Politics explained....

[jmichna]

Although IMO the author of this quote is somewhat confused between the meaning of "democracy" versus "republic" (when it comes to the US), I think his sentiment sums things up rather nicely:

"Common delusions notwithstanding, the United States, I submit, is not a democracy---by which is meant a system in which the will of the people prevails. Rather it is a curious mechanism artfully designed to circumvent the will of the people while appearing to be democratic.

Several mechanisms accomplish this. First, we have two identical parties which, when elected, do very much the same things. Thus the election determines not policy but only the division of spoils. Nothing really changes....

Second, the two parties determine on which questions we are allowed to vote. They simply refuse to engage the questions that matter most to many people. If you are against affirmative action, for whom do you vote? If you regard the schools as abominations?... It is fraud.

In a sense, the candidates do not even exist. A presidential candidate consists of two speechwriters, a makeup man, a gestures coach, ad agency, two pollsters and an interpreter of focus groups. Depending on his numbers, the handlers may suggest a more fixed stare to crank up his decisiveness quotient for male or Republican voters, or dial in a bit of compassion for a Democratic or female audience.

The newspapers will report this calculated transformation. Yet it works. You can fool enough of the people enough of the time."

- Fred Reed

[XDConvert9mm]

Originally Posted by jmichna

Although IMO the author of this quote is somewhat confused between the meaning of "democracy" versus "republic" (when it comes to the US), I think his sentiment sums things up rather nicely:

"Common delusions notwithstanding, the United States, I submit, is not a democracy---by which is meant a system in which the will of the people prevails. Rather it is a curious mechanism artfully designed to circumvent the will of the people while appearing to be democratic.

Several mechanisms accomplish this. First, we have two identical parties which, when elected, do very much the same things. Thus the election determines not policy but only the division of spoils. Nothing really changes....

Second, the two parties determine on which questions we are allowed to vote. They simply refuse to engage the questions that matter most to many people. If you are against affirmative action, for whom do you vote? If you regard the schools as abominations?... It is fraud.

In a sense, the candidates do not even exist. A presidential candidate consists of two speechwriters, a makeup man, a gestures coach, ad agency, two pollsters and an interpreter of focus groups. Depending on his numbers, the handlers may suggest a more fixed stare to crank up his decisiveness quotient for male or Republican voters, or dial in a bit of compassion for a Democratic or female audience.

The newspapers will report this calculated transformation. Yet it works. You can fool enough of the people enough of the time."

- Fred Reed

I think we're about to see a great example of this thinking with the Democratic party nominee. If the SuperDelegates overrule the popular voters we'll have a true case in point of the above.