They did no such thing. A very slight majority (51%) of those voting in the 2004 election voted for Bush. That group was only 55% of the voting age population. So, technically, only 28% of the voting age population reelected him. My second cite shows the voting age population as 221 million. According to the US Census Estimates (Warning PDF), the total population of the US at that time was around 293 million, so only 75% of the total population was involved. That leaves Bush being reelected by only 21 or 22% of Americans.
I consider every eligible voter who didn’t vote against Little Boots to have played a role in voting for him. So add in the 100 million who sat on their asses on election day.
Actually, unless he were outdoors where lots of individual spectators were taking their own videos (and I don’t think he does any speeches like that), I doubt any footage of a rogue Emperor would ever make it to the airwaves. The reporters would be given a choice of handing over the tapes or losing their press passes. And given the lack of spine they show toward lowly Diet members when faced with the loss of their precious passes, I don’t think a single one would stand up to the Imperial Household Agency.
That jibes with my experience. I used to look after tour groups of Japanese tourists mostly in their 60’s and 70’s whose package included a boat ride around Pearl Harbor. When that part of their itinerary came up, they usually looked embarassed.
That said, despite the loss of face involved, it would seem to me that honor requires an acknowledgement of the wrong done and an affirmation that things will be changed so that that sort of wrong never happens again.
:shrug: Not voting at all is as good as voting for the worst candidate. Either make your decision, or take the blame for whatever comes next. Sitting on the sidelines and then saying “it’s not my fault!” is bullshit.