As the title says. Now, I've followed some of the "soon to be" presidential race. Sure, I got my opinions, and I am weak for Obama. Bias gotten rid of though: With such two candidates, it is like choosing a wrong to make a right!? Either way?! I just do not get it, least of all where democracy enters the picture? To me this is all foreign, abstract, silly. No candidate says what they will do. Just vague nothings. A little two degree course change on the Titanic. But neither really advocates real change, do they? Avoiding that iceberg. Nope, business as usual. With a smiley face or a frowning one. What a choice... I know it is eurocentric, and I apologize. If for no other reason than europe is just as bad. But the next US election, no-one will be happy with it. Either way You poor americans...
What a burden it must be to have so much wisdom and insight What exactly do people want? Two candidates so wildly different from one another that their policies only satisfy 5% of the radicals on either side of the spectrum?
Well, in most of europe you got something called a representative democracy. Call me crazy, but that involves many parties, and not just a false dichotomy of two parties. So liberals can get a big chunk of the parlament (equal to congress) despite not getting one single majority constituency. A 20% of the vote, in total, give something equal to a 20% representation in the national assembly. No winner takes all, but democracy. Have you tried it yet in the US?
last i checked the common vote in America didnt count anyways. so much for a democracy, the US is a republic and theres a massive difference between the two, literally and ideologically. if you call the US a democracy enough, people will start to believe it i suppose
Typical snobbish, elitist euro trash, bullshit. Brings to mind the old saying, "Never argue with an idiot, they will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience". Go try and bait someone else into giving you an argument, you must have some deepseated jealousy because you were not born a citizen of the greatest nation to ever grace the face of gods green earth. Saved your asses how many times now? If it wasn't for us you would be eating sauerkraut and sieg heiling someone about right now. Blatant disrespect (Name calling) is against the rules. Consider this a warning. - Liquidtruth
First off, the United States is not a democracy, we never were. We are a Representative republic. Second, as for the common vote not counting, what do you even mean? If your referring to the electoral college, then you need to study it a little more because that is the only way it could possibly be done fairly, not to the individual citizen but to the individual states. If you went by the popular vote then the states where there are the most residence would control the states where there is less of a population.
Guns and money; Don't always equate to greatness. Our efforts valiant none the less. I, unlike zylark, am not looking for an argument. only that we keep our own self evaluation in check. As well as our leaders.
And again I find myself agreeing with you, budda. I can't stand it when people say "the U.S. isn't a real democracy!" No fucking shit... we're a republic. That's how it has always been... since we originally claimed our independence from Great Britain. Ever heard the Pledge of Allegiance? "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the REPUBLIC for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." As for the electoral college... I think it works just fine. Otherwise every national election would be decided by California, Texas, New York, Florida, and a few others.
If the US is not practising democracy, why do they keep trying to "bring democracy" to other countries in the world? How do you export what you do not possess? At best the US is a Plutocracy, at worst Fascist. What Americans say and what the American government does are 2 totally different things, from what I've observed.
thats how you run for president. You get asked questions and you dance around the question and confuse the hell out of everyone with your answer that doesnt actually answer the question. quite annoying to watch if you ask me.
If you want to compare politics, you should look at the local level. Your country is as populated as one of our medium-sized states (like South Carolina), and your like 99% white. You are comparing politics of your small state to our nation of states. If the EU was a stronger central power that removed state sovereignty you would be closer to our situation. Is Norway an EU member yet? Democracy works better on a local level, and ideologies are more representative of the population. Simply put, America has power and Norway has none. Therefore, the corrupt flock to our establishment.
Not true. The Congo is a Democratic Republic. We are a Constitutional Republic. Democracy is simply a way for the elite to influence the outcomes.
You know, there's one thing about nationalism that bothers me... it's that we treat the nation as if it were our parents, experienced and wise from being around a long time, and feel like we owe it something. Economic debt is artificial and fragile. It was just luck to be born anywhere. Am I right?