30. Agree. nt

[3catwoman3]

12. I live in the greater Chicago area, so I am...

...going to vote twice, for 1 & 2

[rhett o rick]

24. LOL. Very good. nm

[Mnemosyne]

13. All of the above. nt

[840high]

14. All.

[Ichingcarpenter]

15. Toon

[Enthusiast]

17. Perfect.

[Enthusiast]

16. All of the above.

[KoKo]

18. All of the above but the root cause is the Mainstream Corporate Media, imho.

Last edited Wed Apr 8, 2015, 09:12 AM - Edit history (1)

They caused the "Dumbing Down" of America. With indy newspapers/publishers closing down and the early freedom of the internet now being taken over by "Click Bait" and Commercial Interests and with Progressive Blogs and Websites not able to get enough financing to pay to keep good people reporting unless they take ads that often seem like "soft porn" we are seeing voices that could inform being shut down as they were when the demise of the Fairness Doctrine (for all its flaws) and other deregulation in the late 90's ruined Television as a vehicle for many differing voices to produce content and news.

Although we still have Democracy Now and Free Speech TV--those outlets are not Mainstream and not available to the average Americans who still watch Mainstream Corporate Media for the convenience.

There's more...but, most reading here in this group, already know the problems. Hopefully the young "Internet Generation" will reform all this on their own. Create their own media (which many are doing) and a whole new system will form as a backlash.

[rhett o rick]

21. You've brought up a very important one that I left out. Corp-Media Propaganda.

Should be very high on the list. But IMO if we can't have free and honest elections, we won't be able to fix the other problems.

[KoKo]

25. I know...it's the "whole package" of what was in your Poll

+ the Corporate Owned MSM. I just feel it all filters down from the Corporate Owned Media as to why average Americans are so dumbed down that they never hear issues discussed because that will hurt one corporation or the other that they need for sponsors or their very Own Corporation that Owns them.

Without an "Informed Public" you get the crap that passes for "News" in the MSCOM and voters and the public vote without even knowing the issues and in many cases even the Candidates backgrounds because of the Money allowed by "Citizens United" Decision by the Supremes to manipulate them even more with advertising which confuses them because there's no "counter" to that crap stuff these corporations put out in ads and in what passes for "discussion" on Faux News, CNN, MSNBC and the Network Nightly News Roundup. Even PBS is guilty of this in the past two decades.

All of these issues you mentioned are important. But where is the money going to come from, these days, to push back?

That's why I hope the younger internet savvy can sort out what we are unable to fix either through voting, legislation or contributions in small amounts we can afford to give that really just pay for postage for those constant donor solicitations and maybe a lunch for staffers for the Two Party Campaigns. This is just used for us to feel good if we send them some money that we feel we are "Participating" when we aren't really able to these days because our small donations aren't where the influence is.

[Phlem]

19. I can't pick just one.

They're all contributing factors.

[Eleanors38]

22. Voted "other:" Biggest threat is NO OPPOSITION to the far right. nm

[rhett o rick]

23. Not sure I understand. Are you saying that currently there is no opposition to the far right?

Would you elaborate?

[Eleanors38]

31. Yes.

You may find individuals, groups, and associations who oppose the RW, but nothing which constitutes strong grass roots opposition, let alone a political party. The Democrats have collapsed at many state levels, and are too weak and beholding to economic interests to constitute ongoing resistance at the national level. They may field a center-right candidate for president, but this is a grand, every-four-years ad hoc action which isn't sustained. In effect, the Democratic Party has become a third party in a two-party system.

The question, IMO, is how to build a progressive/liberal party, or a movement to takeover the shell of the Democratic Party.

[rhett o rick]

32. Thanks for the clarification. I certainly agree that the Progressive Wing has to get

control of the Party currently controlled by big money backed conservative DINO's.

[Eleanors38]

33. I have been looking for any sign of a coalescing of prog-lib groups into a unified organization...

It's a thankless and not very fruitful endeavor. Lots of evidence that "progressivism" has collapsed, but not many clues there is a critical mass.

[unblock]

26. the sustained delusion that we still have them?

[Scootaloo]

27. All the other problems you listed stem from option #2

[guillaumeb]

28. Not fair!!

There was nothing about the existential threat to white, gun owning, Christians posed by a black, foreign born socialist who will soon take away our guns.

[rhett o rick]

29. I thought that was too obvious. Sorry. nm

[CrispyQ]

34. I would lump 1 & 2 together as Failed Electoral Processes.

It is via all of those things, money in politics, gerrymandering, voter disenfranchisement, & electronic voting that the corporations are able to buy our government.

I would add a corporate owned media that benefits from billion dollar elections & maintaining the status quo, while giving the illusion of reporting.

[rhett o rick]

35. While all of the above would apply, I think we must fix the election system first. Nothing good can

follow if we can't trust our elections. We tell people to GOTV but what good does it do if the elections are rigged.

I agree that a corporate controlled media should have been included in my list.

[CrispyQ]

36. They're all tied together, corrupt electoral processes, money in politics & a paid off media.

It's a wretched entangled mess.

The 'for-profit' model has taken over everything. It will be our demise.