Why Is American Democracy So Broken, and Can It Be Fixed?

[KamaAina]

http://www.thenation.com/article/why-is-american-democracy-so-broken-and-can-it-be-fixed/

Few elections in the Western world offer the spectacle that is an American presidential race. While Brits tend to keep a stiff upper lip when jockeying for position, and Canadians prefer the power of positive thinking in determining just who runs the show, every four years the United States of America offers up the kind of no-holds-barred political brawl fit to make a reality show producer green with envy. Will the Bernie Bros defeat the Hillary Sisterhood? Will Black Lives Matter crush Trump? Or will the Trumpeters pummel the activists? Whatever the outcome, the number of breakdowns, collapses, thrashings, annihilations, massacres, meltdowns, and, of course, Armageddons in any American presidential race is truly impressive. And while many people find the pugnacious process of determining just who will lead their country to be at times both embarrassing and exhausting, nearly all agree that it is a very public competition and that that is what democracy is all about—competing for political power. May the fittest survive, may the best candidate win....

When I first began researching the history of Western democracy 10 years ago, these were the questions that most fascinated me. Democracy, after all, means “people power.” If the people of a nation truly held political power, one would expect them to consistently pass laws in the interests of the majority, and that the political landscape would reflect this. But it was hard to see why the majority of citizens would ever agree, for example, to allow wealth to play such a spectacular role in elections (congressional candidates that outspend their opponents win 78 percent of their races), given that the vast majority of people are, per definition, not rich.

Of course, the new American bourgeoisie, populated by privately schooled trust-fund babies and latte-swigging hipsters, has an answer for this, blaming every objectionable aspect of national politics on the influence of an under-educated Idiot America that persists in voting against its own best interests. In this account, the proletariat simply does not know what is good for it. This doesn’t, however, harmonize very well with the fact that, whatever else you want to say about them, Americans generally aren’t any more ignorant than they were 20 or 30 years ago, a time when the political system was arguably more functional than it is now. Indeed, thanks to cheap air travel and the Internet, Americans may even be more knowledgeable about the world beyond their borders than they were in times gone by.

Another explanation of which the liberal elite is fond goes like this: The system is good, but the players are bad. Ted Cruz is a psychopath, Trump a narcissist, and Hillary Clinton an opportunist. If only better people were in politics, everything would be rosy. Yet this still fails to answer the ultimate question: Why does this system allow so many basketcases to climb to the top? In a country of over 300 million people, there must be at least a few decent individuals out there. This brings us to the timely question of why they are so rarely seen on-screen, and the even timelier one of why, when they do appear, they are so quickly and so brusquely escorted off the set.

[djean111]

1. Evidently no, it cannot be fixed.

In a country of over 300 million people, there must be at least a few decent individuals out there. This brings us to the timely question of why they are so rarely seen on-screen, and the even timelier one of why, when they do appear, they are so quickly and so brusquely escorted off the set.

Money, lust for power, and money. That's why.

[Hortensis]

2. To destroy government of, by and for the people,

it is necessary to convince people what they have is beyond saving and must be replaced with something better.

Many ultraconservative billionaires have invested billions over the past few decades to convince people that America is "broken" and they need to get behind "fixing" it, including putting subversives into government to keep it from doing well.

Of course, no matter who might think they're in charge of a "revolution," these hidden string pullers plan to do the actual "fixing" and choose the form it takes.

Charles Koch: "The only legitimate roles for government are protection of person and property."

Police, fire, military, to keep him and his fortunes safe. Note there is no Bill of Rights in his ideology, or equality of all under government.

[tonyt53]

3. A democracy can only be changed by citizens that participate full time in that democracy.

When people stay home instead of not voting, they are complicit in their own misery. Also, several million more people in this country feel that Hillary Clinton has a better chance to help end that misery than do those that think Bernie Sanders can. Please do not attempt to brush that aside. Many of Hillary's supporters have not just been studying western democracy, they have been living it for a lot longer than ten years - me included.

[hfojvt]

4. I think she is wrong in her view of history

she says that "the legendary 1% has always had control over the governmeent" as if nothing has changed in the last 30 years.

Yet before Reagan, in the good old days, the bottom 50% collectively made more money than the top 1%. That is no longer true.

So the fact is that there was a shift through Reagan which changed the economy and tax policy to benefit the top at the expense of the bottom. They found, and Clinton, Bush and Obama have confirmed that the mass of the public is gullible. If you give the average American a $400 tax cut enough of them will cheer and support you even though the $400 tax cut is tied to $40,000 and $400,000 tax cuts for those who are much better off.

The upper classes have largely bought out the media and naturally buy the politicians - even good and decent people can often be bought. Most of them running for office are ALREADY part of the top 20% anyway - they have to be, to help self-finance their campaigns.

[Ferretherder]

5. A very thorough and frightening read...

...HIGHLY recommended.

Thanks much, KamaAina.

[AngryAmish]

6. This presupposes democracy is worth saving.