Several things come to mind in this fiasco of an election. First, it gives credence to the accusation that Americans have their heads where the sun doesn't shine when it comes to what's going on in our government today. If Alvin Greene had no organized campaign how did the people know enough about him in order to make an educated decision in which to elect him? To simply push a button without knowing who you are voting for is horrifying, but then we have evidence of this in some (most?) of those we have, in fact, put into office. Now we are paying the price for this voter incompetence.
Second, I would say had Mr. Greene been vetted, and proved to be qualified for the position I feel it refreshing to have people choosing a candidate who has not been corrupted by the large sums of lobbyist monies and will possibly be in office to serve the people, not corporations and special interest groups.
Third, opposing the above paragraph, this may well have been an effort by either a political party or a special interest group as it has been rumored the Republican incumbent may be in serious trouble getting re-elected and could stand a better chance of winning against an opponent totally lacking qualifications for the position, and it appears Mr. Greene is lacking based on the several interviews he has done with the media. This scenario shouts the question, "Who's paying him?". For that an investigation should be conducted and if it is determined it was to distort an election process indictments should follow.
In short, this fiasco shows us how frail our election process actually is and that is frightening in view of the fact the election is the backbone to our democracy, or should be. It should awaken people to be more diligent in who they choose to represent them. A vote is not merely a fingerprint on a computer screen, it is the destiny of this nation. It is one thing to have a computer software company such as Diebold falsify the vote count. That is, or should be, a felony and that company's leader ought to pay the price. It is quite another to have citizens casting votes without any knowledge of whom they are voting for. That too is a crime, against all other citizens living in this democracy for we all pay the price.
Think that wrong? Look at what has been happening to us all from Congress over the past decade, if not decades. The results of our votes, or Diebold's counting of them, has built a very corrupt Congress, one that has been bought and paid for by corporations and special interest groups who have been passing laws favoring those entities at the expense of the average citizen.
Hopefully, South Carolina will pose as a wake up call if we are to restore our democracy. It may be our last chance to save what has been the greatest government experiment in the history of civilized man. It either stops here or we can choose to begin restoring it. Let's hope we wake up.
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