The U.S. is now a "backsliding democracy"

[Bud_Spencer]

Marx was not wrong in supposing class more important than ethnicity or nationality. Perhaps the proles of Europe couldn't see it, but they really did have more interests in common with foreign proles than with their own ruling classes.

That reminds me of the story of the two French philosophers talking about a new idea and coming to the conclusion that it might work in practice, but it never would in theory.

Of course, why would a movement dedicated to the uplift of the proles care one whit about what those proles actually wanted?

 

[pecksniff]

That reminds me of the story of the two French philosophers talking about a new idea and coming to the conclusion that it might work in practice, but it never would in theory.

Of course, why would a movement dedicated to the uplift of the proles care one whit about what those proles actually wanted?

What works in practice is social democracy -- which Americans do want, if polled on any particular element of it.

 

[Bud_Spencer]

What works in practice is social democracy -- which Americans do want, if polled on any particular element of it.

If you want to be poor, sure, it's great.

 

[pecksniff]

If you want to be poor, sure, it's great.

The people are not poor, in countries that have social democracy. You won't see any homeless in Copenhagen, unless they're Middle Eastern refugees.

 

[Cubantripod]

What works in practice is social democracy -- which Americans do want, if polled on any particular element of it.

When you tell them that the government would be in charge of their healthcare, they change their mind.

 

[pecksniff]

When you tell them that the government would be in charge of their healthcare, they change their mind.

That's not how it works in Canada. The government is in charge of health insurance.

 

[Cubantripod]

That's not how it works in Canada. The government is in charge of health insurance.

People don't want their government meddling in their healthcare. What state do you live?

 

[The_Trouvere]

Marx was not wrong in supposing class more important than ethnicity or nationality. Perhaps the proles of Europe couldn't see it, but they really did have more interests in common with foreign proles than with their own ruling classes.

Immigration is not in the interest of the working people of a country because it introduces working people from other countries who compete with them for jobs and places to live. The international solidarity of labor is a myth, and it is recognized as such by labor itself. I voted against Trump in 2016 and 2020. I dislike him personally. Nevertheless, I recognize that his opposition to immigration is the main reason white blue collar workers voted for him.

Working class people are more likely to be ethnocentric than cosmopolitan. They are prone to dislike people of other races, other nationalities, and other customs.

 

[pecksniff]

Does no one care to address the concerns over American democracy raised in the article linked in the OP?

 

[Cubantripod]

Does no one care to address the concerns over American democracy raised in the article linked in the OP?

I added another article, because your article does not mention Covid restrictions as part of the reasoning for not just America but many Europea countries.

 

[adrina]

As long as we keep trying to own the libs. That's what's important. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[pecksniff]

I added another article, because your article does not mention Covid restrictions as part of the reasoning for not just America but many Europea countries.

Covid restrictions have nothing to do with it.

 

[CornusKousa]

Does no one care to address the concerns over American democracy raised in the article linked in the OP?

Not really.

The people have lost faith in the system, it no longer serves us.

As long as that continues to be the case, let it decay until we as a society decide to do something about it.

 

[pecksniff]

Not really.

The people have lost faith in the system, it no longer serves us.

As long as that continues to be the case, let it decay until we as a society decide to do something about it.

It's not some kind of natural phenomenon or a result of general anomie, it happened because of conscious decisions on the RW to undermine democracy because they were losing.

 

[LittleDixie]

If you act sus, the predictable outcome is that people will assume that you are up to no good.

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.shorenewsnetwork.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F11%2Fpollworkersj.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

 

[LittleDixie]

When people see things that are statistically unlikely, it is natural for them to wonder if what they are seeing is accurate. It is fair for them to scrutinize anomalies.

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thegatewaypundit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2FWisconsin-Data-Dump-11-4-morning-526x600.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

 

[LittleDixie]

When you see people destroying evidence that would settle any questions, you have to wonder why. What purpose does it serve to destroy the data that would prove you did nothing inappropriate?

https://tennesseestar.com/2021/11/1...-election-officials-destroyed-voting-records/

https://steadfastclash.com/the-late...ed-and-destroyed-by-soss-office-and-dominion/

https://nationalfile.com/michigan-s...der-to-delete-election-data-amid-audit-calls/

https://apnews.com/article/north-am...ws-elections-877ee1015f1c43f1965f63538b035d3f

 

[LittleDixie]

When people fight tooth and nail against any scrutiny of their actions, and then belittle and demean the people who do the election audit, only to find out that there are massive problems with the counting votes.

3,981 people voted despite being registered after the Oct 15th deadline
11,326 voted who were not on the rolls on November 7, but were on December 4th
18,000 votes were counted and then those voters were removed from the rolls after the election.
74,243 mail in ballots with no evidence they were ever sent out from the state.

And there's a media blackout over this.

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia1.tenor.com%2Fimages%2F2c569a9bb55d6ce300d621984c6d0833%2Ftenor.gif%3Fitemid%3D5306821&f=1&nofb=1

 

[Champakian]

In all of human history, the process you describe has never happened. No republic has ever self-destructed by way of the plebs voting themselves largesse from the treasury.

When a republic is destroyed, usually it is either by 1) foreign invasion or 2) corruption and power-seeking among the elite. The Roman Republic ended because certain noblemen figured out that after the Marian Reforms, the professional mercenary legions would be more loyal to their general than to the state.

~~ tee hee ~~


It's either a Democracy or a Republic by convenience (of argument).

That is exactly what is going on now in the drive to Democracy.
The turn away from Republic to mob rule and the voting of largess began
when the Senate was turned over to the mob cutting the States out of the loop.

And taxation has demonstrably increased in order to inflate the spending for votes
that is, indeed, the indirect looting of the treasury.

Even Marcus Aurelius had to debase the currency to have enough "silver" to spend.

 

[Bud_Spencer]

The people are not poor, in countries that have social democracy. You won't see any homeless in Copenhagen, unless they're Middle Eastern refugees.

Yes they are. The wealthiest European nations have per-capita inome (PPP) around that of the poorest US states. They've made themselves poor.

 

[WillJ8787]

We are a democratic republic -- as opposed to an aristocratic republic, like the Roman Republic, or the Venetian Republic.

In my experience, anyone who says "America is a republic, not a democracy!" is not arguing but ranting. When he actually means anything at all by it, what he means is, "America is a federal state, not a unitary state." Which is both true and important, but has nothing to do with any supposed distinction between "republic" and "democracy."

Yes,. They are "ranting".....

 

[Bud_Spencer]

Isn't destroying democracy the Progressive project? If we're going to be led by a technocratic elite, we can't have people mucking it up by putting the wrong sort into office, now can we?

 

[CornusKousa]

It's not some kind of natural phenomenon or a result of general anomie, it happened because of conscious decisions on the RW to undermine democracy because they were losing.

Yes, same as the LW.

It's called polarization.

 

[CornusKousa]

Isn't destroying democracy the Progressive project? If we're going to be led by a technocratic elite, we can't have people mucking it up by putting the wrong sort into office, now can we?

Yup.... nobody hates democracy or the rule of law quite like a "progressive".

 

[pecksniff]

If you act sus, the predictable outcome is that people will assume that you are up to no good.

What is "sus"?