Democracy over promised and under delivered

[Tumblin Tumbleweed]

I suspect that a great many people who lived through COVID will carry bitterness forward the rest of their lives in the same way that people who lived through the Great Depression did. Many people saw authoritarianism keep them under de facto house arrest, so the right wing "No!" has a lot more appeal to them currently.

Constant grievance. A truly terrible way to live one's life. No one likes miserable complainers.

 

[BrokeLoser]

Constant grievance. A truly terrible way to live one's life. No one likes miserable complainers.

Have you told the purple hair nose ringing LGBTQiA-Lmnop’ers and people of color that?

 

[Tumblin Tumbleweed]

Have you told the purple hair nose ringing LGBTQiA-Lmnop’ers and people of color that?

Yes.

 

[Rawley]

Right on cue

I relish destroying a "douchbag's" bullshit.

 

[Independent thinker]

As Americans, on the "US" message board, it might be easy to lose sight of, but the rejection of democracy in favor of more authoritarian government is a worldwide change. So I thought it might be worth discussing what's going on. Why is democracy losing ground? Why are people so disenchanted with it that they're willing to give control to unrestrained populist leaders?

Here's something I've been thinking about. A possible motive: Populist authoritarianism is winning out over democracy because it is more responsive to the will of the people. That's right - MORE responsive to the will of the people. Liberals are probably a bit confused by that statement, but it's true. By contrast, democracy is slow and plodding. It requires endless deliberation and negotiation to effect change in government. It requires that we build consensus and come to agreement before we pass laws.

Populism sheds these impediments and puts power in the hands of the people, via the people's tyrant. As long as you like what he's doing, it's all wine and roses.

I think the frustration behind this change is largely driven by misconceptions of what democracy is, and how it works. Democracy was sold as a way for people to get what they want out of their government. They told us that democratic government would make us all happy, healthy, educated, etc, etc ... But it just doesn't work that way. Constitutionally limited democracy, working properly, prevents identity politics and requires government to attend to the general welfare of the people, rather the focused interests. It prevents people from getting what they want, unless everyone else wants it too.

So, can it be turned around? Is there a way to convince people that democracy is a good thing, even if it doesn't give them exactly what they want out of government?

All I can say is that I'm thrilled Republicans won the race to take control of the government. We already know that socialism has failed everywhere it's been tried.

 

[Tumblin Tumbleweed]

All I can say is that I'm thrilled Republicans won the race to take control of the government. We already know that socialism has failed everywhere it's been tried.

Who is pushing for socialism? Got any proof?

 

[Independent thinker]

Who is pushing for socialism? Got any proof?

Proof? Seriously? Bernie Sanders and his fellow progressives keep on calling themselves socislists. Where have you been?

 

[BlindBoo]

We, both parties, have degraded our Republican form of government to where it has almost become the thing the founders feared most. A Tyrannical Democracy where the 50%+1 can run roughshod over the 50%-1. No dialog. No consensus. No compromise. Just the party agenda.

 

[dblack]

We, both parties, have degraded our Republican form of government to where it has almost become the thing the founders feared most. A Tyrannical Democracy where the 50%+1 can run roughshod over the 50%-1. No dialog. No consensus. No compromise. Just the party agenda.

This, this, this. When will we wake up?

 

[BlindBoo]

This, this, this. When will we wake up?

The second Tuesday of next week. Or never.

 

[there4eyeM]

The only promise "democracy" makes is that it will fail if the participants become lethargic mentally and physically, as we see today in so many places. When democratic processes function well, society prospers and gets comfortable, making conditions for democracy difficult and short-cut solutions attractive. In any case, the world has come to an unprecedented point and political and economic ideas of from the past must be superseded by original thinking aided by our latest realizations.

 

[Tumblin Tumbleweed]

Proof? Seriously? Bernie Sanders and his fellow progressives keep on calling themselves socislists. Where have you been?

'Where have you been' isn't proof, moron. It's an appeal to your own confirmation bias, smooth brain. Try again.

 

[Leo123]

As Americans, on the "US" message board, it might be easy to lose sight of, but the rejection of democracy in favor of more authoritarian government is a worldwide change. So I thought it might be worth discussing what's going on. Why is democracy losing ground? Why are people so disenchanted with it that they're willing to give control to unrestrained populist leaders?

Here's something I've been thinking about. A possible motive: Populist authoritarianism is winning out over democracy because it is more responsive to the will of the people. That's right - MORE responsive to the will of the people. Liberals are probably a bit confused by that statement, but it's true. By contrast, democracy is slow and plodding. It requires endless deliberation and negotiation to effect change in government. It requires that we build consensus and come to agreement before we pass laws.

Populism sheds these impediments and puts power in the hands of the people, via the people's tyrant. As long as you like what he's doing, it's all wine and roses.

I think the frustration behind this change is largely driven by misconceptions of what democracy is, and how it works. Democracy was sold as a way for people to get what they want out of their government. They told us that democratic government would make us all happy, healthy, educated, etc, etc ... But it just doesn't work that way. Constitutionally limited democracy, working properly, prevents identity politics and requires government to attend to the general welfare of the people, rather the focused interests. It prevents people from getting what they want, unless everyone else wants it too.

So, can it be turned around? Is there a way to convince people that democracy is a good thing, even if it doesn't give them exactly what they want out of government?

I was never told any of that. I learned that we have a Representative Republic whose representatives are voted for in a Democratic way. POTUS has the power to initiate the policies he ran on for a limited term. Just because a POTUS is authoritarian doesn't mean he can ignore the Constitution. Biden acted like a tyrant when he let our country be invaded though. Luckily, we got rid of him and his regime.

 

[dblack]

Is anyone interested in the actual point of the thread?

Advocates of democracy sold it as a means to an end - a way for people to get what they want out of government. But in point of fact, democracy makes government less responsive. That's why people are so frustrated with it. They were promised a bill of goods.

That said, I'm advocate of democracy. When we all have to agree to some course of action (eg choosing a leader) it can be decent means of coming to a decision. But it's not an all purpose tool to score benes. It's that presumption that's undermining democracy.

 

[The Sage of Main Street]

At some point the Democrat political party
told the cheap freak fake media
that they only
defined what democracy means.

The fake news loved that, & ran with it.
($$$)

Feeding Lines to Fake Opponents

And the Rightists benefited from that, preaching the conclusion that the choice is between either their own elitist plutocratic hereditary oligarchy or the Dranocrats' freakshow.

 

[The Sage of Main Street]

political and economic ideas of from the past must be superseded by original thinking aided by our latest realizations.

If You've Heard of Somebody, Don't Listen to Him


Our somebodies should be nobodies, which is what they want us to be. Linking to "original thinking" is a contradiction in terms. Links are part of a chain, making linkers a chain gang.