2 ms·

How is they worse than the current weak majority that has largely hamstrung the government?

by alistairSH 3y ago

tptacek 3y ago
Has it hamstrung the government? Or is there just a governing consensus on many aspects of the status quo?
- hgsgm 3y ago
  There is a lack of consensus, so you get the two sides using procedural details to block each other's efforts.
  - tptacek 3y ago
    Which efforts are those? The last congress passed historic amounts of funding for infrastructure and technology investment. One of the primary powers of congress is that of the purse. What's the significant policy thing congress should clearly have done, because the polity so obviously supports it and is being thwarted by structural and elite factors? I bet it's not as clear as it seems.
- alistairSH 3y ago
  Good question. There’s certainly some consensus on the status quo. But, then we have things like health care, abortion, and firearm regulation. Americans largely want better/cheaper access to the first two and more of the third. Yet, we can’t get any of them.
  - tptacek 3y ago
    You have to be careful with these reads on sentiment, because they're based on public opinion polling, which is incredibly imprecise. You can get majority support in a policy opinion poll for almost anything, but when we have actual tests of those policies at the ballot box, support crumbles --- the best example for that is single-payer health care. I happen to agree with you about abortion, and thing the opposition party is and will continue to be punished for passing unpopular restrictions on reproductive health care. But one thing I don't think anybody can reasonably say is that GOP voters were bamboozled into voting for curtailment of reproductive rights; abortion and public schools are the two fundamental defining differences between the parties!
hotpotamus 3y ago
If you're talking about the US, then I believe it's actually a strong minority that generally hamstrings the government and occasionally rules using non-democratic methods as needed.

How is they worse than the current weak majority that has largely hamstrung the government?

tptacek 3y ago

Has it hamstrung the government? Or is there just a governing consensus on many aspects of the status quo?

hgsgm 3y ago
There is a lack of consensus, so you get the two sides using procedural details to block each other's efforts.
- tptacek 3y ago
  Which efforts are those? The last congress passed historic amounts of funding for infrastructure and technology investment. One of the primary powers of congress is that of the purse. What's the significant policy thing congress should clearly have done, because the polity so obviously supports it and is being thwarted by structural and elite factors? I bet it's not as clear as it seems.
alistairSH 3y ago
Good question. There’s certainly some consensus on the status quo. But, then we have things like health care, abortion, and firearm regulation. Americans largely want better/cheaper access to the first two and more of the third. Yet, we can’t get any of them.
- tptacek 3y ago
  You have to be careful with these reads on sentiment, because they're based on public opinion polling, which is incredibly imprecise. You can get majority support in a policy opinion poll for almost anything, but when we have actual tests of those policies at the ballot box, support crumbles --- the best example for that is single-payer health care. I happen to agree with you about abortion, and thing the opposition party is and will continue to be punished for passing unpopular restrictions on reproductive health care. But one thing I don't think anybody can reasonably say is that GOP voters were bamboozled into voting for curtailment of reproductive rights; abortion and public schools are the two fundamental defining differences between the parties!

hotpotamus 3y ago

If you're talking about the US, then I believe it's actually a strong minority that generally hamstrings the government and occasionally rules using non-democratic methods as needed.