Crisis of Democracy Con't

The world is full of willing people, some willing to work, the rest willing to let them.
- Robert Frost

The quote is unrelated I just laughed when i read it and figured I'd share the humor.

I read the part of Crisis of Democracy written by Samuel P. Huntington on the Crisis as it exists in the United States.

I found myself agreeing with him on a singular point to a degree and the rest is just tragically amusing. He takes the point i agree on WAY past where I'd take it...or at least he quotes Walter Cronkite taking it further than i would, anyway. He says "By its very nature, the media cannot govern and has strong incentives to assume the oppositional role." and in the 1960's "the network organizations, as one analyst put it, became ' a highly creditable never-tiring political opposition, a maverick third party which never need face the sobering experience of governing.'"

And though I am all for free speech and media I am questioning the legitimacy of its message and how it is presented. Currently it is the oppositional party without the need for truth, value, nor accountability. However...

The overstatement comes here "Most newsmen come to feel very little allegiance to the established order. I think they are inclined to side with humanity rather than with authority and institution." I would say "siding with humanity" is probably not an insult to throw around if you actually want to make media look bad.

Anyway, the rest of the article he lists the 4 main causes of democratic destabilization in the US.

1. The democratic challenge to authority i.e the democratic surge in the 1960's and protesting for egalitarian ideals (the horrible bastards) and that it destabilized the American basis of social order: "Authority based on hierarchy, expertise, and wealth all, obviously, ran counter to the democratic and egalitarian temper of the times, and during the 1960's all three came under heavy attack. In the University, students who lacked expertise, came to participate in the decision-making process on many important issues...In politics generally, the authority of wealth was challenged and successful efforts made to introduce reforms toe pose and limit its influence." OH NO! God forbid we have egalitarian principles and allow university students to question authority and participate in government, and certainly we need to maintain the power of money.

2. Decline in Public Confidence and Trust

Which he attributes to the greater participation in earlier elections and then the voters realizing the people they voted in weren't doing what they were supposed to. But his solution isn't having the government do what its supposed to but to try to re-establish social norms and to have people participate less in democracy because "Marginal social groups, as in the case of the blacks, are now becoming full participants in the political system. yet the danger of overloading the political system with demands which extend its functions and undermine its authority still remains. less marginality on the part of some groups thus needs to be replaced by more self-restraint on the part of all groups" so...stop participating you youngins and blacks and women for fuck sake.

3. The decay of the party system

He talks about how people in the congress are no longer voting down party lines, they're actually campaigning as individuals and not a party which costs more money and makes people think rationally about government which we cant have. And, it encourages people to vote for peoples stances and their records and not down party lines so it damages how democracy should be run. He never outright says its terrible but later makes this statement: "the power of both these groups [communists and Congress (imagine the attitude for Communists in the 70's)]and one crucial question for the future--and governability--of democracy...is whether these oppositional bodies can adapt themselves to play responsible governing roles. Professor Crozier appears to be somewhat more optimistic about European communists in this respect than I am about to American Congress at this moment in time."

Literally, Crozier is very anti-communism and Huntington is saying that there is no chance in hell that Congress can succeed ever. They suck. Balls. So stop dividing yourselves side with your party don't think...be your party line.

4. Shifting Balance between Gov't and Opposition

He discusses how congress and the supreme court took power away from the president thus weakening the entire system. I don't have a sarcastic quip for this argument. I'm not sure how i feel about it honestly and don't know what the War Powers Act or the budgetary reform acts did so I'll research and return to it later.

Anyway, i will close up with his closing statement "A value which is normally good in itself is not necessarily optimized when it is maximized. We have come to recognize that there are potentially desirable limits to economic growth [uh, i guess we scrapped that idea] There are also potentially desirable limits to the indefinite extension of political democracy. Democracy will have a longer life it has a more balanced existence."

So, machiavelli wins again, it is not about Democracy, but the appearance of Democracy that matters.

So, what have we learned? Actual democracy is overrated, egalitarian ideals will destroy america, and please for the love of god don't be an individual in government, be your party. If you actually read your voters pamphlet you're an anarchist or worse a commie. So don't!