Has Representative Democracy lost its legitimacy in the U.S.?

I think it boils down to a single, binary poll question:

Would you support delaying or canceling elections if you were certain that the group that assumes power is the only one that can save the nation from total destruction?

Originally posted by InverseLookingGlass
I think it boils down to a single, binary poll question:

Would you support delaying or canceling elections if you were certain a the group that assumes power is the only one that can save the nation from total destruction?

No, you should never cancel elections unless its physically impossible for people to vote.

And there is never only one group that could save the world from destruction, there are just varying methods.

Has Representative Democracy lost its legitimacy in the U.S.?,

Only as much as the people have allowed it, by not paying attention to what our politicians are doing and confusing "opinion" shows as "news"...Someone telling you when, how and why you should be angry vs. actual news.

Originally posted by InverseLookingGlass
I think it boils down to a single, binary poll question:

Would you support delaying or canceling elections if you were certain that the group that assumes power is the only one that can save the nation from total destruction?

edit on 24-5-2013 by InverseLookingGlass because: syntax error

I think given that campaigns run a couple years now, we should span out presidencies to a fixed 6 years...that would need to be done via constitutional convention. As it stands folks in DC already acknowledge that the first 18 months of a Presidency is the only time a President can get anything done before they are defending themselves against the next challenger...next campaign.

No to cancelling elections...ever.

reply to post by InverseLookingGlass


Representative democracy??

Do you mean Constitutional republicanism?

reply to post by InverseLookingGlass


"Has Representative Democracy lost its legitimacy in the U.S.?"

Short answer?

Yes, it has.

To your question in the OP?

Hell no.

About the only thing that'd save this nation now is a zombie apocalypse.

reply to post by InverseLookingGlass

Would you support delaying or canceling elections if you were certain that the group that assumes power is the only one that can save the nation from total destruction?

No.

Originally posted by InverseLookingGlass
I think it boils down to a single, binary poll question:

Would you support delaying or canceling elections if you were certain that the group that assumes power is the only one that can save the nation from total destruction?

edit on 24-5-2013 by InverseLookingGlass because: syntax error

The question I'd rather tackle is: "Has Representative Democracy lost its legitimacy in the U.S.?"

If one dug deeper than we usually do, the case could be made that representative democracy has never been completely legitimate and above board in this country.

Example:

New Jersey first congressional election, 1789 ~ Richard McCormick, wrote in the William and Mary Quarterly saying (paraphrasing) that "the elementary character of the election machinery of that time was such that it could be used by scheming men who were more than ready to do so".
www.jstor.org...

Presidential Election 1789

•Less than 1.3% of the population voted, eligibility to vote depended on property ownership requirements.
•Only 10 states participated in the election.

•Alexander Hamilton schemed to ensure that John Adams would get fewer votes to be Vice President than Washington for President. Hamilton worried about “that defect in the constitution which renders it possible that the man intended for Vice-President may in fact turn up President.”

presidentialcampaignselectionsreference.wordpress.com...

And of course there was the virulently federalist president John Adams who "acted swiftly before the end of his term to fill as many judgeships as possible on a partisan basis. One account noted, “the new judges were known as Midnight Judges because Adams was said to be signing their appointments at midnight prior to President Thomas Jefferson’s inauguration on March 4, 1801.”

opinion.inquirer.net...

I could give any number of examples.

Its amazing, when you think about it, that we KNOW all about ancient corruption and we KNOW about current corruption but many believe that in those few years during our founding only the most honorable men were "chosen" to run America.

Partisan scheming will prevent any such man as you mention from ever gaining office. We seem to prefer it that way, even on the brink of total destruction.