"Presidentialism" Not Serving American Politics Well
Here we are heralding the entrance of a new year with myriad problems confronting us; some problems appearing as daily spoken realities – those principally dealing with the economy, war and terrorism; others, subliminally present, silenced by national choice – such as bigotry, an ever-expanding income-wealth inequality and the prospect of a world without US economic and military hegemony. The subliminal topics appearing as taboo, where neither government nor most of us dare go or openly discuss. We are ushering 2016 as yet another presidential election year where once again our once reliable presidential system is demonstrating its incapacity to reach political consensus in a diverse nation where the preponderance of voters is no longer centrist “across the board” as in generations past.
Results from Spain’s December 20 general election brought both reality and questions which had been accosting me from my early days of inquiry about politics to my current cynicism which defines the idea of democracy, and self-governance, as just a placebo prescribed by those elites who alternatively rule over us in this United States.
I go back to my teen years when I first questioned which system of government, within the context of democracy, would probably be best: Parliamentarism or Presidentialism. And I recall choosing one over the other depending on my political feelings at that time. Now, after years of swinging back and forth, I am about to reach the conclusion, this time permanently, without the residue of reservations that I had in the past, that at least in this 21st Century America, Presidentialism is not serving us well; and that, braiding it with our insufferable two-party, money-lubricated, political machine has placed us among the worst governed major nations on earth – something which our false pride and concomitant ignorance refuse to acknowledge time and again. Pride and ignorance which have nurtured cancerous instincts in conflict with world peace and brotherhood through militarism, bigotry, jingoism, and a shameful enjoyment of our “empire-feel”; perhaps a great outcome for the ruling elites of the nation but a sorry aftermath for a commoner citizenry which has been profoundly deceived.
A most interesting new approach to American politics has resulted for me from Spain’s recent elections, something which can only happen, or be invited to happen, under Parliamentarism. Instead of the customary two major political forces that usually vie for absolute power, the People’s Party or Partido Popular (PP) – most often tagged as center-right in the right-left political spectrum, and the Socialist Workers’ Party or Partido Socialista Obrero Español (PSOE) – center-left deceivingly misnamed by appropriating the terms workers and socialist, there were two other major political parties of new vintage sculpted from recent popular movements sprouting from both the left and a “modified center”: We Can (Podemos) and Citizens-Party (Ciudadanos).
In the past, much in the fashion of Republicans and Democrats in the US, PSOE and PP alternated holding the reins of power – notwithstanding the required coalitions in two nationalistic (separatist) regions: the autonomous communities of Catalonia and the Basque Country. In a political patronage-prone culture such as Spain, this system of spoils under the two-party yoke has always kept the level of economic corruption high; but as austerity measures were imposed to cope with the most recent world recession, citizen-democracy became invigorated, thus the advent of two new political formations, Podemos and Ciudadanos, for the most part carved from the membership in the two “now-is-my-turn” ruling parties.
Now, after the vote of the 73 percent turnout has been counted, there are not just two but four political forces vying for power, where coalition-consensus will win the day for a new government to emerge: PP with 29 percent of the popular vote and 123 (35%) seats in the Cortes; PSOE, tallying 22 percent and 90 (26%) seats; Podemos gathering 21 and 69 (20%) seats; Ciudadanos with 14 percent and 40(11%) seats; and multiple other parties together garnering the other 14 percent of the popular vote and the remaining 28 seats in the 350-member Cortes. Under a parliamentary system where no winner takes it all, Spain will have to reach political compromise and stability in a democratic consensus government. Something expected to happen, accommodating the sound of all major voices.
These four political forces in Spain bring to mind that our presidential system of winner-take-all will be trying to squeeze in perhaps more than half dozen socio-political forces in the United States, all without coalition or compromise, under the umbrellas held by our “faithful and reliable” Tweedledee and Tweedledum political parties.
Evangelicals, Tea-partiers, Progressives, Libertarians, Ghettofied Blacks, Unionized Labor, and other groups will be tapped and lured by the career politicians in the two parties to receive their financial support and vote, in most instances without political voice… only the prospect that their vote will bring about a government that will provide “the lesser of two evils,” a proposition that the American electorate has, erroneously, accepted as a political act of faith.
Our system of Presidentialism may have served us well in the past but its rigidity in the political process denies the multiple voices that need to be heard in a democracy, nor offers the required tools for political compromise. Sadly… here we are, stepping into 2016 with the possible political prospect of having to elect as chief executive of this nation either a lady with questionable trust-credentials or a boisterous charlatan.
May the Almighty have mercy on us in 2016!
(26 votes)
»
- Login or register to post comments
- Printer-friendly version
- Send to friend
- advertisements -
New Hillary email reveals Sarkozy attacked Libya partly to stop Ghaddafi's planned "gold Dinar"
Thanks. I'll take the "boisterous charlatan" any day...
"Boisterous Charlatans for $100, Alex."
Just as George W Bush's excesses helped elect Obozo...
So will Obozo's excesses help elect Donald Trump.
American politics tends to swing from extreme to extreme...
Especially since the electorate is now so divided.
bama wasn't funny enough.. but I still say pretty good job for trying to control the clowns under him. I could have been a lot worse.
The electorate is not divided. The electorate is opposed by infiltrators and invaders.
Some of the problems could be solved by a yearly vote of confidence by the public.
try reading history if you think we are extreme? Read about Lincoln or Lyndon Johnson. If we wanted boring competence we would have elected Romney. If we vote for Sanders or Hillary it will probably be civil war as their incompetence or crookedness is beyond anything the US has had. So that leaves the unseemly GOP choices...which at least are better than McCain or Dole....
Trump isn't a boisterous charlatan; he at the least works for a living and has put himself at risk.
Unlike the majority lawyer parasites of D.C. and mammon lusting Satan worshippers on Wall Street.
This article was/is intellectual rubbish.
"... Now, after years of swinging back and forth, I am about to reach the conclusion, this time permanently, without the residue of reservations that I had in the past, that at least in this 21st Century America, Presidentialism is not serving us well; and that, braiding it with our insufferable two-party, money-lubricated, political machine has placed us among the worst governed major nations on earth – something which our false pride and concomitant ignorance refuse to acknowledge time and again. "
Wordiness masquerading as profundity.
Finally come to a permanent conclusion, have you Mr Tanosborn? Good luck with that and with your childish attachment to the Democracy decision rule.
We were a republic until it was subverted into a democracy. And in our days congress and the senate have refused to keep the president from abusing his office and the supreme court is completely corrupt. We do not have the government established by the constitution. That one was not perfect but it worked. The one we have now is headed for collapse.
"Evangelicals, Tea-partiers, Progressives, Libertarians, Ghettofied Blacks, Unionized Labor, and other groups will be tapped and lured by the career politicians in the two parties to receive their financial support and vote, in most instances without political voice… only the prospect that their vote will bring about a government that will provide “the lesser of two evils,” a proposition that the American electorate has, erroneously, accepted as a political act of faith."
Complete fucking bullshit. The election will be decided by Diebold and the elite...same as always.
and as always it will be in favor of ----wait for it------GOV'T-----who'd of tought? --- fuck any and all forms of gov't---fuck central planning and five year plans and military planning and fiat and all the userpers and taxers and userers. COG is not your friend--believe me on this one.
Nice catch Bill of Rights! I wonder where all that gold and silver went...Liberated by evil forces? Lol!
What other shit may come floating up, that Hillary thought she had flushed down the drain?
the Dubai scandal, with probable US knowledge (influence) It was a good year to buy gold. I'm still in the buying mode (a few more good coins).
In the Libya timeline, didn't a central bank get established there before Kadaffy was killed?
Another one of those conspiracy 'theories' revealed to be conspiracy fact. They still want those JFK files locked up though - good stuff in those.
yeah, 50 years from now, it will come out that 9/11 was an inside job
You know this shit is only coming out because it's ALLOWED to come out. There's an agenda here. Wish I knew what it was, but this is no more an accident than Watergate.
I'll see your Hillary email and raise you some Trump dick.
Seems he is a friend of Jeffery Epstein, just like Bill Clinton is. Epstein is the guy who kept girls on his island so adult men he wanted to influence could fuck them.
Epstein likes to tell people that he's a loner, a man who's never touched alcohol or drugs, and one whose nightlife is far from energetic. And yet if you talk to Donald Trump, a different Epstein emerges. "I've known Jeff for fifteen years. Terrific guy,'' Trump booms from a speakerphone. "He's a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side. No doubt about it -- Jeffrey enjoys his social life."
http://nymag.com/nymetro/news/people/n_7912/
Can we be done with this Trump fucker yet? He is no different than any of the rest of them.
No one is asking about this one in the press. I bet the reason is they would have to bring up Bill as well. And then Hillary goes down the tubes with the other girl fuckers.
DUMP THE TRUMP.
I agree MsCreant that they are ALL ratfuckers. I am sure that The Don has his share of skeletons, shit, and blackmailable deeds, he doesn't want the light of day to pierce... ;-)
I guess I'm waiting for the accusation. Is it that Trump likes women or is it something more nefarious than that? Bill was charged with a crime against women,a serious crime beyond "liking" them. Got anything like that on Trump, or are you just against guys trying to have fun? I realize that the progressive view is that we are all supposed to be metrosexual now, non threatening and definitely not a womanizer, but even a poor old white guy can get horny.
Epstein has served time for keeping underaged girls on his island to service men he brought to his island in order to "influence" them. Trump thinks he is a great guy. Epstein is alleged to have had sex with 30 underaged girls. Convicted.
I am not saying Trump had sex with these girls, or Clinton (though one of the witnesses alludes to it). What I am saying is these folks are cut from the same cloth. Everyone wants to act like Trump is an outsider. This is full of shit, he is not, he runs in these circles. He knew the deal with Epstein even if he did not get an underaged girl. Read his quote. He knew the girls were "young." Turned a blind eye is what he did at minimum, like all these people.
Some of the girls state they wanted to leave but were forced to stay there. That is not okay.
http://www.politico.com/blogs/under-the-radar/2015/07/judge-unseals-more...
This old white guy would prefer his women free, experienced and loose. Under twenty isn't gonna cut it for me.
You tell us that you aren't saying Trump is having sex with underage girls, but that is exactly what your post above hints at, that he was having sex with underage girls.
Quit being a bitch and tell us what you really think.
You probably won't even look back here, but I am happy to answer.
Nid, pretend you have a daughter (maybe you do).
She is a little wild. She goes away with this Epstein guy. He parties a lot, has big money, she is impressed with him. He takes her to the island. She is free to do as she pleases for a while. She is having a great time. He asks her if she will screw Clinton. She says no. He coerces her to do so. She does it and it is the worst thing she has ever had to endure. She cries for days, is ill. He asks her to screw another one. She says no. He locks her up until she agrees to screw the next one. She gets it, she is free to enjoy the island so long as she screws who she is told to, then she is fine. So she goes ahead and screws who he says to, her life is better when she cooperates and she can't get herself off the island anyway.
Now, Trump has come to this island to party. He knows (he said so) that the girls are young, he is willing to say this publicly in a quote.
What I really think--->He knows, and looks the other way. What I suspect--->He is fine with it, the girls are hot, it is the culture, he sure does not mind looking and being a part of the scene, makes his dick hard. He likes these people and needs them to get "deals" done. If he has not screwed them (I can't know that, can I?) does that mean he is in the clear?
If it was your daughter, and he knows the deal, is he in the clear in your book?
Trump is not stupid. He may not know they are locked up, but he knows they are underage.
The guy was busted for prostitution, too.
This is the Obama problem. Obama looks the other way with the Arabs when they violate people's human rights (Off with their heads!). Trump is the same. Do the deal, don't worry about right and wrong if it interferes with getting business done.
I don't want either man (or Hillary, who looks the other way with Bill) for president.
Would Ron Paul look the other way if he saw an underaged girl with Clinton and Epstein? I hope not.
So I think I know where you are going. They are going to erase Bill's name and add Trump to the rolls regarding underage women. Then Epstein gets to stay alive by confirming the allegations and spending a few years in jail.
Is Trump really friends with and speaks highly of "Jeffrey Epstein: the billionaire paedophile with links to Bill Clinton" (Independent 2 January 2015)?
The same a-hole Epstein that said "I’m not a sexual predator, I’m an ‘offender’.. It’s the difference between a murderer and a person who steals a bagel.” (Independent 2 January 2015)?
A special operations guy I know told me a story where he and his team were sent to an island to take charge of some high level official and rescue a bunch of people that he allegedly held prisoner. The official reminds me of someone like an Epstein. It ended up the official had a dungeon full of young girls and women at his residence. They had been raped, beaten, tortured, some killed many were chained to the wall he said. It was a pretty graphic story. I think they lost someone on the team in the shootout with the body guards at the residence too. Lots of stuff going on at all levels nobody ever knows about.
Almost every one of these political mf'ers is a bought and paid for sellout or controlled puppet. And the ones that aren't and won't let themselves be controlled have "accidents". For the life of me I can't figure out why anyone has anything to do with politics. Let alone go nuts over it like that woman in the picture with Trump.
The electoral college picks the winner anyway. I still haven't found that great WSJ article I mentioned a while back with the 2 or 3 page write-up on how the whole shell game works. I did only see it in print and it may never have been put online. Its old roughly around 2000 or so. Just like the U.S. Corporate fraud pretending to be a country I don't think most people realize voting is just another piece of the bigger global fraud.
Thumbs up! But it's been known for quite some time (granted, it is nice to see it in that cunt's email) that trying to start an African Union with a common, gold backed currency, got Ghaddafi a head-wound and a bayonet up his ass.
...... well I have to admit I am completely shocked to hear that one.......
MOAR " isms", we need moar isms!
The real issue is "Ismism." Ism or isn'tm? ;-)
I'd trade all my 'isms' for one good 'asm'.
Nope. It's radical Ismism. Pay attention
I'll take "Charlatans" for $200, Alex.
"Our system of Presidentialism"
I suppose in states of chaos all contrived terms are fair game.
But your "presidentialism" is nothing but cover for a corrupt and defunct Congress.
Perhaps you become part of the problem in lending credence to such a thing.
TRUMP
How about :
Leavemethefuckaloneism
Staythefuckoutofmywalletism
whileyouratitshutthefuckism
mindyourownbusinessism
ferfucksakestopwhiningism
a little dose of
thegoldenruleism
wouldn't hurt either.
The golden ruleism? As in he who has the gold makes the rules? I for one am getting pretty goddamn tired of that.
Correction - He/she who prints unlimited paper out of thin air to naked short sell the spot 'price' of gold to levered infinity makes all the rules.
>>Our system of Presidentialism may have served us well in the past but its rigidity in the political process denies the multiple voices that need to be heard in a democracy, nor offers the required tools for political compromise.
You may not know this, but we're not a democracy. We're a republic. Democracy is evil. The push for direct democracy in every facet of government is complete bullshit.
The problem, currently, is not the foundation on which the country is built, but the refusal to abide by the foundation.
Imagine a house with a nice square 25'x25' raised concrete foundation. Back in the day, rooms and living space were built right atop that foundation. Oh, a porch might be added here and there, but there was always more concrete poured before it was built so that it would be as sturdy as the rest of the house.
As of the last, oh, let's say 100 years, government has decided to build off the foundation. They're making rooms on the second story that jut out over nothing. Heck, they're making rooms on the FIRST story that just dangle above the ground with daylight showing underneath.
The problem is not only that this is happening, it's that it is being ALLOWED to happen. I wanted an analogy for the states being stripped of their power to stop the federal government when it waylays the people, but I can't think of one to fit here...
Horseshit. Representation is just as evil... It's too easily bought. Not that I have a ready answer, mind you. I think any political entity larger than a small town is inevitably going to be a tyranny.
great analogy
I take it quite literally. Small decentralized govt. is what the founding fathers had in mind.
How do you like a global Articles of Confederation?
No presidents here ..
Most things can be run via an electronic referendum. Guaranteed by 384 bit encryption. 512 bit in beta. (The NSA cannot crack 384 bit at present.)
There is a basic model for this in 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12
To date, most think we must have the Romans 13 model. Then, why are both presented to us?
A post-graduate discussion ..
https://app.box.com/s/ur5aejyf9vejg7cfl92s7k9uf3ufc1f2
Do you think the future of humanity is worth 8 hours of your precious free time (aside from NFL/NCAA and Dancing with the Stars) ?
Anarchy is given a bad name and simply means the absence of government. Oh heck, can't have that bureaucrats and oligarchs will starve. Government as a philosophy is irrelevant.
There are plenty of small town tyrants as well. Ever pissed off the local code enforcement officer? The real problem lies in the fact that the welfare state has a whole different branch that seems to get to get a pass, the bureaucracy. The mantra of the 19th century was go west young man and make your fortune. The great depression changed that. Now the mantra is go to D.C. and make your fortune.
The exponential growth of the byzantine bureaucracy has created the greater soviet we all live under. Entropy will kill this beast. Hide and watch. The great unravel is upon us.
funny how well this mantra works. here, a splendid article that compares one polity with another...
... and blam! no no no, we don't want "democracy", it's evil. we want "republic", which is good
the US Founding Fathers would be appalled, then what they wanted and set up was a republic founded on democratic principles
which is democracy tempered by a republican constitution and a republican setup tempered by democratic elections
on the principle that republic alone is tyranny, and democracy alone is tyranny, too
and then, another blam! oh, it's all about state power versus federal power. which is a completely different matter altogether, a related but different discussion
you know what this is? American Exceptionalism. As in "You May Not Compare The US To Any Other Polity". blam!
Democracy is evil? You are joking, right? Totalitarianism is evil!!
The push for direct democracy in every facet of government is complete bullshit. Do you know what direct democracy is? Who is pushing for direct democracy? Besides Switzerland, I think I am the only one. The reason there is no push for direct democracy is because our self-serving, lying, and corrupt elected representatives don't want to give their power to the people. A Direct Democracy is the purist form of democracy in that the people make the decisions, by vote or referendum (requiring a double majority), on laws and policies directly. The Swiss have had a Direct Democracy for over 150 years, and they are doing just fine.
The problem is not the foundation on which the country is built, but the refusal to abide by the foundation. Your foundation assumes that elected representatives act on behalf of their constituants. As stated above and as you will agree, elected representatives are self-serving, liars and corrupted by the corporations. Therefore, your foundation is FUCKED, and until we have a true democracy, we the people are all FUCKED!!
Well, you can blame your American ancestors.....
Corruption, and pay to play politics are an old story in America.....
Pretty much, after the civil war, carpet bagging corruption, and profiteering from a totally shell shocked citizenry has made a lot of people rich, at the expense of the same citizenry......
Shell shocking the citizens keeps them disorganized.....