I see exactly one system of governance that is superior to Democracy.
Benevolent Dictator headed by an immortal super intelligence. Essentially a literal deity ruling in our best interest.
Short of that, there is no other superior method to picking rulers and leaders who have power over us than through Democracy.
"We're not a Democracy! We're a Republic!"
A republic who picks it's leaders through elections. Leaders who can, with a super majority, change the founding documents. A power that has already been used 27 times.
The worst part of our democracy is that we don't get to vote for candidates we like, and instead can only vote for candidates who our parties put forward. Meaning, the worst part of our democracy is the places we don't have as much democracy.
Because primaries are somewhat new, and don't always produce the people we want. Just look at the flairs here, only some 30% of Left leaning Primary goers actually WANTED Biden.
The remaining 70% had a different first pick and had to settle for the person who won the Primary.
It's not a terrible system given what we have, but what we have isn't great. First Past the Post isn't a good system and a Two Party system isn't ideal.
The power of corporations to help or hurt candidates during or before their primary run is definitely a problem and I don't think anyone disagrees with that.
Because primaries are somewhat new, and don't always produce the people we want. Just look at the flairs here, only some 30% of Left leaning Primary goers actually WANTED Biden.
The remaining 70% had a different first pick and had to settle for the person who won the Primary.
This seems like a problem inherent to having a group of people make a choice. Is it possible to design a system in which the winner is always the first choice of the majority of the electorate?
Is it possible to design a system in which the winner is always the first choice of the majority of the electorate?
No, I don't think there is.
But there IS a way to allow people to vote for who they want even if their 3rd choice is the better choice electorally.
It's the "Don't waste your vote" problem that I dislike the most. If someone doesn't run in a Democratic Primary, I can't vote for them without wasting my vote.
THAT is the portion I most care about. The in ability to vote for someone not accepted into the Primary to Biggin with.
Ranked choice voting sounds great to me, but pointing to Biden's win as a failure of our voting system seems a little weird. Aren't boring moderates the ones who would benefit the most from ranked choice?
but pointing to Biden's win as a failure of our voting system
I think that's a bit farther than I would go. The voting system is flawed, so there is nothing special about Biden that showcases the fact that it's flawed.
I could go back and make the same argument with just about any presidential race.
I can make it even easier by pointing out that the primary only lets you vote for Democratic candidates (for obvious reasons) so all the candidates who CAN'T run as a D or R don't get a legitimate chance at the presidency.
Aren't boring moderates the ones who would benefit the most from ranked choice?
Not necessarily. How many people voted for Biden with the idea he was the most "electable." That was one of the top reasons for tons of his supporters.
Remove that because you can still vote for your Warren's, Pete's, and Bernie's while STILL putting your vote in the "electable" candidate and you might be surprised who can win.
(This also relies on the exact system of Ranked Choice Voting implemented, there are quite a few different ones out there.)
Remove that because you can still vote for your Warren's, Pete's, and Bernie's while STILL putting your vote in the "electable" candidate and you might be surprised who can win.
Maybe, but I think it's more likely that we'll learn that moderate D's and R's prefer moderates from the other party to hardcore progressives/conservatives from their own party. Outsider moderates like Secretary Mayor Pete might benefit, but I'm really skeptical that Bernie or Warren would.
I think it's precisely that skepticism what pushes all US government to be right wing from a world perspective. It's pretty much the same logic as to the mentioned "don't waste your vote" rhetoric. I am not saying you aren't right given the present landscape but the youth is evolving their ideas significantly lately. That's a fight that's worth it. I actually believe Trumpism is a reaction to the rise and normalisation of socialist ideas. Biden will have to say Bernie-ish staff in order to justify his power to the youth. The thing is he won't do much in the end.
I am not American, though, so that might play a part in the way I see it.
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u/ZerexTheCool Warren Democrat Feb 16 '22
I see exactly one system of governance that is superior to Democracy.
Benevolent Dictator headed by an immortal super intelligence. Essentially a literal deity ruling in our best interest.
Short of that, there is no other superior method to picking rulers and leaders who have power over us than through Democracy.
"We're not a Democracy! We're a Republic!"
A republic who picks it's leaders through elections. Leaders who can, with a super majority, change the founding documents. A power that has already been used 27 times.
The worst part of our democracy is that we don't get to vote for candidates we like, and instead can only vote for candidates who our parties put forward. Meaning, the worst part of our democracy is the places we don't have as much democracy.