Palma:"perhaps the electoral college is reflecting the fact that us is a union
of states, and power sharing is the cardinal principle of the constitution. does anyone bother to note that "democracy" is a formal term to be speeld out in different ways?"I was taught that the US is actually a republic, but the term is used interchangeably with democracy. They are, of course, different. The republic part is that we send representatives. However, re your comment about power sharing, my thought is that the issue at the time of the writing of the constitution was how to fairly distribute power. To this end, all states, large and small, were to have two senators. This because a point of contention was that the small states did not want to be overwhelmed by large states. But even here, the senators were not to be elected by the people, but by the legislators of the states. Giving people the right to elect senators came later.
Now, the attempt to give this right back to legislators is a move on the part of reactionaries to make it cheaper to pay for votes. State legislators' votes bought and paid for would be a lot cheaper than hundreds of millions spent on advertising to deceive voters. Thereby proceeding along the path of getting people to vote against their own interests. Which is probably best figured out by psychologists. Or not.
Veronica Caley Milford, MI----- Original Message ----- From: "palma" <palma@xxxxxxxx>
To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Tuesday, December 07, 2010 1:10 PM Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: Giving Thanksgiving/Adorno and TAP perhaps the electoral college is reflecting the fact that us is a union of states, and power sharing is the cardinal principle of the constitution. does anyone bother to note that "democracy" is a formal term to be speeld out in different ways? On Tue, 7 Dec 2010, Veronica Caley wrote:
Robert: "The Constitution does not require that presidents be elected by a majority of the electorate; it does not even require that they be elected by a plurality."Which is why it is not all that democratic. The electoral college is to keep the majority from making a "mistake."Veronica Caley Milford, MI ----- Original Message ----- From: Robert Paul To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Sent: Monday, December 06, 2010 10:37 PM Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: Giving Thanksgiving/Adorno and TAP Omar wroteI mean, I would think that what distinguishes an authoritatian presidential system like the one in the US from dictatorship is the fact that the US president rules with the consent of at least the majority of the populace. If this circumstance were removed, it would be a dictatorship then. Conversely, if Saddam Hussain had been genuinely elected by the majority of Iraqis, he would not then have been a dictator but an authoritarian president.I'm not sure why you call the US form of government 'an authoritarian presidential system.' It isn't "authoritarian' in any ordinary sense of that word. Laws are passed by Congress and approved (or vetoed) by the president, although Congress may in turn override a veto by a vote of at least 2/3rds of both houses. The president appoints federal judges, including Supreme Court justices, but those nominated must be approved by Congress. The Supreme Court can overturn presidential directives (which are not voted on beforehand) such as Roosevelt's Executive Order 90662, which called for the internment of persons of Japanese descent living west of the Rockie Mountains. (In this case the Supreme Court upheld its constitutionality.) A president may be impeached or removed from office on other grounds byCongress (or, I imagine, by the criminal justice system). And so on.The Constitution does not require that presidents be elected by a majority of the electorate; it does not even require that they be elected by a plurality.See e.g. http://tinyurl.com/69yk5q Robert Paul. not running for anything
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||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Ratio, enim, nisi judex universalis esse deberet, frustra singulis datur. [ _Quaestiones Naturales_, Adelard of Bath ] Signora granda, testa che massa massa ne passa, che quasi schissa, Dia dei sostegni de cese e palassi Dia de le taje che su ne tien fissi Dia de le onde che le ne fa grassi, ne ingrassa de ogni grassia, Dia Venessia - aàh Venessia aàh Venàssia aàh VenùsiaAndrea Zanzotto, Filò, (Sezione: Recitativo Veneziano)
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