When they purposefully try to encourage voter apathy. That's unforgivable in my book.
We have a two party system, and it will take amendments to the constitution to get rid of it and move away from winner takes all. Clearly that's not going to happen. I agree with you that we must work within the existing power structure to bring about change.
Decisions and rhetoric from Obama are going to reverberate for generations and change our country for the better over the long term. Reagan's disgusting ideas and flogging of government has been a driving force in politics, for good or for ill - mostly ill.
What we can learn from that, though, is Obama's ideas and approach to progressivism will play out over decades to come. Th Bush I, Clinton and Bush II presidencies were devoid of new ideas for the most part. Instead they were either in reaction to Reaganism or a continuation of the anti-government zeitgeist.
I agree with others who believe the Obama administration heralds the next great alignment of American political discourse. Despite all of the attention paid to the tea party, the real majority is the Obama coalition.
The Obama administration is hard at work adapting rules and regulations for the modern America. An example is the rapid inclusion of GLBT acknowledgement in policy and cascading of DOMA decision throughout government. This can not be over estimated. And the end of the notion of pre-existing conditions limiting access to insurance is at hand. All of America potentially gets access to preventative care soon. We have a platform from which to build universal health care.
Not go overboard, but I believe the Obama administration is a miracle. I don't believe in miracles from a spiritual perspective. This is a miracle driven by the people. "We are the ones we have been waiting for. We are the change we seek."