Democracy – Majority Rues
Many people persists in the misimpression that the United States is a democracy, and that something must be wrong because we are not always deciding things by majority vote. The truth however, is that the United States has never been a Democracy, and hopefully never will be. The founding fathers were very much aware of the history and failure of past democracies, going back to the Spartan City States. They saw, that although Democracies start out well, after a while human nature (i.e., selfishness and self-interest) begins to dominate the political process. The Spartans became less, and less capable of perpetuating their society exactly because of their devotion to its purity; rather than letting those who were “less Spartan,” be in the army, and since they kept killing off those who were, pretty soon there were no Spartans left to defend that for which they had voted. Our founding fathers saw that majority rule was not a good system. Or as one person noted, that as soon as the people become aware that they have the power to vote for whatever they choose, then they will vote to give themselves all of the wealth (I think this paraphrasation is of a quote from H. L. Mencken, but I could not track it down).
Since the inception of the United States, the following presidents (not a complete list), have garnered less than 50% of the popular vote, but still have received enough electoral college votes to become president: Abraham Lincoln, Woodrow Wilson, Harry S. Truman, John F. Kennedy, Richard M. Nixon, Bill Clinton (both terms), and of course, George W. Bush. A number of these presidents are considered some of the greatest presidents we have had, and yet, they could not get 50% of the popular vote. How long would it have taken (remembering it was only white men who could vote), before women and minorities were given the rights to vote? It would certainly not have been in the self-interest of men, and whites, respectively, to give women, and minorities voting rights: 1920 for women, and 1870 for minorities (men). Yet, through our system of political representation, and the influence that this can bring to bare on the populace, and the fact that a 50% plurality is not required to ratify an amendment (only 50% of the vote in 75% of the states is needed for ratification), both the fifteenth and the nineteenth amendments were both ratified.
Certainly there is a problem with how the Electoral College is chosen today, in that the "winner takes all" solution lets national candidates avoid states that are, “already in their camp.” However, today most districts are very polarized, and this also disenchants people from participation in the national election. People know that if they live in a district where the majority’s vote is opposite to theirs then there is no reason for them to vote because their vote will have no impact. Although in today’s world, it almost seems heresy to say it, the majority is not always the most qualified to make the decisions of such national magnitude. I will clarify here, that I am in no way an elitist or support such a philosophy in any way. However, just as it is necessary to have checks and balances on our government, so too is in prudent to have checks and balances on the power of the voting populace through such a mechanism as the electoral college. It is all too easy for the populace at large to be beguiled temporarily into making mistakes that have negative and permanent consequences. Does the current population have the right to saddle future generation of Americans with less freedoms and rights because of a temporary emotionalism?
So, although certain things about our Federated Republic irritate us to no end, we should think long and carefully with a full review of the history of democracies, before we cry for majority rule.
~Erthona
The Leviathan
We created a Leviathan
to defend our Freedom.
An ugly brute: powerful, but clumsy.
We gave it some of our Freedom,
to Secure our Security,
and our Freedoms that remained:A parasitic relationship.
This arrangement worked well...for a time.
As Generations passed,
we forgot what an ugly brute
our Leviathan was.
We began to think its ugliness,beauty.
We called it Mother,
and it consumed us.
© Dale B. Tisdale, 1999
http://www.geocities.com/erthona/leviathan.html
Since the inception of the United States, the following presidents (not a complete list), have garnered less than 50% of the popular vote, but still have received enough electoral college votes to become president: Abraham Lincoln, Woodrow Wilson, Harry S. Truman, John F. Kennedy, Richard M. Nixon, Bill Clinton (both terms), and of course, George W. Bush. A number of these presidents are considered some of the greatest presidents we have had, and yet, they could not get 50% of the popular vote. How long would it have taken (remembering it was only white men who could vote), before women and minorities were given the rights to vote? It would certainly not have been in the self-interest of men, and whites, respectively, to give women, and minorities voting rights: 1920 for women, and 1870 for minorities (men). Yet, through our system of political representation, and the influence that this can bring to bare on the populace, and the fact that a 50% plurality is not required to ratify an amendment (only 50% of the vote in 75% of the states is needed for ratification), both the fifteenth and the nineteenth amendments were both ratified.
Certainly there is a problem with how the Electoral College is chosen today, in that the "winner takes all" solution lets national candidates avoid states that are, “already in their camp.” However, today most districts are very polarized, and this also disenchants people from participation in the national election. People know that if they live in a district where the majority’s vote is opposite to theirs then there is no reason for them to vote because their vote will have no impact. Although in today’s world, it almost seems heresy to say it, the majority is not always the most qualified to make the decisions of such national magnitude. I will clarify here, that I am in no way an elitist or support such a philosophy in any way. However, just as it is necessary to have checks and balances on our government, so too is in prudent to have checks and balances on the power of the voting populace through such a mechanism as the electoral college. It is all too easy for the populace at large to be beguiled temporarily into making mistakes that have negative and permanent consequences. Does the current population have the right to saddle future generation of Americans with less freedoms and rights because of a temporary emotionalism?
So, although certain things about our Federated Republic irritate us to no end, we should think long and carefully with a full review of the history of democracies, before we cry for majority rule.
~Erthona
The Leviathan
We created a Leviathan
to defend our Freedom.
An ugly brute: powerful, but clumsy.
We gave it some of our Freedom,
to Secure our Security,
and our Freedoms that remained:A parasitic relationship.
This arrangement worked well...for a time.
As Generations passed,
we forgot what an ugly brute
our Leviathan was.
We began to think its ugliness,beauty.
We called it Mother,
and it consumed us.
© Dale B. Tisdale, 1999
http://www.geocities.com/erthona/leviathan.html
posted by Tharmas Erthona at 3:43 PM
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