Of course America is a democracy. A flawed, and corruptible, and racist, democracy. Why do you think the right wing has to maintain such an enormous propaganda machine? Why do you think Republicans are clutching their pearls over the Iran war, and the spike in gas prices? It’s because they need votes. They need votes because they don’t have full control of the government apparatus, yet. That’s why they’re freaking out about the midterms, because they still don’t have their power fully cemented.
Yes, the supreme court is corrupted by the moneyed class. So are the lower courts, so is the congress, so is the executive. The same is true for state and local governments at every level. What about that makes it not a democracy? What democracy hasn’t had their institutions challenged, their power threatened, by the powerful? Of course they will try. They’ve been trying to hoard and amass power since day one, and when one falls, another power-hungry would-be tyrant will be next in line to try to seize more than their share. We do our best to stop them, sometimes more successfully than others. That’s democracy.
If democracy means anything at all, it’s a system where the people rule. By your loose definition, every country is a democracy! Every king and dictator has enormous propaganda machines because they need to keep their people from overthrowing them.
The Gilens and Page study gave the game away in 2005. “The preferences of the average American appear to have only a miniscule, near-zero, statistically non-significant impact upon public policy.” Policies are decided by the ruling class before a single vote is cast, the elections are simply another propaganda machine to trick people into giving their consent to be governed.
And right now the propaganda machine is telling you to just wait for the midterms and everything will be fine. You don’t need to do anything! Just sit back and relax, the system is working as intended, everything will work out. “Democracy”. What a joke.
I don’t think Mamdani is perfect, but I have a hard time believing his policies were decided on by the ruling class. Will they fight the implementation of those policies? Of course they will. Those with a need for power will never concedes an inch. That doesn’t mean that wasn’t a free and fair election decided by the people of NYC.
Also, IDK what propaganda machine you’re listening to but I have never heard anyone, of any political stripe, tell me “everything will be fine after the midterms”.
I’ve absolutely seen tons of astroturfed messaging saying “Let’s all wait for the midterms” since about when Trump took office. It has been the predominant message across so-called liberal media and so-called liberal groups. I have not heard that idea by anyone IRL. I have seen that message online stated many political accounts which popped up around January 2025 and caught the algorithm while everyone in the USA was rightfully freaking out about Elon’s Nazi salute, DOGE’s ransacking, and Trump’s absurd nominations.
I’ve definitely seen the “Now the Presidential elections are over, time to immediately focus on the midterms” variations that come about every four years, but they’re usually calls to action, not “just sit back and relax, the system is working as intended”. That… honestly just sounds like technically bad propaganda. If propaganists can’t get their targets in a rage about something, they’re leaving them open to someone who can.
Well, no, referring to our government as a democracy is factually incorrect. A democratic republic shares many things with a democracy, but the fact is a republic is built specifically to deny the public any actual direct voice in the government. So, not a democracy, no matter how much you dress it up to look like one.
I think what you’re describing is usually called direct democracy. If that’s the only kind of democracy you think is real democracy, I guess we’ll have to differ. I think there’s nothing inherently undemocratic about having elected representatives perform certain functions. I think at some scale it helps to have middle layers more than it hurts. That’s not to say direct democracy wouldn’t be preferable, I don’t know that I have a well-formed opinion on that. But if a system has consequential elections, no matter the structure of the government they elect, I’d call that a democracy.
As I recall, the technicality that separates the two involves any election done in the manner of our electoral college. The president is not elected by the people, by design.
Of course America is a democracy. A flawed, and corruptible, and racist, democracy. Why do you think the right wing has to maintain such an enormous propaganda machine? Why do you think Republicans are clutching their pearls over the Iran war, and the spike in gas prices? It’s because they need votes. They need votes because they don’t have full control of the government apparatus, yet. That’s why they’re freaking out about the midterms, because they still don’t have their power fully cemented.
Yes, the supreme court is corrupted by the moneyed class. So are the lower courts, so is the congress, so is the executive. The same is true for state and local governments at every level. What about that makes it not a democracy? What democracy hasn’t had their institutions challenged, their power threatened, by the powerful? Of course they will try. They’ve been trying to hoard and amass power since day one, and when one falls, another power-hungry would-be tyrant will be next in line to try to seize more than their share. We do our best to stop them, sometimes more successfully than others. That’s democracy.
If democracy means anything at all, it’s a system where the people rule. By your loose definition, every country is a democracy! Every king and dictator has enormous propaganda machines because they need to keep their people from overthrowing them.
The Gilens and Page study gave the game away in 2005. “The preferences of the average American appear to have only a miniscule, near-zero, statistically non-significant impact upon public policy.” Policies are decided by the ruling class before a single vote is cast, the elections are simply another propaganda machine to trick people into giving their consent to be governed.
And right now the propaganda machine is telling you to just wait for the midterms and everything will be fine. You don’t need to do anything! Just sit back and relax, the system is working as intended, everything will work out. “Democracy”. What a joke.
I don’t think Mamdani is perfect, but I have a hard time believing his policies were decided on by the ruling class. Will they fight the implementation of those policies? Of course they will. Those with a need for power will never concedes an inch. That doesn’t mean that wasn’t a free and fair election decided by the people of NYC.
Also, IDK what propaganda machine you’re listening to but I have never heard anyone, of any political stripe, tell me “everything will be fine after the midterms”.
I’ve absolutely seen tons of astroturfed messaging saying “Let’s all wait for the midterms” since about when Trump took office. It has been the predominant message across so-called liberal media and so-called liberal groups. I have not heard that idea by anyone IRL. I have seen that message online stated many political accounts which popped up around January 2025 and caught the algorithm while everyone in the USA was rightfully freaking out about Elon’s Nazi salute, DOGE’s ransacking, and Trump’s absurd nominations.
I’ve definitely seen the “Now the Presidential elections are over, time to immediately focus on the midterms” variations that come about every four years, but they’re usually calls to action, not “just sit back and relax, the system is working as intended”. That… honestly just sounds like technically bad propaganda. If propaganists can’t get their targets in a rage about something, they’re leaving them open to someone who can.
Well, no, referring to our government as a democracy is factually incorrect. A democratic republic shares many things with a democracy, but the fact is a republic is built specifically to deny the public any actual direct voice in the government. So, not a democracy, no matter how much you dress it up to look like one.
I think what you’re describing is usually called direct democracy. If that’s the only kind of democracy you think is real democracy, I guess we’ll have to differ. I think there’s nothing inherently undemocratic about having elected representatives perform certain functions. I think at some scale it helps to have middle layers more than it hurts. That’s not to say direct democracy wouldn’t be preferable, I don’t know that I have a well-formed opinion on that. But if a system has consequential elections, no matter the structure of the government they elect, I’d call that a democracy.
As I recall, the technicality that separates the two involves any election done in the manner of our electoral college. The president is not elected by the people, by design.