Just a word about “democracy”, that evil from the pits of Hell.
“Democracy” was just a small dark cloud on the horizon in 1776, but by the Philadelphia convention, developments in France had moved the issue to the front burner.
If the Confederation had lasted to, say, 1800, we might have avoided democracy altogether, but our Founders were wise enough to provide as many walls to keep democracy away as they could - the Senate, the Electoral College, life tenure for judges, supermajorities for treaties and amendments, State Legislatures responsible for (indirectly) appointing new Presidents, etc.
The democratizers have been attacking the walls since the 1800s, but it’s only since the 1960s that we have functional democracy even when it’s unconstitutional.
So, whenever any politician uses the expression “Our Democracy™”, understand that what he is worried about being destroyed is an absolute evil, whose destruction cannot come too soon.
“So, whenever any politician uses the expression “Our Democracy™”, understand that what he is worried about being destroyed is an absolute evil, whose destruction cannot come too soon.”
Amen.
We have too damn much democracy and have devolved to ochlocracy.
As ALL democracies have done since the beginning of time.
It’s time for our Caesar.
If Britain, Holland, Sweden, and Spain are democracies despite being monarchies, we are a democracy despite being a republic. There are no pure democracies in the world today, but plenty of democratic republics, like the US.
One big reason we became more democratic after 1800 is that Westerners didn’t want wealthy Easterners dominating the government, so they joined with urban workers to promote a wider franchise.
If that hadn’t happened, a lot of people complaining about democracy here, would still be complaining about control by a privileged oligarchy — well, we’re doing that anyway, but things wouldn’t be any better, and you might not even have a vote.
But agreed, I don’t trust anybody saying “They are taking away Our Democracy.”