The American democratic republic has died. It was 236 years old.
The American democratic republic has died. It was 236 years old.
"But over time, the executive branch grew exceedingly powerful. Two world wars emphasized the president’s commander in chief role and removed constraints on its power. By the second half of the 20th century, the republic was routinely fighting wars without its legislative branch, Congress, declaring war, as the Constitution required. With Congress often paralyzed by political conflict, presidents increasingly governed by edicts."
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It already was dead for a long time.
No, it wasn't, but it's been dying since Reagan.
Since Johnson.
But it was Hoover that laid the framework for the rampant executive abuses of Nixon, Reagan, the Bushes, and Trumpolini.
It was the Mont Pelerin Society who came up with the neoliberal ideas that Reagan implemented.
Americans have a distorted sense of what democracy is, should be. Seriously, if you think that able to choose from two almost similar political parties that never shown any interest in making life better for their electorate is the pinnacle of democracy… you are very, very wrong.
I do not consider the vicious cycle of a neoliberal democracy to be the pinnacle of democracy. Only I acknowledge that American democracy was a democracy. It was never perfect, but it didn't have to turn out this way. We didn't have to embrace neoliberalism in 1980 and American democracy didn't have to die in 2024 with fascism.
This is important to state because there are misconceptions about what might happen next. We aren't any closer to the pinnacle of democracy now. In fact, we are even further from it. This fascist dictatorship will be even harder to change than the last neoliberal democracy was.
Building inclusive institutions is hard. The further you get from them the harder it becomes. Even revolutions that seem on the surface to be a complete overthrow of the previous regime can in fact turn out to be a changing of the guard. If the institutions of a society, both political and economic, are not fundamentally and radically changed to include as many people as possible the vicious cycle is more than likely to continue. There is no such thing as a clean slate or rock bottom when it comes to how bad things can get. Things can always get worse and they will unless people learn from our mistakes and apply what we've learned to make things better. edit: typos
…what you call neoliberalism is nothing more than deepening inequality, empowered the corporate interests and weakened democratic accountability …in other words, empowering the neo-nobles. Your country is an oligarchy with a temporary king every 4 years, coated with a thin veneer of democratic rituals.
It is obvious how meek the Americans are. Based on recents polls more than 40% still supports the antics of the current king and the other 60% doesn’t do anything significant to oppose the idiotic decrees. People are deported, mistreated, lose their jobs thrown into poverty total disrespect of their gender etc etc and even foreign travelers put into jail without any reason. Still… Mr. President is unchallenged despite all the lies of his office and even starts arresting judges (and threatening people that make polls).
…what you call neoliberalism is nothing more than deepening inequality
This is demonstrably false. Here's a video to learn more about neoliberalism.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zswexNXorOE
Neoliberal ideas were thought up and implemented by people deliberately to create a state of inequality to benefit a few wealthy individuals. So it is not another label for inequality, but a political ideology with a set of policies designed to create inequality.
empowered the corporate interests and weakened democratic accountability …in other words, empowering the neo-nobles.
This was by design, not an accident of spontaneous inequality. Neoliberalism is a political invention. We did not trip over it.
Your country is an oligarchy with a temporary king every 4 years, coated with a thin veneer of democratic rituals.
We are now a a christo-fascist techno-feudalist dictatorship. We have a christian theocratic dictator who is supported by an oligarchy of tech billionaire feudal overlords that together rule over us like we're serfs.
It is obvious how meek the Americans are. Based on recents polls more than 40% still supports the antics of the current king
Fox News has brainwashed millions of people over the last thirty years, so that's not particularly surprising.
and the other 60% doesn’t do anything significant to oppose the idiotic decrees.
I'm genuinely curious what you consider to be meaningful action at this point. People are doing all kinds of non-violent action. The fascists took control of this country largely non-violently, Jan 6 being an exception. And even Jan 6 didn't succeed in any kind of violence against its purported targets, but seems to have helped Trump more than it hurt him due to the lack of consequences.
We're unlikely to get a fair and free election at this point if we even hold elections at all. So short of fascist incompetence getting us 2026 and 2028 elections, there's not a lot of peaceful levers in a fascist dictatorship besides building a movement that is oppositional to the administration. Such a movement will be essential for toppling this fascist dictatorship whether we hold elections or not. Even the CCP had to roll back its Covid-19 restrictions because of protests in China.
Also, I would like to point out that while it is true that those who make peaceful change impossible make violent change inevitable, violence is still our least useful tool. The current administration is shockingly incompetent. Trump, his cabinet, and Musk are perhaps the best people to have as political opponents in this moment as they truly seem to have no real clue what they are doing or how to do anything properly. Peaceful change is still our more likely avenue of success so it's what we should pursue for the time being.
So… Neoliberalism is a deliberate political project, not just a label for inequality. Its policies were designed to empower the wealthy and corporations, weaken democracy, and make inequality structural and self-reinforcing. 🤭 much shorter and one doesnt have to watch a youtube video.
And action…
But you did watch the youtube video with facts and an expert that efficiently explains the concept in a concise video essay that we most certainly need to share with others because defeating neoliberalism is a collective effort, right?
Very American to immediately start ranting g about violence while nonviolent campaigns that mobilize large, diverse groups are statistically more effective than violent resistance.
Tactics include; general strikes: Coordinated work stoppages to paralyze economic activity (e.g., Bolivia’s 2003 gas wars, where unions and indigenous groups blocked roads and halted exports). Occupations and protests: Physically occupying symbolic spaces (e.g., public squares, corporate headquarters) to demand systemic change. Creative disobedience: Using art, music, or satire to subvert neoliberal narratives (e.g., the 2011 Barcelona protests where activists planted vegetables in public spaces to symbolize food sovereignty).
Very American to immediately start ranting g about violence while nonviolent campaigns that mobilize large, diverse groups are statistically more effective than violent resistance.
Right, which is is why I brought up the distinction between the two. Especially when people say meaningful change they are usually implying violent change. Also, I'm arguing these exact topics with multiple users. I've written this down in comments to other people. Check my comment history if the comment section is too messy to navigate.
Americans are doing those things. We need to do more and more have been planned.
Targeting neoliberal capitalism’s profit-driven core weakens its legitimacy. Boycotts; Collective refusal to engage with exploitative corporations or industries. Debt strikes; Refusing to pay unjust debts (e.g., student loans, predatory mortgages). Worker cooperatives; Building democratically run enterprises that prioritize people over profit.
Or create parallel systems that embody anti-neoliberal values: Solidarity networks: Mutual aid programs for housing, healthcare, and food distribution (e.g., Greece’s crisis-era solidarity clinics). Community land trusts: Removing land from speculative markets to ensure affordable housing. Open-source platforms: Developing free, decentralized alternatives to corporate tech monopolies.