4 ms·

If democracy got you Trump why would more democracy be the solution?

by base698 4y ago

khuey 4y ago
Democracy didn't get us Trump. The Electoral College got us Trump.
- partiallypro 4y ago
  The electoral college is still democratic. You're confusing direct democracy with democracy in general. The US is a Republic, which is democratic with general safeguards to prevent mob rule. I can't stand Trump but this is and always will be such a weak argument. If you can control the Senate you can win the electoral college and both parties have done so in the past 20 years back and forth very consistently. Trump would have lost to basically any other candidate, the Democrats have only themselves to blame.
  - tomrod 4y ago
    > You're confusing direct democracy with democracy in general. No, you're confusing semantics. A Wyoming voter's vote counts several times more than a California's vote for the same position. Land borders shouldn't change your vote, that's _anti_-democratic and in favor of an unequal distribution of voting rights. We should call a spade a spade, and here the spade of the electoral college is clearly _not_ democracy when we no longer have to send state delegates across the barren frontier. You can toot the representative republic horn all you want, which is what the system is, but it is in error to call the existing system democratic or a democracy _until_ the electoral college is gone. It should be. It serves no purpose other than to suppress what the majority of the people want. Likewise for state-specific regulations for cross-union office, like for President. Do what you want for your own state representation (e.g. senator, governor) but the President should be the one person actually elected by a majority without shenanigans, whereas none is today.
- solveit 4y ago
munchler 4y ago
If a fish gets through a net, why would you need a better net?
mvc 4y ago
Because only democracy gives us the chance to recover from our mistakes. This seems clearer to me in this last year than in any other year of my >40 on this earth.
zamalek 4y ago
This is the reason: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_backsliding https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_backsliding Trump is an autocrat with goals to become a monarch. He proactively eroded democracy during his term, and continues to attempt to.

If democracy got you Trump why would more democracy be the solution?

khuey 4y ago

Democracy didn't get us Trump. The Electoral College got us Trump.

partiallypro 4y ago
The electoral college is still democratic. You're confusing direct democracy with democracy in general. The US is a Republic, which is democratic with general safeguards to prevent mob rule. I can't stand Trump but this is and always will be such a weak argument. If you can control the Senate you can win the electoral college and both parties have done so in the past 20 years back and forth very consistently. Trump would have lost to basically any other candidate, the Democrats have only themselves to blame.
- tomrod 4y ago
  > You're confusing direct democracy with democracy in general. No, you're confusing semantics. A Wyoming voter's vote counts several times more than a California's vote for the same position. Land borders shouldn't change your vote, that's _anti_-democratic and in favor of an unequal distribution of voting rights. We should call a spade a spade, and here the spade of the electoral college is clearly _not_ democracy when we no longer have to send state delegates across the barren frontier. You can toot the representative republic horn all you want, which is what the system is, but it is in error to call the existing system democratic or a democracy _until_ the electoral college is gone. It should be. It serves no purpose other than to suppress what the majority of the people want. Likewise for state-specific regulations for cross-union office, like for President. Do what you want for your own state representation (e.g. senator, governor) but the President should be the one person actually elected by a majority without shenanigans, whereas none is today.
solveit 4y ago

munchler 4y ago

If a fish gets through a net, why would you need a better net?

mvc 4y ago

Because only democracy gives us the chance to recover from our mistakes. This seems clearer to me in this last year than in any other year of my >40 on this earth.

zamalek 4y ago

This is the reason: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_backsliding https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_backsliding Trump is an autocrat with goals to become a monarch. He proactively eroded democracy during his term, and continues to attempt to.