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Comment Threads

• pjm commented on Political failure modes and the beige dictatorship
  (This topic get cross-listed on Crooked Timber and I wrote skads there.) @Charlie - I disagree with more than one unspoken (or not) premise. 1) I believe that representative democracy is quite a significant invention in human history but they are not created equally (at the extreme undemocratic and dysfunctional end is the US but the UK, then perhaps France and Japan) all have anti-democratic and dysfunctional features. 2) I think PR systems are superior for the purposes of democracy (and for the representing the interests of the majority, especially working people) but even PR systems can have structural weakness...
• mizminh commented on Political failure modes and the beige dictatorship
  In the spirit of Whitman's "I contain multitudes" I wish more than one of those multitudinous selves to be represented in our democracy. Now it's just one aspect of my geographical self that has a rep. I have no one specifically there to speak for my age or gender or profession(s) or my bio-region. My presence at a street address is the basis of my relationship with my sole representative. Representative democracy is all very singular....
• RDSouth commented on Political failure modes and the beige dictatorship
  Yeah. The money part of the vote divides up along lines of natural special interest groups, but the ballot vote is gerrymandered geographically. That's why I like the idea of self gerrymandering. I'll give an example in a hypothetical US State. The state of Coronado has 5 members of congress assigned to it based on the Census. After the census, the state government divides the state up into 5 geographical districts, only having to ensure that the populations of the districts (also according to addresses on the census) are equal. These districts remain in effect until the next census, ten...
• Gerald Fnord commented on Political failure modes and the beige dictatorship
  That there were discontent from harder-right conservatives within the U.S.'s Republican Party is doubtless true, but if it had just stayed discontent it would be essentially meaningless, since no matter what even democratic governments (or you) do, there will be some noticeable number of people who will be discontent therewith. It was the use of these people by oligarchs for their ends ('Rich people hiding out in the middle of a bunch of poor people,' according to the better translation of a fictional Chinese lecturer c.2030 C.E.) that made the difference...just about the same time as (for example) Jim Santelli...
• David L commented on Political failure modes and the beige dictatorship
  Why couldn't they allow residents of the state to register in another district if they were willing to travel there to vote? Of course living in the US you do realize that you really vote in multiple districts. Local (sometimes several), state, federal. Your system would get to be a bit crazy unless totally virtual/online....