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Personally I view that as being a pretty big flaw in democracy, but it also works the other way when the extremist element has a hard time gaining influence. Bu

by rdc12 12y ago

Personally I view that as being a pretty big flaw in democracy, but it also works the other way when the extremist element has a hard time gaining influence. But that is not a guarantee either, the Tea Party being a good example. It may be a distiction, and the second way is more subtle and covert, but the net result of a power imbalance is still the result.

rayiner 12y ago
Flaw in democracy relative to what? Thought experiment. Zuck & Co., fed-up with U.S. immigration policy, skip the PAC and just import foreign labor in heavily-armed gunships past Navy defenses. Sounds preposterous, but that just goes to show how desensitized people living in democratic countries are to the plight of humanity. A system that forces elite minorities to get buy-in from the majority instead of unilaterally imposing their will is a historical aberration and still not enjoyed by most of the world. The Tea Party is a great example of the resiliency of democracy. Money buys influence, but billionaires must at least make the case that their interests are aligned with those of the majority. Again, it's not clear what you can do about this within a capitalistic system. The factory owner can always tell his workers: "universal healthcare will be bad for you because I won't be able to keep all of you employed if my taxes go up." And that message will always be tremendously compelling.
- rdc12 12y ago
  Does a flaw in a system have to be relative to another system, or can it be a flaw in isolation? How does that show resilience, numerous Tea Party members have been elected, it may have been under a Republican banner, but that is more a symptom of a 2 party electorial process.
  - rayiner 12y ago
    > Does a flaw in a system have to be relative to another system, or can it be a flaw in isolation? I think talking about flaws in political systems without any point of reference is navel-gazing and not very interesting. Kind of like talking about whether the Flash or Superman would win in a fight. > How does that show resilience, numerous Tea Party members have been elected Even $80 billion between the Koch Brothers can't buy the election of proper statist libertarians, much less railroad through actual policies consistent with the ideology. The Tea Party is libertarian ideas watered down to the point of almost being unrecognizable. In the end, it's just a bunch of Republicans running on a platform of lower taxes, less regulation, and, inexplicably, conservative social issues--ideas that have always had tremendous traction among the majority.

by rdc12 12y ago

rayiner 12y ago

Flaw in democracy relative to what? Thought experiment. Zuck & Co., fed-up with U.S. immigration policy, skip the PAC and just import foreign labor in heavily-armed gunships past Navy defenses. Sounds preposterous, but that just goes to show how desensitized people living in democratic countries are to the plight of humanity. A system that forces elite minorities to get buy-in from the majority instead of unilaterally imposing their will is a historical aberration and still not enjoyed by most of the world. The Tea Party is a great example of the resiliency of democracy. Money buys influence, but billionaires must at least make the case that their interests are aligned with those of the majority. Again, it's not clear what you can do about this within a capitalistic system. The factory owner can always tell his workers: "universal healthcare will be bad for you because I won't be able to keep all of you employed if my taxes go up." And that message will always be tremendously compelling.

rdc12 12y ago
Does a flaw in a system have to be relative to another system, or can it be a flaw in isolation? How does that show resilience, numerous Tea Party members have been elected, it may have been under a Republican banner, but that is more a symptom of a 2 party electorial process.
- rayiner 12y ago
  > Does a flaw in a system have to be relative to another system, or can it be a flaw in isolation? I think talking about flaws in political systems without any point of reference is navel-gazing and not very interesting. Kind of like talking about whether the Flash or Superman would win in a fight. > How does that show resilience, numerous Tea Party members have been elected Even $80 billion between the Koch Brothers can't buy the election of proper statist libertarians, much less railroad through actual policies consistent with the ideology. The Tea Party is libertarian ideas watered down to the point of almost being unrecognizable. In the end, it's just a bunch of Republicans running on a platform of lower taxes, less regulation, and, inexplicably, conservative social issues--ideas that have always had tremendous traction among the majority.