Earth to AP: The US Has Representative Democracy

The press is used to being the fourth estate, a priviledged cohort (0.00 / 0)

that perceived itself to be tasked with explaining to the people what their rulers were about.  That the people rule and that the current of power flows from them to their agents and public servants represents a new reality for the press, as well our representatives.
Government BY the people really didn't begin to flower until the universal franchise was achieved.  So, in a sense, we're a very young democracy.  There's a lot of sentiment to limit the definition of democracy to periodic use of the ballot box because that's a lot easier to manipulate than citizens who actively participate on a daily basis.

I'd be willing to bet that it never occurred to our industrial wizards that when people are laid off, they have a lot more time to become politically active.

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by: hannah @ Thu Nov 05, 2009 at 00:49:27 AM UTC

Well (4.00 / 2)

This point is hard to dispute:

For the gay rights movement, which has gained a foothold in New England, it was a stinging defeat. Gay marriage has now lost in every state - 31 in all - in which it has been put to a popular vote.

Most rights aren't "popular." I would hate to see free speech put on a ballot.

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by: JimC @ Thu Nov 05, 2009 at 01:22:34 AM UTC

It's pretty discouraging, what a bunch of spineless, (4.00 / 1)

cowardly wimps we are, compared to the Founders.

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by: elwood @ Thu Nov 05, 2009 at 02:15:40 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Are you forgetting (0.00 / 0)

their decision on slavery?

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by: FrankLloydMike @ Thu Nov 05, 2009 at 19:05:42 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

No - (0.00 / 0)

I just don't think we would even reach a debate on changing that.

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by: elwood @ Thu Nov 05, 2009 at 23:54:22 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Are you? (0.00 / 0)

In the Revolutionary era, New England had four states--Maine was part of Massachusetts and Vermont was disputed between New Hampshire and New York.

All four of the New England states abolished slavery by 1785.  The Constitution was ratified, President Washington took office, and the First Congress of the United States convened in 1789.

New England = win.

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Twitter: @DougLindner

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by: Douglas E. Lindner @ Fri Nov 06, 2009 at 04:22:23 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Adding: (0.00 / 0)

I'll concede that there were few slaves in New England relative to the South, but that's irrelevant.  The point of slavery was to provide free labor to slaveowners; denying gays their rights is of economic benefit to nobody.

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Twitter: @DougLindner

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by: Douglas E. Lindner @ Fri Nov 06, 2009 at 04:29:45 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

An abridged list of things that did not require a popular referendum: (4.00 / 6)

• Declaration of independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain
• Ratification of the United States Constitution
• Ratification of the Bill of Rights
• The Louisiana Purchase
• Wars with Spain and Mexico for Florida, the Gulf Coast, and the West
• Indian Removal
• Secession and establishment of the Confederate States of America
• The Civil War
• Abolition of slavery
• Purchase of Alaska
• Annexation of Hawaii
• Forcing Utah to abandon polygamy as a condition of statehood
• The Draft
• Women's suffrage
• Prohibition
• Repeal of Prohibition
• Social Security
• The Draft (again)
• Japanese-American internment camps
• The United Nations
• The Marshall Plan
• Presidential term limits
• The North Atlantic Treaty
• The Draft (again)
• School integration
• Interracial marriage
• Medicare
• The Civil Rights Act
• The Voting Rights Act
• The Draft (again)
• Lowering the voting age to 18
• Domestic wiretapping
• Legalization of abortion
• The forced resignation of President Nixon
• The installation of Vice President Ford
• Iran-Contra
• Letting all the roads and bridges rot (Reagan)
• The impeachment of President Clinton
• The installation of President Bush over Former President-Elect Gore
• Domestic wiretapping(again)
• Torture

That's just off the top of my head, but obviously none of those things were as earth shattering as gay marriage.

--
Twitter: @DougLindner

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by: Douglas E. Lindner @ Thu Nov 05, 2009 at 02:20:22 AM UTC