The republican party recently selected about half of my state's 50-ish delegates. Party hacks, all, and ashamed we are of all of them. Once the delegates' names got out, they started receiving emails from the electorate not-so-subtly reminding them of their duties in a representational democracy. (We've not yet had our primary so, while these delegates have been picked, it's not been decided who they'll be bound to support on the first round at the convention - and after the first round, they can do whatever the fuck they want).
The delegates, perhaps due to their abnormally large labial folds, got all afeard, turned over the emails to the state police, and asked them to investigate them as threats. The state police said, "Sorry, dude, no crime here. Move along." But, of course, the party leaders and the campaigns all said these emails have no place in the political process and the delegates' families are off limits. (Some of the emails wished the delegates and their families well and said they'd be watching - yeah, it was a bit ominous).
This all seems quite telling and, perhaps, perspicacious. I, for one, would not want to be a party hack delegate in this, the year of the disenfranchised voter. Perhaps the citizenry is finally fed up with a two-party system that puts its own interests above the nation's. The notion that politicians are accountable, in any meaningful way, to the populace has been shown a lie. They don't care about elections. In the rare event an incumbent is voted out of office, s/he is simply replaced by another (R) or (D) who continues the mission. And the incumbent, of course, finds a comfortable job in the private sector s/he used to oversee or with a vaguely brimstone scented lobbying firm.
So, how can the population hold politicians accountable? Well, these recent emails hint at one mechanism. And the politicians are scared, pissed, and uncomfortable with the prospect. I particularly like the argument that delegates and their families are somehow off limits to extra-judicial justice. These are the same politicians who pass laws which apply to the public, but not them, and who are insulated (by wealth, privilege, or status) from the foreseeable impact of their nefarious actions. But, man, they don't like it when they and their families are threatened. Well, they threaten the voters and the voters' families every time congress is convened, the supreme court sits in judgment, or the president picks up a pen and/or telephone. So fucking take it. You can't be a badass and a pussy at the same time.
Law Enforcement Disclaimer: This post is pure political speech and not a direct threat to the well-being of any delegate, politician, or other person. The author does not necessarily encourage or condone the attack or assassination of any private and/or public figure. Also, please see the first paragraph of the Declaration of Independence. By preempting the efficacy of elections, the two-party system is asking for a comeuppance. It is pure conjecture whether this will take a violent or non-violent form.