The health of American democracy, as measured by those who study it most closely, has settled into a diminished state – stabilizing after a sharp decline last year, but still well below the levels recorded at any point before the start of Donald Trump’s second term, according to a new survey released on Tuesday.
The findings, by the nonpartisan democracy-tracking project Bright Line Watch, which surveys hundreds of US scholars at American colleges and universities, suggest that the erosion of norms detected after Trump’s return to the White House last year has hardened into a new baseline. The public also holds a dim view of American democracy, the most recent survey found, but are sharply divided along partisan lines over how well the system is functioning.
I have no faith that it’s stabilized.
I think it’s the calm before the storm - if Trump successfully manipulates the midterms the US might be doomed.
If he botches that and becomes a ‘lame duck’ president, there might still be hope.
I don’t think there will be hope worth having if we don’t elect progressive candidates who intend to overthrow the shillionaire broligarchy.
Oh we definitively need better Democrats.
Just voting for another center-right Democrat as next president is like stopping right before a cliff and then walking on the edge instead of turning back.
This is why it’s extremely important for us to keep pressure up on whomever takes over next to dismantle the grip that the executive branch has over the governing body as a whole.
Regardless of party, the next group (particularly the president and exec branch) will not be incentivized to relinquish power even in the name of maintaining the balance originally held unless we the people demand it, and hold them to account.
I mean, do you really need an expert opinion to come to this conclusion?
I think it is good that there are organizations tracking this sort of thing based on multiple criteria. As individuals, we are prone to bias, and our outlook can be overly optimistic or pessimistic based on what news we happen to read and how our lives are going.
Additionally, knowing the rate of change is important. Sure, “everyone” knows that the planet is getting hotter each year due to climate change. I still want scientists out there checking thermometers each day so that we have data to support better decision making. The attitude of ignoring legitimate research and relying on “common sense” is part of how so many people were swayed by MAGA bullshit in the first place (i.e., they dont want someone with a fancy medical degree telling them they should vaccinate their children). Maybe we can get off our high horses for a bit and look at what experts are saying from time to time.
Some people, yes. Never ger complacent. Always question what’s actually happening. A lot of people never do…
We’re rapidly becoming an anocracy - sometimes called a ‘semi-democratic’ state.
Also apparently called ‘managed democracy’.
we never had direct democracy anyway which is the only democracy that should be considered “democracy” when average people think of the term.
more than half of us don’t know what a constitutional republic is.
Is it… A form of democracy wherein the populous uses a selection of elected representatives and a framework of a near immutable law set to guide the representatives in governing for the best interest of all citizens?
Indeed. So clearly you’re in the group that knows. Now the real question is… How big is each group?
Considering the intention of the public education system to improve the understanding of the populous has been degraded to the point where basic civics is not taught and we’re lucky if graduates are even functionally literate, I’d say that people who understand what our government is supposed to be and what it’s supposed to do is fairly small.
And unfortunately, that’s the whole fucking point. A uninformed population is an easily manipulated population.
Yeah. Agreed. Specifically regarding education, I trace the exponential decline back to No Child Left Behind.
Anyone know of another massive attack on education that predates that? Aside from wider systemic corruption, I mean sufficient targeting at Education.
