• Eyck_of_denesle@lemmy.zip
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    8 months ago

    Can’t Americans do something to change the way elections happen? I still think 81 is too old to run as a politician let alone a president. People say America is one of the greatest democracies but I’m really not seeing it.

    Also no offence guys, I’m not into politics. Just a layman question.

    • EldritchFeminity
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      8 months ago

      The TL;DR of it is that the people with the power to change that are the same people who benefit from it the most and therefore whose best interests are to prevent it from changing.

      And America is the greatest democracy in the same way that corporations find that they did nothing wrong upon investigating themselves.

    • index@sh.itjust.works
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      8 months ago

      Can’t Americans do something to change the way elections happen?

      Yes but they are too brainwashed into thinking they must vote either red or blue to save the country

      • Ludwig van Beethoven@sh.itjust.works
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        8 months ago

        It’s the disproportionate electoral system. A serious third candidate would “spoil” the vote of one party, and then you just hand the win to the other side.

        • index@sh.itjust.works
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          8 months ago

          A third party would spoil corrupted red and blue ambitions because as soon as they see a drop in their votes they go in panic mode and they have to change their policies to actually appeal people.

          • abraxas@sh.itjust.works
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            8 months ago

            Republicans were (are?) a huge backer for the Green party because a strong Green candidate guarantees a Republican win.

    • abraxas@sh.itjust.works
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      8 months ago

      America is one of the greatest democracies but I’m really not seeing it.

      We’re not a great democracy at all. We’re a world power. Big difference. World Powers have this weird history of being shit governments. Ask Russia and China sometime

      Or, as Republicans would remind you, we’ve never been a Democracy at all, but a Republic.

    • BaldManGoomba@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      We aren’t the greatest democracy. The only choice we have is some state ballots and representatives from a 2 party system. It takes decades to get things passed that 70% of Americans want. The largest predictor of something getting passed is if rich donors want it.

    • Olgratin_Magmatoe@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      People say America is one of the greatest democracies but I’m really not seeing it.

      As an American, I can tell you it’s a shitty democracy. Politicians are openly bribed in the form of “lobbying” by corporate interests and the rich. Its a two party system thanks to having FPTP voting everywhere.

      Any given legislation has a 30% chance of getting approved regardless of public support, unless said legislation is supported by the rich, then it’s far closer to 100% chance.

      America is is on the fence post with outright fascism on one side, and milquetoast flawed democracy on the other.

    • Aceticon@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      The louder and more often a politician proclaims some great quality, the less true it is.

      America, with it’s voting system designed by landowners to mathematically create a power duopoly, is at best straddling the boundary between Democracy and Dictatorship, which is why you end up with situations like this, were all there is two anti-choices (“vote me ´cause I ain’t him”), somewhat better than what’s going on in Russia but far from good enough.

      All that harping about Greatest Democracy In The World TM is pure compensation.

      • Wiz@midwest.social
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        8 months ago

        They thought, “We don’t want tyranny if the majority!”

        But then we ended up with tyranny of the minority, and that’s worse!

    • DaSaw@midwest.social
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      8 months ago

      Our democracy is a great democracy the way an antique car is a great car: great in its time, but it’s time for an upgrade.