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I’m pretty darn leftist, but splitting hairs over the US being a republic which routinely follows the will of the electorate using consistent rules, just not so

I’m pretty darn leftist, but splitting hairs over the US being a republic which routinely follows the will of the electorate using consistent rules, just not some people’s preferred system, vs Chinese communist party rule where the dictator just removed term limits from himself is pretty absurd.

chiefalchemist 9y ago
So a ruse is ok? Given the blah blah blah about freedom, liberty, democracy, etc. I don't think so. At least the communists are honest. Regardless, the point isn't what some other gov does or doesn't do. The point is the US is being sold snake oil. That doesn't need any comparison. BS is alway BS. Lip stick doesn't make it any less so.
- mercutio2 9y ago
  There are all sorts of things worth complaining about in the world, but the fact that the US federal government is a republic and lots of people wish it had more direct democracy is an argument that’s been around since the founding of the republic. Doesn’t seem like much of a ruse to me. And regarding “doesn’t matter what other countries do”, come on! This is a thread about the west’s relationship to China in the context of Xi consolidating lifetime rule. It’s explicitly a thread about our relationship to other governing systems. So your attempt to say people in the US have no standing to criticize China based on some individuals in the US feeling disenfranchised seems like the non-sequitur to me.
  - chiefalchemist 9y ago
    When was the last time any politician said, "well actually, we're a republic. This is how it works. It was designed that way. You proles need to sit down and get in line." Yes. It's a republic. No. There's no effort to communicate that to those most effected. At some point the friction from the disconnect will manifest itself in "weird" ways. Trump being a prime example. Is that best for the republic?

chiefalchemist 9y ago

So a ruse is ok? Given the blah blah blah about freedom, liberty, democracy, etc. I don't think so. At least the communists are honest. Regardless, the point isn't what some other gov does or doesn't do. The point is the US is being sold snake oil. That doesn't need any comparison. BS is alway BS. Lip stick doesn't make it any less so.

mercutio2 9y ago
There are all sorts of things worth complaining about in the world, but the fact that the US federal government is a republic and lots of people wish it had more direct democracy is an argument that’s been around since the founding of the republic. Doesn’t seem like much of a ruse to me. And regarding “doesn’t matter what other countries do”, come on! This is a thread about the west’s relationship to China in the context of Xi consolidating lifetime rule. It’s explicitly a thread about our relationship to other governing systems. So your attempt to say people in the US have no standing to criticize China based on some individuals in the US feeling disenfranchised seems like the non-sequitur to me.
- chiefalchemist 9y ago
  When was the last time any politician said, "well actually, we're a republic. This is how it works. It was designed that way. You proles need to sit down and get in line." Yes. It's a republic. No. There's no effort to communicate that to those most effected. At some point the friction from the disconnect will manifest itself in "weird" ways. Trump being a prime example. Is that best for the republic?