These politicians have little in common with their electorates and, indeed, given that many of them accept the neoliberal consensus, support policies directly inimical to the interests of those electorates.
With this realisation growing apace we expect to see the common sense of the electorate give short shrift to proposals for wild and dangerous experiments.
If we don't debate this difference in public, the coalition will quickly become rudderless as it obsesses over the lowest common denominator and the electorate will respond with contempt.
It's certainly true that Congress should use the knowledge developed by free inquiry to assist in developing policies to promote "the common good," as the electorate conceives of it.
Mohamed El Erian, chief executive of bond fund giant Pimco, summed it up: The common message from the electorate is undeniable, reminiscent of a famous line in the 1976 movie Network: "I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!" That Greek vote still sends shivers down the spine; the break-up of the eurozone was on.... Cue a second vote, in June.
It was a good, strong dose of common sense from the electorate, rejecting ideological extremes in favor of unified, bipartisan action to solve our nation's pressing problems.
Rather than focusing on the substance of an issue, Philippine politicians (like those around the world) tend to cherry pick their concerns, engage in demagoguery, and appeal to the lowest common denominator among the electorate.
Whether the government is listening to the Commons or not, the electorate is certainly listening to one thing - the sound of division.
Each party's nominating fight boiled down last week to a choice between two candidates: one who argues for a politics that reaches across party lines and looks to identify common ground within the broader electorate; and one who states his or her first principle as representing the traditional party base by drawing firm ideological lines.
In a world of lowest common denominator the right-wing electorate burdens us with imbalanced, erratic, unhinged, and dangerous politicians, such that the business of 'the people' can't get done.
