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It is never going to happen in the US. The US stopped being a democracy a long time ago: https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-echochambers-27074746 https://www.bbc.c

It is never going to happen in the US. The US stopped being a democracy a long time ago: https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-echochambers-27074746 https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-echochambers-27074746

AnnoyedComment 3y ago
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shrimp_emoji 3y ago
You linked an op ed claiming the U.S. is an oligarchy instead of a democracy because, statistically, things poor people want lose at the ballot box. It then says Russia is an oligarchy and that there's "no real difference" between it and the U.S. That's an insane claim. What you or the op ed would need to do is to demonstrate evidence of specific things people want that aren't being done and why they're not being done, with the reason why tied to some oligarchic repression of the masses. I don't know of a single thing that comes close to that in the U.S. The fact is that the country is bitterly divided, and the evidence of that division (and a sign that it is indeed a democracy -- otherwise, the ruling oligarchy would just do want it wants despite the divisions) is gridlock. Healthcare is complicated, and no one wants their taxes to go up. Even still, the Affordable Care Act passed (and then people tried to repeal it over and over and are probably still trying to). The rich have influence everywhere, even in China, but that's the last thing steering U.S. policy. You have elites like Zuckerberg dragged out before Congress and people like Shkreli imprisoned.
- deterministic 3y ago
  I recommend reading the actual study: “Multivariate analysis indicates that economic elites and organized groups representing business interests have substantial independent impacts on U.S. government policy, while average citizens and mass-based interest groups have little or no independent influence.” https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/perspectives-on-politics/article/testing-theories-of-american-politics-elites-interest-groups-and-average-citizens/62327F513959D0A304D4893B382B992B https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/perspectives-on-poli...

It is never going to happen in the US. The US stopped being a democracy a long time ago: https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-echochambers-27074746 https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-echochambers-27074746

AnnoyedComment 3y ago

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shrimp_emoji 3y ago

You linked an op ed claiming the U.S. is an oligarchy instead of a democracy because, statistically, things poor people want lose at the ballot box. It then says Russia is an oligarchy and that there's "no real difference" between it and the U.S. That's an insane claim. What you or the op ed would need to do is to demonstrate evidence of specific things people want that aren't being done and why they're not being done, with the reason why tied to some oligarchic repression of the masses. I don't know of a single thing that comes close to that in the U.S. The fact is that the country is bitterly divided, and the evidence of that division (and a sign that it is indeed a democracy -- otherwise, the ruling oligarchy would just do want it wants despite the divisions) is gridlock. Healthcare is complicated, and no one wants their taxes to go up. Even still, the Affordable Care Act passed (and then people tried to repeal it over and over and are probably still trying to). The rich have influence everywhere, even in China, but that's the last thing steering U.S. policy. You have elites like Zuckerberg dragged out before Congress and people like Shkreli imprisoned.

deterministic 3y ago
I recommend reading the actual study: “Multivariate analysis indicates that economic elites and organized groups representing business interests have substantial independent impacts on U.S. government policy, while average citizens and mass-based interest groups have little or no independent influence.” https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/perspectives-on-politics/article/testing-theories-of-american-politics-elites-interest-groups-and-average-citizens/62327F513959D0A304D4893B382B992B https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/perspectives-on-poli...