Quo Vadis GOP?

[alfred russel]

Using the POLITY data series, The Center for Systemic Peace has downgraded the system of government of the United States of America from a democracy to an anocracy, a "regime that mixes democratic with autocratic features". From a notice on the front page of the CSP website:

The USA has dropped below the "democracy threshold" (+6) on the POLITY scale in 2020 and and is now considered an anocracy (+5). It has also lost its designation as the world's oldest, continuous democracy; that designation now belongs to Switzerland (171 years), followed by New Zealand (142) and the United Kingdom (139). Further degradation of democratic authority in the USA will trigger an Adverse Regime Change event.

The downgrade can be tied directly to the Trump administration's actions over the past four years:

In 2019, CSP changed the USA code for Executive Constraints from 7 to 6 due to the executive's systematic rejection of congressional oversight; dropping its POLITY score to +7 and resetting its DURABLE score to "0". In 2020, the coding for Executive Constraints will fall another point or two due to the executive's systematic purge of "disloyalists" from the administration, forceful response to protest, vilification of the main opposition parties; and undermining public trust in the electoral process, reducing the USA POLITY score in 2020 to +5 (anocracy).

Their analysis also places the US at "high risk of impending political instability (i.e., adverse regime change and/or onset of political violence)" and designates "the ongoing efforts of the USA executive to circumvent electoral outcomes and subvert democratic processes as an 'attempted (presidential) coup'".

I find this to be bizarre. Apparently we were a democracy from 1860 through 1900 and with Nixon, but not now...We used to have mass disenfranchisement, significant political violence, and people that would stand up in Congress and brag that the elections in their states were fixed.

[The Brain]

My understanding is that in the Nixon era GOP senators were prepared to tell a GOP president to go over something as trivial as Watergate. Today such a scenario is unthinkable.

[Jacob]

I find this to be bizarre. Apparently we were a democracy from 1860 through 1900 and with Nixon, but not now...We used to have mass disenfranchisement, significant political violence, and people that would stand up in Congress and brag that the elections in their states were fixed.

Perhaps the bar for what qualifies as a democracy has moved since 1900?

[Admiral Yi]

It seems to me like a measure expressly designed to call the post-Trump US something other than a democracy.

Just one point off America!  So close!

[Jacob]

The significant weakening of democracy in the US in recent years is one of the things that I find very disturbing. And in Sweden openly supporting democracy is best avoided if you don't want to be called evil, which is very different from the situation say 30 years ago.

What's the story with Sweden? I assume it's some sort of political correctness/ excess wokeness thing?

[Razgovory]

Wait, Brain is a real person?  I thought he was an algorithm written by vM that posted semi-appropriate modified pop references.

[Jacob]

Wait, Brain is a real person?  I thought he was an algorithm written by vM that posted semi-appropriate modified pop references.

He paints miniatures. As far as I know that's something only real people do.

[jimmy olsen]

I find this to be bizarre. Apparently we were a democracy from 1860 through 1900 and with Nixon, but not now...We used to have mass disenfranchisement, significant political violence, and people that would stand up in Congress and brag that the elections in their states were fixed.

Are they just ignoring the election of 1876?

[Syt]

Democracy is great, but it relies on a politically educated and well informed electorate; this seems to me a major issue today - I feel in a lot of countries people have become apathetic because life in consumerist societies, on the whole, was good for the majority.

[The Brain]

The significant weakening of democracy in the US in recent years is one of the things that I find very disturbing. And in Sweden openly supporting democracy is best avoided if you don't want to be called evil, which is very different from the situation say 30 years ago.

What's the story with Sweden? I assume it's some sort of political correctness/ excess wokeness thing?

Well, many people today think that enemies of The Good should not be allowed any space in public discourse. If you express support for an open democratic society you support the enemies of The Good getting to speak, which these people find abhorrent. "-So you want Nazis to be allowed to march on our streets??!? -Yes, they and everyone else, since democr... -Monster!! Nazi!!!"

One of the mechanisms that drive them is that they themselves only view democracy as a tool to get what they want. When democracy results in something other than what they want they think it's OK and even great to take a dump on the democratic decisions they disagree with. They call it "activism". This also makes them completely unable to grasp that other people might actually genuinely support democracy, and any argument put forward by other people is viewed through the lens that they're familiar with and understand.

30 years ago the uncontroversial ideal was a society where ideas get to be expressed without fear and where democracy is desirable as a system, and that accepting democratic decisions even when you don't like them is important.

[The Brain]

Wait, Brain is a real person?  I thought he was an algorithm written by vM that posted semi-appropriate modified pop references.

I am unreal.

[Threviel]

And in Sweden openly supporting democracy is best avoided if you don't want to be called evil, which is very different from the situation say 30 years ago.

Huh? What are you mumbling about?

[The Brain]

And in Sweden openly supporting democracy is best avoided if you don't want to be called evil, which is very different from the situation say 30 years ago.

Huh? What are you mumbling about?

*shrug* I can only report what I see and experience.

[Threviel]

And in Sweden openly supporting democracy is best avoided if you don't want to be called evil, which is very different from the situation say 30 years ago.

Huh? What are you mumbling about?

*shrug* I can only report what I see and experience.

I'm intrigued, tell me more.

[The Brain]

And in Sweden openly supporting democracy is best avoided if you don't want to be called evil, which is very different from the situation say 30 years ago.

Huh? What are you mumbling about?

*shrug* I can only report what I see and experience.

I'm intrigued, tell me more.

See above.