Before Al Gore in 2000 it hadn’t happened in the US since the 1800s.Of course that,s the same for Australia.
Its not total votes but total electoral seats.
A difference is that the seats are rezoned at times
Before Al Gore in 2000 it hadn’t happened in the US since the 1800s.Of course that,s the same for Australia.
Its not total votes but total electoral seats.
A difference is that the seats are rezoned at times
Interesting and oddBefore Al Gore in 2000 it hadn’t happened in the US since the 1800s.
You might find this interesting. Perhaps Churchill was right, depending on your definition of democracy:yeah, more a response to G-Man's contention that the Absolute Monarchy of Lichtenstein is better than India.
There's going to be a pillow fightIt really feels like there's one more desperate play in the Trump handbook. After recent events nothing will surprise in this American shitshow.
It really feels like there's one more desperate play in the Trump handbook. After recent events nothing will surprise in this American shitshow.
Dunno. Talking to an american neighbour he said he voted republican despite not liking Trump. He thought the damage the democrats will do (to the economy and society I'm guessing) presented a worse threat to the US than Trump. After Trump's 'last stand' he said he couldn't vote at all.Of those 74million, how many voted for Trump and how many voted for a GOP President?
What does a fascist state mean to you, out of interest?The pessimist in me shapes my wild guess. Trump will tie up most legal matters in the courts for years to come as he always has and providing he is constitutionally allowed to run for next election he will. 74 million americans voted for him and despite the damage the capitol riot has done to him amongst his voters he still has an enormous support base from which to relaunch. The majority of the republican party politicians still support Trump reflecting their utter contempt for democracy. There remains much to fuel his lust for power. If Trump can’t run again any one of his loyal followers will fill the void. I fear a truly authoritarian fascist USA is just an election or 2 away.
It really feels like there's one more desperate play in the Trump handbook. After recent events nothing will surprise in this American shitshow.
The pessimist in me shapes my wild guess. Trump will tie up most legal matters in the courts for years to come as he always has and providing he is constitutionally allowed to run for next election he will.
What does a fascist state mean to you, out of interest?
Also I don’t think it is a bad position to have utter contempt for US style democracy. It means that 74 million people at least have to have a government they don’t support, a government they have very little means of communicating with and their only means to change it is to vote every four years where their vote in the grand scheme of things is actually powerless. There is no exit option.
No system is perfect. But there are many lessons that can be taken from the Swiss version of Federation and blended with other ideas.Agree, representative democracy is an increasingly corrupt and tired model - but again, what do we replace it with? Thanks for the link to the Lichtenstein info, interesting but the author doesn't really come to grips with why that system is better, except by describing the system and the Prince's commitment to Mises. Reminded me of the Swiss Canton systems in some ways.
1) Quite a bit of direct democracy is built into the system
2) Political representation and decision making is quite decentralised and localised, meaning the people feel closer and engaged with the political system
3) No winner takes all Presidency - it's a collective executive
4) Very few would be considered professional political class (for want of a better description). Most political representatives are part time and keep their hand in their profession while serving. It means there isn't this demarcation between the political bubble and what's happening on the ground in the real world of electors.
What does a fascist state mean to you, out of interest?
Also I don’t think it is a bad position to have utter contempt for US style democracy. It means that 74 million people at least have to have a government they don’t support, a government they have very little means of communicating with and their only means to change it is to vote every four years where their vote in the grand scheme of things is actually powerless. There is no exit option.
Of those 74million, how many voted for Trump and how many voted for a GOP President?
I think perhaps a lot of what you have characterised as fascist is more about despotic regimes in general rather than unique characteristics of fascism. You might be interested in this:Good question. We use terms loosely. On a purely intuitive level - I've never studied it - I guess for me it means many things. All dark all negative. I think about fascist regimes of the past and now and their commonalities.
They are built on a complex order of many many lies and a demand for compliance. And I acknowledge that fascism doesn't have a monopoly on lies and demanding compliance.
They more often than not have a leader who is the saviour and so sole source of the truth. His lies are the new truth. Absolute loyalty is demanded. Transgressors are ruthlessly punished often involving public humiliation which ends up career ending or life threatening.
Fascist regimes undermine democratic institutions that threaten or contradict their narrative, their will. They peddle confusion and distrust in any body or institution outside of the regime so that fellow government officials, electoral and legal institutions, the media, the security branches, medical and educational institutions etc are all to be dismissed as enemies of the regime and so the people if they don't fall into line.
They invent grand conspiracies and upon these conspiracies nurture a lived experience disconnected from fact and tainted in fear. People and cultures and institutions which are not enemies are portrayed as such. Xenophobia reins. There is much to fear. They are racist.
Conciliation is viewed as weakness. And fascism is patriarchal so control over a woman’s body is essential. As such half of the population is perpetually discriminated against. I just can't think of anything inviting in fascism but that's my intuition.
Can you think of a country under a fascist regime now or in the past in which you would like to bring up your family?
As for the US, the state of play is contemptuous I agree. Way way too partisan. It's awful. How did it come to this?
Simply voting at election time isn't enough. It seems obvious that democracy is a fragile thing that needs to be constantly tended to by active community involvement at every level. And it obviously relies heavily on good faith actors of which unfortunately the US doesn't have enough of.
Have you a theory on why the US is so broken? If we were to roll back time and not invent the internet I wonder what a counter factual 2021 America would be like?