I'll never understand how "the greatest democracy of the world" works !

[BonjourUSA]

You look and speak like an idiot who wouldn't win 10% vote anywhere in the world, you lie during four years, you put your army into a shitty situation, you lost your best allies, you.... But if you get millions $ for selling yourself like a detergent perhaps more than 50% would still like you for president !!

[DrWeird]

1. Here's the other thing...

The guy who loses takes office and then wants to "spread democracy" around the world and the majority falls for it.

[wyldwolf]

2. Just like your mamma used to say...

Anyone can be president...

[depakid]

3. It's not "the greatest democracy in the world"

it's technically, not even a Democracy.

How it works is that one side usually has damn near all of the money, and owns the media outlets, so the other side's mesage never gets out. Lies go uncontroverted and people end up swayed by emotional arguments. We used to have rules to prevent that, but not anymore.

Other countries have publically funded campaigns with required media airtime. Money and it's corrupting influence are considerably less of a factor.

[BonjourUSA]

4. If a French candidate exceeds his legal campaign fund his election is

cancelled. (for any elections)

These fund are public. The media airtime is strictly equal (second !) for every candidate and verified (if a media, public or private, doesn't respect this rule, the penalty is very heavy).

In normal time, The media airtime must be equal for the majority and opposition parties, the govt only is free.

[Doctor_J]

5. Used to be

but most of the other industrialized (western) democracies are better than ours now - public campaign funds, proportional representation, check & balances, and non career politicians. If you want to see how a democracy is supposed to work you need to look now at France, Germany, UK, or Canada.

[depakid]

6. You can look to Australia too

Voting is compulsory there- if you don't, you face a fine.

Moreover, when I was last there, politicians were being prosecuted for coruption over things that are par for the course in America.