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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsFeingold: The Very Legitimacy of Our Democracy Is Under Threat
The Very Legitimacy of Our Democracy Is Under ThreatDonald Trumps presidency is just one element of our disintegrating democracy.
By Russ Feingold
March 10, 2017
Normally, our democracy is considered the most legitimate form of government because the power rests with the people. But when this power dynamic is altered and citizens lose their influence, the legitimacy of the system is threatened. And thats what we now face: a system in which money speaks louder than voters, voting is increasingly difficult, and the votes that are cast may not matter because of an archaic system known as the electoral college. As a result, we, as citizens, are governed by representatives who do not reflect or respect the values and priorities of the majority, and our democratic legitimacy is in grave danger as a consequence.
To understand the roots of our current crisis, we must first look to the orchestrated attack on the pillars of our democracy that began seven years ago, starting with the lawless Citizens United decision. In the years that followed, the attack continued with the recent wave of racially targeted voter-suppression laws, last years hijacking of the Supreme Court by the GOP, and capped off by a president who lost the popular margin by nearly 3 million votes. Yet we cannot treat these issues as one-off concerns. ..........
Stuart G
(38,448 posts)kerry-is-my-prez
(8,133 posts)dalton99a
(81,599 posts)delisen
(6,044 posts)2naSalit
(86,802 posts)CrispyQ
(36,527 posts)How much harm has this one man's obstructionism caused & is going to cause? The entire republican party is a threat to humanity.
plimsoll
(1,670 posts)You need to look back at the contract on America. Citizens United was just the inserting the catheter for the lethal injection.
Amaryllis
(9,525 posts)thus giving us the SCOTUS that allowed CU and much more, such as gutting the Voting RIghts Act in 2013. I'm sure others can come up with much more to add to the list. And I'm sure it goes back much further than the theft of those two elections. Have to look at what set it up for that to even happen.
Scarsdale
(9,426 posts)when presidents were expected to be superior beings, more intelligent, understanding and braver than most? Well, the gop does not appreciate those kinds of thoughts. They LIKE DUMB. First w, then Donnie Dump.