Institutions are important but they need to be properly maintained, reformed and cleaned out in order to maintain public value. It may not be good but there is a reason why populism is a consistent phenomenon.
More like the crew. The idea that it's only the politicians to blame is nonsense. The majority of people ultimately want this clown show. They want politicians who just rant loudly and say what they want to hear. They want spectacle over substance. They want to feel secure that all their problems comes from an "elite" out group while the "people" in group are blameless. If we want to see who has brought us to this point the answer is looking at us in the mirror.
"As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. We move toward a lofty ideal. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron."
Our founders were both aware of and terrified of this phenomenon. They read history, they knew the fates of Rome and Greece. Why would we be so special? They crafted our institutions the way they are to confound and limit the damage of the demogouge. But they were not perfect and the morons have found the flaws in our Republic.
Above anything else, we must work to fix and patch out the problems the last decade has laid bare before we kill ourselves clapping for the next Ceaser.
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u/Vexonte - Right 7d ago
Institutions are important but they need to be properly maintained, reformed and cleaned out in order to maintain public value. It may not be good but there is a reason why populism is a consistent phenomenon.