USA Politics

[Todd]

The Fragile Republic

American Democracy Has Never Faced So Many Threats All at Once

Select quotes:

After two centuries of struggle, the United States democratized. Not until the 1970s could the United States be called a truly robust and inclusive democracy...

These crises of democracy did not occur randomly. Rather, they developed in the presence of one or more of four specific threats: political polarization, conflict over who belongs in the political community, high and growing economic inequality, and excessive executive power. When those conditions are absent, democracy tends to flourish. When one or more of them are present, democracy is prone to decay.

Today, for the first time in its history, the United States faces all four threats at the same time. It is this unprecedented confluence—more than the rise to power of any particular leader—that lies behind the contemporary crisis of American democracy. The threats have grown deeply entrenched, and they will likely persist and wreak havoc for some time to come.

Actual intellectuals - ie, not the GMG kind - attempt to address systemic political issues in a serious fashion.  This is a Reader's Digest treatment of a full length book, and the summary is mostly standard fare.  The second and third blurbs are more or less run of the mill alarmism*, but the first bit is what caught my eye.  If their thesis is correct, and the US did not become an inclusive democracy until the 1970s, and that is when even they admit that economic inequality in its current guise began to expand, what are the full implications of that idea?  What types of meaningful policy choices are available, given that it is nearly universally accepted that some non-economic factors exacerbate economic inequality?  The article does an unsatisfactory job of explaining that, which of course may make one want to buy the full-length book.  Alas, at least in this trimmed down treatment, they get the starting year wrong (in the late 70s), just as they choose a rather iffy starting period for the rise of post-Civil War white supremacy.  At least the dark lord Newt Gingrich makes a brief appearance here, and dastardly Republicans come in for accusatory rhetorical lashings, seeming to undermine the concern about polarization just a tad, so maybe the full length book could be worthwhile for some entertaining non-partisan-but-not-really analysis.


* Later in the article, the authors write hyperbolically "[a]nd in the face of political dysfunction and stalemate, the power of the executive branch has grown exponentially", weakening the soundness of at least one of their core arguments. 

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

My wife and I were discussing the state of affairs and she has an interesting theory.  For generations we Americans thought we were the greatest nation in the world.  As a result of the current state affairs, especially with the way we have failed to deal with the virus, it has become clear that we are not longer on top.  Although there were some of us who saw this coming, many Americans are stunned and in denial.  I think she has a point.

Since the 1980s, the people in other developed nations have already noticed the poor education level and health conditions (obesity, diabete, etc) of American people. Inferior quality of American products as well. Nonetheless, Americans just assumed the greatest nation without looking at countries outside the U.S., or just denying the reality. The rising white nationalism, denial of pandemic, etc are largely and significantly caused by/tied to the declining education and income.

Still, the U.S.A. maintains the largest economy (based on debt), military budget. American scientists win largest number of Nobel prize and athletes win largest number of gold medals. Library of Congress is the largest library in the world. The so-called big 5 orchestras are respectable orchestras.  Typical symptom of a declining military empire.

[Karl Henning]

I really do not know what can be done to turn things around for us.  Even if Biden wins, it will take us years to undo the damage that has been done.

Very true.

[JBS]

That the Bible is pro-abortion is a take I did not expect to see, even here on GMG.

The Bible is in fact mostly silent on abortion, although the few references to anything related to the topic suggest it's not so zealously against abortion as religious writers seen to think.

[greg]

Handing out guns to civilians - of any colour - is not a smart idea...
It makes everybody, including the police, trigger prone...

You guys have basically weaponised your entire civic society. And this what happens. You are not going to "defend" yourself against intruders, but you are going to be gunned down by police during a random low key encounter or by another civilian over a parking space.

Q

"Handing out guns" is a huge stretch.

Gun culture is a problem due to history. One's starting point often haunts them their entire life, just like how personality disorders start with people during their first few years of life. The US started with guns and slaves. So 200+ years later we have mass shootings/gun homicides, and racial tensions.

It would technically be impossible to just get rid of all of the guns here, so you'd have to just hope they don't fall into the wrong hands. And getting rid of people, like genocide, ehhh probably not a good idea lol.

I don't have much of a strong opinion about guns either way, btw. I would probably have more fun with larger scale destruction like rocket launchers, but alas. 

[Herman]

personality disorders start with people during their first few years of life.

Not true.

[drogulus]

The Fragile Republic

American Democracy Has Never Faced So Many Threats All at Once


If their thesis is correct, and the US did not become an inclusive democracy until the 1970s, and that is when even they admit that economic inequality in its current guise began to expand, what are the full implications of that idea?  What types of meaningful policy choices are available, given that it is nearly universally accepted that some non-economic factors exacerbate economic inequality? 

      What should we make of the backlash against democratization? One might think it's to be expected. That it should happen via the Repubs could be expected, too.

      The backlash is indeed polarizing. Is identifying Repubs as the backlashers also polarizing? I guess if one wants to be against polarization there aren't a lot of options.

[Que]

"Handing out guns" is a huge stretch.

I don't think so.

Estimated number of civilian guns per capita by country

[drogulus]

     

I don't think so.

Estimated number of civilian guns per capita by country

     Many countries have an impoverished sense of white liberty because they never slaughtered a native population or guarded against slave revolts. How could people understand property without these essential elements?

[Todd]

I don't think so.

It's standard internet hyperbole.  People in the US have to buy their guns.  It's a big business.  If someone were to handout guns, I'd happily line up for the new Python.  Let me know if you know where people are handing those out.

[Herman]

Now that Trump did not get his face carved on Mt Rushmore, he's going to give a Gettysburg Address, as an acceptance speech.

He's a parody president.

[drogulus]

    "Four years and seven scores ago...."

[Karl Henning]

    "Four years and seven scores ago...."

We need college football!!!!

[greg]

Not true.

Mostly true. Between birth and first few years (either nature or nurture, or both). Diagnoses comes much later. People don't just develop them suddenly, there is genetic predisposition and nurture (like seed and water). ASPD is mostly what comes to mind as an example.

[arpeggio]

Was abortion an issue in ancient times?

I refuse to believe that you are so clueless that you do not know the answer to this question.

[drogulus]

Neither genocide or slavery originated in the New World.

     No, but we were really really good at it, and we were doing it at home, not on the other side of the world. That's why property liberty has developed the way it has in America, so different from other countries. I made no assertion to the effect that Americans invented the tools we used so well.

[arpeggio]

The bottom line is that modern conservatives have been controlling this country for the past twenty-five years.  They have succeeded in destroying unions, stifling progressives so they are at most just 20% of the electorate, dismantling the voting rights act, creating an oligarchy where 90% of the wealth is controlled by 1% of the country, police that are our of control, record number of people that are dying from gun violence and a failed health care system that has killed over 150,000 Americans.

Modern conservatives still control the Senate, the White house and the Supreme Court.  Calling people silly names does not absolve conservatives of being responsible for creating the mess we are in.

[Herman]

You forgot to mention that Seinfeld was much better than Curb.

[71 dB]

The bottom line is that modern conservatives have been controlling this country for the past twenty-five years.  They have succeeded in destroying unions, stifling progressives so they are at most just 20% of the electorate, dismantling the voting rights act, creating an oligarchy where 90% of the wealth is controlled by 1% of the country, police that are our of control, record number of people that are dying from gun violence and a failed health care system that has killed over 150,000 Americans.

Modern conservatives still control the Senate, the White house and the Supreme Court.  Calling people silly names does not absolve conservatives of being responsible for creating the mess we are in.

The Dems had super-majority during Obama. What did they do with it? Did they restore unions? No. Did they fix the healthcare system creating single payer system ot at least public option? No, but some 20 million more people got insured + some other fixes (now dismantled by Trump). However, this was originally a Republican healthcare plan to protect the profits of insurance companies. Think about that: The Dems did the originally Republican healthcare system while they had super-majority! Do the corporate Dems support progressives? No! They fight the progressives much harder than the Republicans, e.g. sabotaging Bernie Sander's presidential changes twice. The donors tell the corporate Dems to do these evil things and the Overton window has been moving to the right.

The oligarchy has been created by the rich and big corporation by buying the politicians and telling them what to do and it all has been possible because of the "money is ok in politics" rulings in the supreme court. It all goes back for over 4 decades.

162,000+ American's have died of Coronavirus, but to be fair even in countries with the best healthcare system (e.g. UK) a lot of people have died, so we can't say all of these American victims of coronavirus are due to the for profit healthcare system.* Failure to protect the elderly from the virus seems to be the main thing explaining the death toll (e.g. Sweden) rather than the healthcare system. However, it is estimated 30,000-45,000 (some estimates even 68,000) Americans die every year because they don't have access to basic healthcare. People don't go to the doctor when they should because they can't afford it and when they finally go it's too late. This doesn't happen in other countries where people can afford going to doctor and health problems are addressed early on saving lives and resources. Assuming the US had had a single payer healthcare system for the last 40-50 years and 45,000 people would have not died thanks to it, we are talking about 2 million American victims of for profit healthcare, but at least the owners of big Pharma and insurance companies have nice houses and yachts, so there is that.

* A pandemic makes any kind of healthcare system struggle and how well the society prevents the spread of the virus is extremely important.

 

[71 dB]

To be fair, it is possible to find much better pictures of Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson and Donald John Trump.