#American democracy

[rosielindy]

🥰😂

[sher-ee]

Basically.

But I’ll choose good over evil every time.

[textingaboutprometheus]

Cannot believe Lovett is missing this #guilty

[tomorrowusa]

Donald Trump is a vampire trying to suck the blood out of American democracy.

To Vote Blue No Matter Who is the only sure way to put a stake through the heart of MAGAism.

[autumngracy]

At his rally in Lititz Pennsylvania today, Trump stated that he "shouldn't have left [office], because we did so well," referring to the transfer of power after Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election.

The remark echoed what Mr. Trump told some aides within days of his 2020 election loss: that he wasn’t going to leave the White House.

“I’m just not going to leave,” Mr. Trump told one aide. He told another, “We’re never leaving,” and added: “How can you leave when you won an election?”

During the same event, he also "joked" that he didn't mind if people shot the Press.

[tmarshconnors]

Biden and Trump First TV Debate

As I watch Biden and Trump face off in their first televised debate, I can't help but reflect on a country that has a population of 333.3 million people (as of 2022). With so many citizens, one would think there would be a wealth of candidates eager to run for the highest office in the land. Yet, here we are again, faced with a choice between Joe Biden and Donald Trump.

I am no fan of Joe Biden by any means, and I am not saying that Donald Trump is the "savior" of America either. The reality is far more complex. Surely, there must be more people who can run for office, bringing fresh perspectives and new energy to our political landscape. Instead, we seem trapped in a cycle of familiar faces and entrenched political battles.

The Problem with the Status Quo

No matter who wins the upcoming election, one thing is certain: the American people will lose out. This isn't just a uniquely American problem, either. Over in the United Kingdom, we're facing a similar scenario. Our general election on the 4th of July this year feels like a rerun of old political dramas, with little hope for real change.

In both countries, the political landscape seems devoid of truly inspiring leaders. We see the same names, the same faces, and hear the same tired rhetoric. It's as if our political systems are designed to recycle the past rather than innovate for the future.

Where Are the Fresh Faces?

One of the biggest questions is why we aren't seeing more new faces in politics. With so many intelligent, capable, and passionate individuals in both the U.S. and the U.K., why do so few step up to run for office? The reasons are multifaceted:

The Financial Barrier: Running for office is incredibly expensive. Campaigns require vast amounts of money, which often means that only those with substantial financial backing or connections can realistically consider running.

Political Entrenchment: Established politicians have a stronghold on their positions, making it difficult for newcomers to break through. The political machinery often favors incumbents, who have name recognition and a network of support.

Public Disillusionment: Many potential candidates are dissuaded by the current state of politics. The negativity, polarization, and media scrutiny can be overwhelming. This discourages fresh talent from entering the fray, preferring to make a difference in less public, and perhaps less contentious, ways.

The Impact on Democracy

The lack of diversity in our political candidates has a direct impact on democracy. When voters are presented with limited choices, it undermines the very principles of democratic governance. Democracy thrives on variety and choice, enabling the electorate to select leaders who truly represent their values and aspirations.

In the absence of this variety, elections become exercises in choosing the lesser of two evils rather than selecting the best possible leader. This, in turn, leads to widespread disillusionment and apathy among the electorate. When people feel that their vote won't bring about meaningful change, they are less likely to participate in the democratic process.

Looking Forward

As we watch Biden and Trump debate, we should be asking ourselves what we can do to encourage more people to run for office. How can we lower the financial barriers, dismantle the entrenched political systems, and inspire a new generation of leaders?

We need to foster a political culture that values innovation, inclusivity, and genuine public service. This means supporting candidates from diverse backgrounds and with new ideas. It also means holding our current leaders accountable and demanding more from them.

In the end, the future of our democracy depends on our ability to broaden the pool of candidates and ensure that our political systems are open to fresh voices and new perspectives. Only then can we hope to elect leaders who truly represent the will of the people and can bring about the change that so many of us desire.

In both the United States and the United Kingdom, the time for political renewal is now. Let's hope that the next debate, and the next election, will feature a more diverse and inspiring lineup of candidates, giving us all a reason to believe in the future of our democracy.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

This is from Forbes, hardly a bastion of "libtards" so it carries some serious weight with people like me.

"As American democracy rebounds, we need to return to a standard of truth when it comes to how the government communicates with the governed. The easiest way to do that, from where I sit, is to create repercussions for those who don’t follow the civic norms. Trump’s lawyers lie gleefully to the press and public, but those lies, magically, almost never made it into briefs and arguments – contempt, perjury and disbarment keep the professional standards high.

So what’s the parallel in the dark arts of communication? Simple: Don’t let the chronic liars cash in on their dishonesty. Press secretaries like Joe Lockhart, Ari Fleischer and Jay Carney, who left the White House with their reputations in various stages of intact, made millions taking their skills — and credibility — to corporate America. Trump’s liars don’t merit that same golden parachute. Let it be known to the business world: Hire any of Trump’s fellow fabulists above, and Forbes will assume that everything your company or firm talks about is a lie. We’re going to scrutinize, double-check, investigate with the same skepticism we’d approach a Trump tweet. Want to ensure the world’s biggest business media brand approaches you as a potential funnel of disinformation? Then hire away.

This isn’t cancel culture, which is a societal blight. (There’s surely a nice living for each of these press secretaries on the true-believer circuit.) Nor is this politically motivated, as Forbes’ pro-entrepreneur, pro-growth worldview has generally placed it in the right-of-center camp over the past century — this standard needs to apply to liars from either party. It’s just a realization that, as Daniel Patrick Moynihan famously said, in a thriving democracy, everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but not their own facts. Our national reset starts there."

[Thanks Tim Hackett]

[itsallpoliticsstupid]

The ‘perfect’ democracy – Why America’s system is broken beyond repair

The past few days have been difficult for any observer of American politics. Two candidates who are, quite frankly, inept and shouldn’t be able to run.

The Democratic candidate, a man who unquestionably seems to be struggling with his mental faculties to the extent he is underperforming, not only in debates, but on the world stage. No amount of experience matters now, because all he will be remembered for is the man who will lose to Trump. Because that seems to be the way things are heading now.

On the other side, we have a felon. Convicted of falsifying business records, and is awaiting three criminal court cases that haven’t been heard yet. A man who is believed to be linked to the highly concerning ‘Project 2025’ that would ultimately strip away the rights of many Americans, as well as the rights of the federal powers. A man who looks to win a second term due to a combination of Biden’s troubling campaign run, and the younger generation refusing to vote for Biden due to the war in Gaza and Israel.

But the issues we see are only on the surface, the American political system is broken and needs major reform if it is to continue as a democracy.

Here’s why.

The partisan politics – Due to the two-party nature of the system there is no real choice. It means that when we have two poor candidates, you have to vote for one of them or it will be a waste. A third party candidate is unlikely to get into power (and quite frankly, who would vote for Robert F Kennedy Jr with his current views on vaccines).

The ‘checks and balances’. Political – In theory, the separation of the judiciary and political systems is a good thing in principal. The problem is, in America, it cannot work properly when they only have two natural parties. You can be left with a situation whereby one party will either hold all the power. Or, power will be split in a way that makes the president a lame duck, and no legislation able to get through.

The ‘checks and balances’. Judicial – The Supreme Court is broken. Again, good in principal, but executed poorly. To be effective, the judiciary should be impartial. Working towards the views as set out by law, rather than the views of their own political party. Of course ultra-conservative justices will try and strip away rights, whilst those who are liberal will help to bring in legislation that protects the rights of all. You can't provide an effective check on the Government, if your political views align.

The fact a felon can run for president - I don't have to go into this. It's self-explanatory. No felon should be allowed to run for President, especially if they haven't served their time.

There is more but this is only my quick thoughts. It isn't eloquently or perfectly put. But it's a start.

[signode-blog]

Can a Convicted Donald Trump Still Run for the Presidency? Exploring Legal and Practical Implications.

Can a Convicted Donald Trump Still Run for the Presidency? The question of whether a convicted Donald Trump can still run for the presidency has stirred considerable debate and curiosity among legal experts, political analysts, and the general public. This discussion is particularly pertinent given Trump’s controversial tenure, ongoing legal challenges, and the polarizing nature of his…

[geeky-politics-46]

Who is the weirdo who decided what better way to deal with stress over the mid-term election than to write a story about America learning about democracy and getting excited over the idea of voting?

Me. It's me.

If our democracy is going down in flames tomorrow I'm at least going to make it stronger in my imaginary world.

I honestly don't know what the crystal ball holds for US democracy after tomorrow night, but if you believe in any form of deity please pray that the American public makes the right decisions. Pray that we stood up and chose democracy over creeping authoritarianism. Hold on to your hats folks it's gonna be a very long few days, but hopefully the story I post will make it a little easier. Also depending on results binge watching West Wing & Veep again.

And here's a few gifs about democracy, choose whichever one fits best after the potential car wreck or miracle...

[rosielindy]

I am permanently stepping back from all delusional people (mostly extended family) in my life. I don’t want to debate with them, my energy is better spent elsewhere.

From this point forward I will counter anyone who makes a statement about this traitor’s great character, especially when it’s based on staged events any fool could see are for photo ops only. No way to polish this turd, nope not having it. 💩💩💩💩

OMG, I’m really disappointed with some of the folks, I never wanted to believe they were this stupid. I refuse to pretend it’s ok. Not a matter of politics at this point, it’s a chasm between polar opposite personal values and worldviews.

Time to unleash and amplify the energy from the dawning of the age of Aquarius. It’s real, y’all.

💗💗💗💗

[sher-ee]

Explaining the Christian Nationalism (Project 25) manipulation.

I’m not a religious person, but for many who are (and everyone in general fighting this BS) this short explanation of what the GOP, Project 2025 and now SCOTUS are doing is worth the watch.

[uboat53]

"During Thursday night’s State of the Union address, President Joe Biden issued an unmistakable warning about the threat Donald Trump poses to American democracy. The speech also implicitly made a more subtle point about democracy: that defending it can require uncomfortably blunt talk. … If you ignore or downplay your opponents’ rhetoric, you fail to alert the public to the danger. But if you correctly point out that it threatens democracy, you risk coming across as a hypocrite: demonizing your opponents in the same way they’re demonizing you. But this supposed dilemma is no dilemma at all. The reason is deceptively simple: There is no hypocrisy in defending truth against lies. When Trump says the 2020 election was stolen, he is lying to create a pretext to overthrow a legitimate election. When Biden calls Trump’s behavior a threat to democracy, warning that the former president seeks “to bury the truth of January 6,” he is telling the truth about Trump’s lies and the dangers they pose to American democracy. Fail to appreciate this distinction and you risk falling into what I call the “norms trap:” prioritizing the appearance of respecting democracy’s principles over acting in those principles’ defense. … When he warned of the ongoing threat to American democracy, saying, “My predecessor and some of you here seek to bury the truth of January 6th,” he did indeed sound an unusually partisan note for the typically staid affair. This might seem like a violation of democratic norms, and some conservatives attempted to cast it as such. This was the theme of one of Fox News’ top stories after the speech. This is hard to take seriously as a good faith objection, especially given Trump’s State of the Union track record. As a rhetorical tactic, though, it’s a powerful distraction: an attempt to shift focus away from the substance of Biden’s warning about the rising threat to democracy, onto a disingenuous debate over whether Biden himself is behaving undemocratically. Yes, it’s rare for a president to in essence campaign during the State of the Union. But it’s also unusual for the president’s opponent to be someone who has a stated desire to be a “dictator on day one,” with a host of policies that could bring that vision frighteningly close to fruition. The State of the Union is supposed to highlight grave national concerns; this is clearly one of them. This is not to say that Biden can do or say whatever he wants to fight Trump. He should not break the law or take actions that meaningfully weaken American democracy (which Democrats are entirely capable of doing). But in a world where American democracy is facing an unprecedented threat from one of two major political parties, it’s reasonable to risk a too-partisan speech in order to safeguard it. It’s good that Biden recognized this and devoted a good chunk of the State of the Union to telling the truth."

Source

[intelligentchristianlady]

What's at Stake

From Heather Cox Richardson's newsletter for December 7, 2003:

"The once-grand Republican Party has been captured by the right wing. It has lined up behind former president Donald Trump and his cronies, who have vowed to replace the nonpartisan civil service with loyalists and to weaponize the Department of Justice and the military against those they perceive as enemies. They have promised to incarcerate and deport millions of immigrants and children of immigrants, send federal troops into Democratic cities, ban Muslims, silence LGBTQ+ Americans, prosecute journalists, and end abortion across the country. They will put in place an autocracy in which a powerful leader and his chosen loyalists make the rules under which the rest of us must live.

"Will we permit the destruction of American democracy on our watch?"

[tomorrowusa]

If Donald Trump is not an outright Nazi, he is at the least a Hitler fanboy.

And the proof does not come from Democrats but from people who served in his own administration.

As MSNBC's Ari Melber stated in that report, a spokesperson for the Trump campaign made a perfunctory denial. But at no time has Trump himself made an unequivocal condemnation of Hitler or fascism. We do know that his bro (Kan)Ye West is Hitler-friendly and that West brought Nazi white supremacist Nick Fuentes to dinner at Mar-a-Lago soon after Trump formally announced his 2024 candidacy.

Trump wants generals personally loyal to him rather than to the US Constitution. He spews Hitler-style rhetoric and makes threats against opponents.

Whether Trump's pro-Nazi comments are a result of ideological commitment or a symptom of advancing dementia makes no difference. Trump is a danger to American democracy either way.

Trump doesn't want to "make America great" but would rather make America Nazi.

It's necessary to ask people who support Trump: "Why are you so eager to put a Hitler-loving dictator in power?" Speak up now or forever hold your peace.