Don't discount American democracy's resilience(natesilver.net)
natesilver.net
Don't discount American democracy's resilience
https://www.natesilver.net/p/dont-discount-american-democracys
9 comments
Don't assess American democracy's resilience by referring to any historical parallels, including quite recent ones. Nothing is now as it was before.
Countries that have reverted from democracy to authoritarianism/autocracy: Argentina, Austria, Bangladesh, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Chile, Egypt, Germany, Greece, Guinea, Hungary, Italy, Mali, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Niger, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Serbia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Thailand, Turkey, Uruguay, Venezuela, Zimbabwe
Countries that went that way due to coup: Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Chile, Egypt, Germany, Greece, Guinea, Honduras, Italy, Mali, Myanmar, Niger, Pakistan, Peru, Russia, Spain, Sudan, Thailand, Uruguay
Countries that have gone from democracy to partial erosion of democracy: Armenia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, El Salvador, Georgia, India, Israel, Mexico, Nepal, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, South Africa, United States
There's a reason they called it the democratic experiment. We've had a good run, but everything ends eventually.
Countries that went that way due to coup: Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Chile, Egypt, Germany, Greece, Guinea, Honduras, Italy, Mali, Myanmar, Niger, Pakistan, Peru, Russia, Spain, Sudan, Thailand, Uruguay
Countries that have gone from democracy to partial erosion of democracy: Armenia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, El Salvador, Georgia, India, Israel, Mexico, Nepal, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, South Africa, United States
There's a reason they called it the democratic experiment. We've had a good run, but everything ends eventually.
Interesting article. I find it a little bit ironic, though, to say "it's more complicated than just a one dimension", and then to use what sounds like "naive metrics" to e.g. compare democracies.
Isn't it arbitrary to say "the longest standing"? What about "the oldest"? Would Greece qualify? Or "the happiest"? Or "the less unequal"? There are surely many ways to compare democracies.
> Events are pro-democratic [...] such as free and fair elections with multiple parties, and courts and parliaments;
Apart from being the "longest standing" democracy, could one ask if it is the most exemplary? Shouldn't that count as well? There are only two parties in the US, and they don't exactly cover the largest spectrum of political opinions. For many other countries, the US don't have a "left" at all: in comparison they would be the right (democrats) and the far right (republicans).
> or if they are in support of civil liberties such as freedom of association and speech.
Same thing here: "freedom of speech" is more complicated than it seems. Does being in support of hate speech count as pro-democratic? One could ask... When Elon Musk, after making nazi salutes himself, says that Germany is against free speech because it is illegal to make a nazi salute there, does that count as pro-democracy?
Isn't it arbitrary to say "the longest standing"? What about "the oldest"? Would Greece qualify? Or "the happiest"? Or "the less unequal"? There are surely many ways to compare democracies.
> Events are pro-democratic [...] such as free and fair elections with multiple parties, and courts and parliaments;
Apart from being the "longest standing" democracy, could one ask if it is the most exemplary? Shouldn't that count as well? There are only two parties in the US, and they don't exactly cover the largest spectrum of political opinions. For many other countries, the US don't have a "left" at all: in comparison they would be the right (democrats) and the far right (republicans).
> or if they are in support of civil liberties such as freedom of association and speech.
Same thing here: "freedom of speech" is more complicated than it seems. Does being in support of hate speech count as pro-democratic? One could ask... When Elon Musk, after making nazi salutes himself, says that Germany is against free speech because it is illegal to make a nazi salute there, does that count as pro-democracy?
Don't discount how dumb nate silver is.
Citizens United?
What's that?
What's that?
We’ll see. You can already see the Trump admin moving pieces into place to capture or contest the midterm elections.
"Are you saying that because you think it's true or because you really, really wish it were true?"
Congress is feckless, Citizens United allowed oligarch's to control the country, and there is not left or right wing - they are the same bird.
I do think American's desire for democracy is very resilient but I worry that the 'force and might' of the gov may become to strong and the public does not have the apatite to bare war and suffering required to remove it.
Hopefully it doesnt come to that and Trump's power can be voted away in the midterms and there will be a peaceful transition back to sane governance.
Hopefully it doesnt come to that and Trump's power can be voted away in the midterms and there will be a peaceful transition back to sane governance.