87 Comments - Furtive Look - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 11:28 am: Yes. Because the Senate, the electoral college and the current membership of the GOP. - Sharia Capo - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 11:30 am: How schizophrenic is the public? The Republicans are most least likely to believe that internal political instability is the greater danger BUT are also most likely to believe that democracy could collapse. The reverse goes for Democrats. - Frumpy White Guy - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 11:32 am: Yes. If we fail to follow up on defunding the police. We must also double down on eliminating systemic racism. Tough on crime doesn’t work. We must validate and nature those who are forced to commit crimes to feed their families. - moving forward - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 11:32 am: while some have dismissed russian collusion/russia hoax (depending on your political persuasion), its safe to say that with minimal investment, america’s adversaries have used social media to turn us against ourselves. its so unfortunate, and i don’t know how to reverse the trend. we are all pointing fingers at ourselves, meanwhile, russia has 100,000 troops and armaments amassed on the border with ukraine ready to invade. the former guy undermined nato, and now we will see whether or not that alliance remains intact. if it isn’t, look out. - Lake Villa Township - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 11:33 am: We need top 4 advance open primaries (all candidates under one primary regardless of partisanship) with ranked choice voting as Alaska voted in favor of via referendum in 2020. This base turnout model of politics that we are currently engaged in is tearing this country apart at the seams. - Linus - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 11:34 am: Here’s the first definition of “democracy” that appears though the Google machine: “a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives.” As long as deliberate steps are being taken to limit free and fair elections as well as adherence to their outcomes, we remain in trouble. For reference, see Jan. 6-related foolishness and the laws several states have put in place to restrict voting. - Gruntled University Employee - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 11:36 am: I voted yes. It’s my belief that if another 911 style attack happened today it would even further divide us instead of uniting us like it should. - Vote Quimby - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 11:38 am: I voted yes, because Americans are losing faith in the election system. For too long, politics has been attracting the wrong kind of candidate–enriching themselves and their “class”. For our democracy to survive, cooperation and compromise are necessary. The current officeholders and candidates do not view that as a successful strategy. - Moe Berg - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 11:38 am: The top leaders of one of the country’s two major political parties were involved in plotting to overturn the results of the November 2020 election because it didn’t go their way. The previous president refused to attend his successor’s inauguration - which symbolically marks the tradition of the *peaceful* transfer of power. That former president incited his followers to storm the United States Capitol and we came perilously close to seeing members of congress and even the vice president of the United States suffer serious injury or death. One of those parties is systematically trying to replace election officials in states around the country to disrupt or dispute the results of the 2022 and 2024 elections - and blocking the passage of federal legislation to secure voting rights and a free-and-fair election process. We are in grave danger of losing our democracy, and one party is actively, openly abetting what would be that catastrophe. There’s no both-sides on this question; the truth is not in the middle. - El Duderino - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 11:39 am: Yes, because the so-called progressives despise a constitutional republic with a capitalist economic system and have worked tirelessly for decades to erode the institutions that make them operate. - zamdeuce - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 11:41 am: No. A ridiculous notion. Maybe in other countries but not this one. Political hyper-polarization contributes to this fear and it’s is due to the fault of BOTH parties; this can be solved and should be, it’s not that hard, start putting the political and proverbial arms down. Do it sooner than later, preferably. Then polls can remove this question from the menu of issues du jour. - Phineas Gurley - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 11:42 am: I give Trump a 40% chance of being elected. And you have the former Speaker of the House Gingrich saying that Liz Cheney, Illinois’ own MC Kinzinger, and other members of the House should be jailed for conducting an investigation into an attack on the US Capitol. Pile on attacks on independent election officials across the country and yes — our democracy is seriously at risk. 40% chance we slide into serious autocracy and tyranny. - DoinStuff - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 11:43 am: I voted no for reason that I believe that our system of government and it’s institutions are far more resilient than we might give credit. It may suffer from poor health, but it’s far from a terminal state. - Candy Dogood - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 11:43 am: Yes. The reason for my answer is likely a very lengthy and multifaceted position that isn’t really appropriate for this kind of setting, but I’ll try to keep it short. There’s an intentional effort to prevent the United States from enacting policies that will benefit most or almost all Americans, even policies that are incredibly popular. This intentional effort has moved into an endgame strategy that relies on the purposeful disenfranchisement of voters through every means imaginable. These efforts to make the United States less democratic are presented under the guise of ballot security or ballot protection efforts. In order to achieve support for these efforts, narratives to promote racism, fictitious version of history, and Christian Nationalism have been wholly embraced. Poverty and economic distress have been turned into reinforcements of the antidemocratic and nationalist messages. Our Democracy is in peril and we’re still cutting checks to Representative Chris Miller after he declared war on the American people right before the Capitol of the United States was attacked by an insurrectionist mob that sought to install a dictator. Our democratic norms and our democratic values are not able to protect themselves. - Grandson of Man - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 11:45 am: Yes, unfortunately, because of Trumpism and state-level GOP voter suppression laws and efforts. One of the worst examples is empowering state legislatures to overturn Secertaries of State’s election certification roles, making legislatures able to overturn elections. Obama’s legitimacy was doubted, so it didn’t start with Trump, though Trump seized on and profited greatly from it. The right wing has been long-lathered to hate opponents, starting with Rush Limbaugh decades ago and growing with other media media. Those fruits are coming to bear. - ZC - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 11:45 am: Yes, because while I don’t see it as a -high- possibility, there is a scary possibility that is plausible: You theoretically only need a very small number of Republicans and conservatives in the right place, to hijack / overturn a 2024 presidential electoral result, in the name of “preventing fraud.” Just vote to overturn the election results, on a trumped-up pretense that satisfies no actual election experts but plays well on right wing media, even while everyone at the highest levels even there knows that it’s a joke. 2020 was the test run. Very few Republicans still, would -initiate- that … and few Republicans in the electorate, would advocate for that. But, it might only take a relative handful. And with the media and polarization the way it is, -after- it happened, a huge number of everyday Republicans (and conservative media) would fall in line, after the fact. And then it would be the Democrats’ move. Would they just stand by and accept, a stolen election, under something like, “Well by the existing laws and state legislatures and Constitution, we stole it fair and square”? What if the Democrats refused? That’s the one, somewhat plausible scenario that keeps me worried. - Huh? - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 11:45 am: When the GOP actively participates, condones, and minimizes the actions of tramp, the US democratic experiment is on the verge of failing. The continued activity against voting rights by the GOP demonstrates that the party is actively pursuing an autocratic agenda. - Ashland Adam - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 11:45 am: Voted Yes. Social media divides us. Subjective News and radio programs emphasize differences, exploit fear, spread mistruths. And there seems a willingness on the part of a major political party - to pursue power at all costs. Even denying Jan. 6th…and science. Not seeing a way out. - 47th Ward - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 11:46 am: I answered yes. We’re on a 30 year trend of declining public confidence in institutions like Congress, the News Media, religion and many more. Some of that is Generation X cynicism, some of it is deserved (Catholic Church and it pedophile problems), but some of it is being driven intentionally. Ironically, I think if we could find the smoking gun that proves Russia, China, Iran and others are using social media and other tactics to divide the United States, which I believe is happening, that might do more to unite our divided nation than any thing else. We are being intentionally divided, and there are bad actors who benefit from this. They would like to see the US collapse and retreat from the world stage. Like Steve Bannon, they would replace democratic governments with strong-men, sort of a global oligarchy, letting the ultra wealthy control the world. That’s Bannon’s utopia. And he has allies. Right now, it’s left vs. right, on everything it seems. Action-reaction and on and on. But like any good family fight, we might talk (stuff) about each other, but if someone from outside the family says something bad about my brother, he’s going to have me as an enemy too. I don’t think we’ll rally around each other until we’re faced with a clear and present external threat. I think the threat is there, but I can’t prove it and I have no idea if we’ll figure it out before it’s too late. - Donnie Elgin - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 11:47 am: No…”The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people” - Montrose - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 11:47 am: I voted no for pretty much the same reason as DoinStuff, but I did hesitate. My confidence is shaken. We have crossed lines I never thought we would cross. - Ashland Adam - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 11:51 am: Please excuse the typo - “…the party of…” not ‘…part…’ - Groucho - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 11:54 am: This applies to both Dems and Republicans. When you can’t agree to disagree. Resort to name calling when you can’t agree. When TV personalities control your critical thinking with Propaganda(fox, MSNBC). Whine about the outcome of elections 2000 by Dems, 2020 Republicans. We have nothing holding us together. - emminent domain nightmare - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 11:55 am: Yes, absolutely. Because there is a not insignificant portion of our country that wants authoritarianism and representatives/senators who are willing to pander to them. - thunderspirit - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 11:55 am: I voted yes, because January 6, 2021 was a trial run. The next time such an attempt happens — with laws already passed in various states allowing legislatures to send a slate of electors not chosen by popular vote every fourth November — it’ll be condoned rather than criticized. - fs - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 11:56 am: “Yes.” - Abraham Lincoln, January 27, 1838. - Todd - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 11:56 am: Yes I think we have a problem. We are now two countries, without any clear geographical boundaries of the two. The dems hated Bush v Gore and It really began getting legs under Obama when the tides turned and the shoe was on the other foot. When I was in South Africa the owner of the concession one night told me they knew they had a second civil war coming and we had better wise up that we had one coming too. His observations from 7 years ago appear to be true. there is a clear split on what rights are to be protected and what rights are to be swept under the rug as if they are a mere footnote. For a lot of people the inconstancy with this is something difficult to wrap their heads around. You can vote without any ID, but we have to have special IDs in order to own, possess or buy a gun here in Illinois. The left will argue my body my choice, and then say it doesn’t apply during this pandemic because its “public health” Riots and firebombing business and governmental buildings are mostly peaceful protests. . . you get the point. So long as these types of things keep creeping up the gap is going to get wider and wider. The real question is what is going to be the flashpoint that tips it over the edge? People are getting very fed up with crime. The nightly news feeds are filled with repeat offenders let out only to re-offend again. And the riots from the last year have sparked a lot of people to figure out, you’re on your own for protection. And while these habitual offenders are being run through a revolving door criminal justice system, there are more and more calls to put more restrictions on law abiding people who own guns. That bi-polar response is not lost on a lot of people and you can see it with the buying habits of people over the last 28-24 months. Add in you have a higher number of people now not trusting government, from the State or the feds at a time we have a pandemic. It was 2 weeks to flatten the curve 24 months ago. And its not lost on a lot of people about the never ending always expanding reach and mandate of government. I’m sure a number of you are reading this and snickering about it. But there is a very large portion of people who are willing to take their chances with freedom and individual choices then every answer relies on the government. Republican shout about voter fraud and underhanded things, they pass laws to require an ID and the dems say its to try and keep black people from voting. I bet of the dems take it on the chin in the next national elections, they will scream about the laws passed in those states and blame it there and the whole cycle will begin again. And we’ll be right back here pointing fingers and shouting what-aboutisms back and forth. And I see it with all the guns and ammo sales that come across my desk - Sir Reel - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 11:59 am: Yes The GOP is drilling down to local elections - school boards, municipalities, counties - and installing conspiracy theorists and extremists. They’re passing state laws to subvert elections. They no longer believe in compromise. Democrats aren’t perfect but they’re not mounting such an assault on democracy. - Lefty Lefty - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 12:00 pm: I voted no. Our current version of “democracy” has disenfranchised millions of voters since the end of Reconstruction. Our battles to allow one vote for each adult person have been ongoing and will continue well past the current efforts to manipulate elections. - Oak Brook Boy - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 12:01 pm: Based off of what we’ve seen of the GOP — specifically their unrequited thirst for power, no matter the cost — I think that democracy is in real danger. 1/6 was just the beginning; Now redistricting has all but cemented the approaching reality of a GOP House. Nothing will get done for two years, the GOP will stoke anger and blame Dems…and Trump will win in 2024. That victory could be the death knell of democracy. - Oak Brook Boy - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 12:03 pm: “unrequited” was the wrong word. let’s say “unparalleled” instead. - JP Altgeld - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 12:03 pm: All great empires eventually end. The cell phone and its attendant social media applications can, with pinpoint precision, make the malleable American mind angrier cheaply and efficiently. Jan 6 is the symptom of this, not the disease. The disease is that Americans are materially dumber now than they used to be - and this is easily manipulable. The only cure is strong, once in a generation caliber leadership. We are without this. - cat herder - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 12:04 pm: No. It is all hype to distract from the reality of the implosion of the left’s failed policies. Sort of like a ridiculously large temper tantrum. - Chicago Blue - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 12:06 pm: @Furtive Look I think you mostly nailed it with the 1st response. There is increasingly a divide between how folks vote and who continues to hold power. I would also add that an illegitimate Supreme Court made up of a super-majority of Federalist-backed judges, a majority of whom were appointed by a president that received fewer votes than his opponent is the other damning factor. - ANNON'IN - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 12:11 pm: Voted NO…it will be helpful if we can beat back the whack job wing nuts too. - Ron Burgundy - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 12:16 pm: Yes, we’ve already had one attempt to subvert a fair election without evidence of fraud by one party which resulted in violence. It could happen again, and nothing has been done to prevent it from happening again. If anything, that party has been acting at the state and local levels to make it more likely by installing friendly officials and changing laws and rules. - Occasional Quipper - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 12:17 pm: No, the constitution and bill of rights will keep this from ever happening due to a political divide. The bigger internal threat is the looming financial collapse due to the inability of either party to balance the budget. Ross Perot understood this and I voted for him because of it, but since then they’re all like kids in a candy store spending money we don’t have. - Rudy’s teeth - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 12:20 pm: In some regions, our nation is compromised by a virus TSM or Talk Show Mouth. Conversation is replaced by combative interactions. Slogans and monikers replace actual dialog. Thoughtful exchange of ideas and respect for another’s opinion is absent from the landscape. Logic is often never a part of a conversation or a solution to an existing crisis. “It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.” Words from the past are relevant today. - watermelon - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 12:20 pm: Oak Brook Boy needs to calm down and go ride a bike or something. Wow. - Rich Miller - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 12:23 pm: watermelon, good point, but stick to the question. - Benjamin - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 12:29 pm: Yes. There’s a clearly a faction within the Republican coalition that wants to gain control of government even if it means blowing up free and fair elections. (And too many other Republicans are afraid–sometimes literally afraid for their lives–to stand up to them.) Over the last year, we’ve seen how fragile those elections on, and how much the depend on officials at many levels and of both parties doing their jobs honestly. Replacing just a handful of them with pro-Trump partisans would bring about disaster in a disputed election. And once people lose faith in national elections, why would they look to the electoral process to solve other problems? If they don’t get their way at the ballot box, why not just declare “fraud” and storm state capitols or village halls? Democracy, it is said, depends on the consent of the loser. But the losers have decided they’re tired of losing and want to win at all costs now. - Banish Misfortune - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 12:30 pm: I won’t repeat all what the Yes votes have said, but I would add that there are a lot of extremely wealthy conservatives financing this effort because they feel they will benefit. And when it happens, as we loose our democracy they will all gaslight us and say it has not happened. It has just been “improved”. - up2now - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 12:30 pm: No danger of collapse. We survived the Civil War, the Great Depression and 1960s/Vietnam/Watergate. Will democracy look different in 20 or 30 years? Definitely. What makes American democracy strong is that it is systemic. Here, unlike most places for most of history, in order to take power, you don’t have to have a revolution or a coup; you simply have to win the next election, which is coming up in four years or less. You many not like the results, but it’s still democratic (small “d”). - Arsenal - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 12:36 pm: I think there’s a real danger, though it is overstated by both sides. I also think that for most of its history, the U.S. couldn’t be considered a true democracy in the first place. - Martin J. Kennelly - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 12:40 pm: Can Hunter help diffuse the Ukrainien issue ? - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 12:40 pm: Yes. In short, The distrust sewn into elections, “founded”, but actually unfounded, and the voter suppression along with gerrymandering, the system as a whole is allowing foreign interference and disinformation to permeate in ways to make our democracy unstable… and the insurrection that was predicated on the misinformation… Yes, our democracy is at risk. “All enemies… foreign… and domestic“ - Hannibal Lecter - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 12:40 pm: I don’t think that our democracy is in as much danger of collapse as our society is. We like to blame others for all of our problems (Facebook, Trump, Russia, China, etc.) but at the end of the day, people follow these outrageous things because they WANT to believe they are true. People are only listening to what they want to hear. There are many of the January 6th insurgents who honestly do not believe that they did anything wrong. If anything, I think our educational system has failed our society to the point where there is a substantial number of people that lack the ability to understand issues and reason - instead choosing to follow wild conspiracy theories or white supremacist beliefs. We are our own worst enemy. Things will not get better until there is a collaborative discussion to address this problem. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 12:44 pm: As I voted “yes”… … I was hardened by the resolve of those that fought back to the January 6th electoral college play, and each and every judge that affirmed our election was fair and free, not stolen, all votes counted. So as I am a yes, the safety valves worked… but that we needed those safety valves… that’s more than concerning. - walker - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 12:46 pm: No. We go thru periodic waves of foolishness and panic, but the democratic republic continues to imperfectly function. Agree with up2now - Wensicia - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 12:50 pm: Yes. The Republican Party cannot regain/retain power at the federal level unless they dismantle voting rights and election certifications, while eroding the public’s trust in elections by claiming fraud when they lose. Democracy hangs by a thread. - Louis G Atsaves - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 12:54 pm: Voted no. Elect adults to office, not petulant self-centered types more interested on being reelected and maintaining their power. There are plenty of them in both parties that fit that definition. The old JFK book Profiles in Courage has been pretty much inapplicable in modern times. - MisterJayEm - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 12:57 pm: Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity. – MrJM - Jocko - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 12:59 pm: Voted Yes. Instead of chastened, the GOP is emboldened after Trump. We just had the safest, fairest, election EVER and, terrifyingly, people are questioning the results because ‘their guy’ lost. Then, the GOP ‘doubled down’ nationwide and, not only minimized the events of January 6th, but started pushing voter integrity…ensuring that the ‘right’ (aka white) votes count. The Supreme Court only hastened the inevitable plutocracy with their Citizens United decision. - G'Kar - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 1:03 pm: Yes. To my mind much of the decline started with the election of Gingrich. He pushed the concept of an opposition party instead of a loyal opposition party. This has just gotten worse over time until we have the leader of the party that is not in the White House openingly stating that the main goal is to make sure nothing the president wants gets passed in congress. It is now party first. - George - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 1:06 pm: I do not know. I imagine a good wheat crop would point to “democracy safe.” The federal budget process seems broken for 15 years which seems a bad sign. Still uncertain why we were in Afghanistan for 20 years or what was accomplished but we know we spent Al Gore’s proverbial “lock box” of cash. - knuckle Sammich - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 1:11 pm: Voted yes, because the political left will continue on its quest to “fundamentally transform “ America, and political right will push back in kind. Condemning Jan 6th while failing to understand why it happened if the first place, and also failing to realize there are crazies on both sides, only invites more of the same. Trump was a symptom, not a cause. - George - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 1:11 pm: I do not know. A good wheat crop will point to “democracy safe”. Concerned the federal budget process which broke down in 2006 is a bad sign. Maybe we need to bring back the broadcast standards which existed prior to Reagan to keep everyone on the same page? - Lurker - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 1:13 pm: Yes. If someone who is not clever or all that likable can do this much damage, then someone much better than Trump can easily come along and be much more successful than him at creating a total collapse. - Aaron B - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 1:17 pm: I answered yes. Things have been degrading for far longer than the last half dozen years since Trump became a big part of the GOP. I think the issues go back to Newt Gingrich’s days at least. I don’t believe the Constitution was ever designed to combat a large part of the government acting in bad faith and running things more to keep their party in power that doing what is best for the country. Trump just further exacerbated the issues because we went from the GOP running things badly to having an entire branch of the federal government acting in bad faith. We all knew he was going to make things even worse after the 2020 election because he signaled even before the election that he was going to question its validity. The US has always had pretty terrible voter turnout and the news laws being passed to combat the big lie won’t help that much. My only hope is that if Trump does run again in 2024 that his opponents will come out in droves again to make sure that he doesn’t get to go back into office. - westside man - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 1:22 pm: Yes, sadly, anytime a public health issue like what we are experiencing now becomes political its sad, we no longer look at each other as fellow Americans. We use to be a country that accepted outcomes of elections and moved on. Now it seems like we no longer really care about nobody but their individual self. Its sad - Norseman - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 1:27 pm: Yes, we have one party willing to do anything to attain and retain power. Primarily the right fostering hatred and espousing violence towards anyone who opposes them will take us back to an age I thought we had long passed. Our society now worships guns more than God. Further exacerbating this is a selfish society unwilling to do simple things for the sake of the community. They don’t want to be inconvenienced or bothered to think about what is happening to their government and institutions. The tip lines to turn in educators are already in play. These types of turn your neighbor in measures are just another indicator of a move toward authoritarianism. God help the United States. - Pundent - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 1:48 pm: Yes. Because somewhere along the way we decided that following the rule of law was optional or only adhered to by fools. - Excitable Boy - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 1:52 pm: Yes. Income inequality is at the highest level in history, we’re coming into the third year of a global pandemic, the ruling class has divided people over every possible issue other than class status, and our system of government can barely be considered a democracy in the first place. And it’s not Russia’s of China’s fault either, we do these things to ourselves just fine. - Unconventional wisdom - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 1:56 pm: Each side thinks the other side is the cause for this instability and potential collapse. No surprise in that and perhaps a further indication as to ever increasing division and hostility. - thoughts matter - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 2:04 pm: Yes. One of the tenets of our republic is our elections and the peaceful transfer of power. That was totally undermined in 2020 and on Jan 6th. Prior to that we had Trump just tromp all over our basic founding principles from the beginning of his campaign until now. What happens if we have a second Jan 6 and the protestors take over the capital? However the stage was set by both parties absolute desire to remain in power via gerrymandering. Add to that the complete lack of desire to actually do things that were in the best interest of the country and the residents of their districts or states, instead of what would keep their party in power. I’m not a fan of term limits as it undermines the will of the people. It also keeps everyone fairly green and unable to get things done. However I can admit it would break up some of this absorption of staying in power. - James - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 2:05 pm: I answered and explained, but my answer was not posted, which has been a common experience of mine on this blog. - JP Altgeld - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 2:16 pm: 97% of the responses to this question go no further than just pointing the finger at the other side. And we wonder how we have reached this point. - Huh? - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 2:25 pm: “the constitution and bill of rights will keep this from ever happening due to a political divide” This assumes that there is a respect for the rule of law. The presidential term that ended 1 year ago demonstrates what happens when there is an active disregard for the rule of law and the US Constitution considered to be a mere piece of paper. The beacon of democracy, the shining light on the hill, is dimming. - Rich Miller - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 2:28 pm: ===which has been a common experience of mine on this blog=== Maybe you should think about what that says about you. - cermak_rd - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 2:42 pm: Yes. But at the Federal level our government is already not democratic (other than the House). When the president can deploy troops (undeclared wars), he does it without any democratic legitimacy because he is not elected by a 1 man 1 vote principal because the people are not the sovereigns the states are. When 41 senators can block votes and only represent 25% of the nation’s population, that is not democratic. So to now cluth pearls about a loss of democracy, meh? - Chicago Blue - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 2:46 pm: @ cat herder & El Duderino Show me one article with folks on the left calling election workers and threatening to shoot them. I’ll be waiting. https://www.vice.com/en/article/5dg5p5/trump-supporters-death-threats-election-workers?utm_source=reddit.com - James - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 2:51 pm: Rich, I answered similarly to others and with a respectful tone. So I don’t know what it says about me or the purpose of your remark–feel free to be more specific. - Former Merit Comp - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 3:10 pm: No. I worked in local, state and federal government for over three decades and I’ve seen some things……before that I lived through the 60s……in my experience this may be the worst I’ve personally seen at a national level, but I believe it’s been worse before my time re: civil war. Of all the horrible things I’ve witnessed, it was always situations which ended up correcting themselves. Sometimes it’s not a quick correction but I believe the correction always comes. For example our military leaders, when presented with a plan by trump to confiscate voting machines, vowed among themselves NOT to let it happen regardless of who ordered it. I think the good people interested in true democracy still outnumber those who do not. - Jibba - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 3:57 pm: Yes. One party decided that any governing by the other party is illegitimate. It then became easy to stymie them in any manner possible, whether it meant breaking the law or simply doing unprecedented things that might not strictly be illegal but are against the fabric of our democracy, like limiting the wrong voters, voting to reject proper Electoral College votes without any true reason at all, or failing to hold hearings or votes on Supreme Court nominees. And I’d go on about the structure of the Senate, which is basically undemocratic at its core. It all worked when people treated each other as they wished to be treated themselves, but when you are willing to do anything to maintain power democracy fails. - froganon - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 4:03 pm: Voted Yes. The electoral College has undermined voters from the beginning of our country - just as it was designed to do by the authors of our Constitution. Senate rules that hamstring the majority party and block Presidents’ ability to appoint judges and members of his/her administration block the will of the voters. The Republican Party has abandoned democracy because they consistently lose majority votes - review the last 8 presidential elections, both Bush II and Trump lost the popular vote but became President. Voter suppression under the guise of fraud prevention is being instituted by Republican legislatures in order to overturn the popular vote in 2024 and beyond. The oligarchs funding the Republican candidates know exactly what works for them and it is most certainly not free and fair elections. American democracy is deeply in peril because so many of our legislators are deeply in the pockets of the oligarchs and special interests. Arcane rules like the Electoral College and Republican Senators whose mission is to block all things Democratic hamstring our governments ability to function. The “liberal” policies decried by some commenters are what the majority of voters want and in a true democracy, that is what legislators would enact. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 4:45 pm: I don’t think that was - Norseman -, given his comment above… - Enviro - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 4:52 pm: Yes. What we need to do is focus on the issues on which we can agree. Building unity by looking for compromise and common ground is the path to keeping our democracy on the right path. This is a really great country. Let’s start there. - Norseman - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 4:54 pm: OW, you are correct, 4:18 is not me. - cat herder - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 4:54 pm: @Chicago Blue - will CNN work? https://www.cnn.com/2016/11/30/politics/banerian-death-threats-cnntv/index.html But using internet article proxies to try and mic-drop is fairly pointless. I just look around. Multiple news sources, friends of all stripes, family members of all stripes. My observation is firm that the hyperbole and volume scales are tipping heavily left. - ugh - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 4:59 pm: I voted yes because I’ve just read too many things that describe what late stages of Democracy look like, and it feels like we’re there. The electoral college, the inability to agree on what is reality, the racism and sexism are some of the causes. Definitely seems like a Reconstruction like pull back from when we appeared to be moving forward with President Obama in office. - BTO2 - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 5:03 pm: Voted yes. 01/06/21 was close to the end. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 5:07 pm: I’ve been on limited sleep these past days and not taking any of my words back, after reading many here, I’m still “yes” but I can’t reiterate enough how the mechanisms of our Republic staved off things going off the tracks, and how important it is to recognize that, and how the courts have kept so much of what politically could be catastrophic from being recognized as a reality. Indeed, the imperfect Republic we are, the American Experiment has had many tough times, even tougher times like a real civil war, but we must be as vigilant as we can and recognize the fragility. I am a yes, but grateful for the guardrails and safety valves that can keep a Republic by allowing this experiment to stay in a lane best for moving forward. - FormerParatrooper - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 6:56 pm: I voted Yes, and it hurts that I feel this way. We are a fragmented Society, and the entrenched far outliers of the Right and Left are throwing Molotov’s, blaming the other for doing it and acting as if they have clean hands. I hear a lot that what your enemies accuse you of, they are doing. Well, guess what, both sides are accusing each other of destroying this Country, and both are actually correct. After the individual from downstate shot up the Republican softball game, Rich urged us all to tone down the rhetoric. That didn’t last long at all. Too bad it wasn’t really a National movement, maybe we wouldn’t be where we are today. I have expressed to you all before I have seen personally what happens when a Country breaks down and has a Civil War. I don’t ever want to see that again, especially in a Country I gave my a lot of my life too. If we continue this path, it will be a very ugly thing. DO you know who will come for the party? Russia, China, Iran and other assorted “advisors” from really fun places. Our Allies? They will provide nice platitudes and strongly worded letters to our “advisors”. - Captain Obvious - Tuesday, Jan 25, 22 @ 7:00 pm: Candy is correct. There’s an intentional effort to prevent the United States from enacting policies that will benefit most or almost all Americans, even policies that are incredibly popular. For example, closing the border, returning to energy independence, standing up to international bullies like China and Russia, and doing more to combat crime and keep the public safe are all popular policies being actively prevented right now. The point being that each side of the aisle is engaged in preventing policies they disagree with from being put in action. Which is the way it has always been. Saying our democracy is endangered is overwrought hyperbole and such rhetoric is nothing more than a lame attempt to inject a false sense of urgency to justify drastic measures to “save” us from disaster. So I voted no. Also the proposition that people are being disenfranchised is unsupported by actual facts. As is the notion that there is widespread voter fraud. Plenty of suspicion and supposition both ways, but no overwhelming body of evidence can be found for either accusation. So no, our democracy is not in danger of destruction. And neither is our representative republic, which is the actual name of our system of governance. - Da big bad wolf - Wednesday, Jan 26, 22 @ 4:08 am: “For example, closing the border” The border isn’t open. The border policies haven’t changed much from both administrations. Title 42 is still in effect. - Da big bad wolf - Wednesday, Jan 26, 22 @ 5:32 am: === . . you get the point.=== I get the point we are a big country with a lot of different points of view, yes. ==== I bet of the dems take it on the chin in the next national elections=== Usually the party out of power wins in the midterms. That has been happening for a long time. So what you’re saying Todd is it’s the same old same old. On this we agree. - Micky Finn - Wednesday, Jan 26, 22 @ 9:13 am: Yes but not for all the most recent reasons most people cite. Those are just manifestations if a deeper problem. The constitution was written and the roots of our democratic process were formed during the Enlightenment: a time when people believed the world was knowable through investigation and rational thought. Also the birth of the scientific process. We have now jumped the shark when it comes to facts. Everybody has their own set. There’s too much info and most people don’t have a good way to parse it. Some folks tout a need to return to teaching civics and logic. But the cat is out of the bag already and it’s tearing up the joint. Without rational inquiry, the Enlightenment is over and with its end will go it’s products. Further, our political system is not set up to bring the smartest or the best to office. The desperate, the crazies, the lightening rods, those who feed on the adoration and attention, those with too much time on their hands - this defines a startling array of elected officials at the local level. Democracy is already dead. We’re just propping it up like a Weekend at Bernie’s. We can’t go back. We can’t re-alive it. We have to find a new path forward and, historically speaking, the transition period between major epochs is usually…. Well, *rough*. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.