The highest office in the political system is that of citizen, a survey center director says.
“For someone to run for an office on a platform of ‘I am not a politician’ is much like undergoing open heart surgery from someone claiming he or she is not a doctor, but they did stay at a Holiday Inn,” said Dr. Gerald Johnson, speaking on “Election 2008” to OLLI at Auburn’s general membership meeting Monday.
The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Auburn University, known as OLLI at Auburn, start their regular schedule of fall classes next week for its hundreds of members. OLLI is a membership program for learning in retirement.
Johnson, who is the director of Capital Survey Research Center, said, “Politics is that process through which power is derived from the people.
“The highest office in a democracy is the office of citizen,” he said. “Everyone else is appointed, delegated, elected, employed.”
He asked the question, “Where really is the fault in our system of government — Montgomery, Washington?
“It is with us because we hold the highest office in this system.”
Johnson said the process of elections and campaigns is how it works and how power is derived from the people.
“The essence of this process is the shaping of public opinion,” he said.
“My job is to measure public opinion and keep my finger on the political pulse of Alabama.”
He said, no matter the outcome of the upcoming election, 2008 is a truly unique and historic election for a number of reasons.
“Of the four final candidates, three of them are in a protected class, and we have never had candidates in a protected class before — age, race and gender. McCain is the age.
Obama is the race, Palin is the gender.
“We really don’t know how people are going to vote on this basis,” Johnson said.
For more information about the OLLI at Auburn program, visit www.olliatauburn.org or call 844-5100.
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