Some interesting point’s have been brought up through others blog contributions this week about the absolute state that is American politics. Mentions of the relationship between democracy and morality, and and the connection seen between violence and democracy in the USA, particularly considering the assassination attempt of former president Donald Trump on July 13th.
Another interesting point I would like to discuss along the vein of where does the threshold lie for a nation to be considered democratic, In regards to the ideas of free, fair and competitive elections. Barriers to elections, as a sign of an election not meeting the standards of free, fair and competitive were discussed in class. One such barrier is; Limiting the ability for candidates to run through certain requirements. I think it should be questioned wether the requirements in the United States (Which also differ state-to-state), which must be fulfilled in order for a presidential hopeful to be added to the state ballot for the election is one such barrier.
This comes from the perspective of RFK Jr attempting to make it as a third party, independent candidate in this years US election and the application processes, and requirements he is having to meet in order to be considered for state ballot papers (he has only been confirmed in 7 states so far). From the perspective of democratic elections being fair, I would argue that there should be consistency across the nation in the application process.
References:
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/29/us/politics/rfk-jr-ballot-access.html
Similarly, the amount of money required to run for office is a considerable barrier. This article https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/12/us/politics/biden-donors-money.html highlights the amount of money that goes into the American political machine and implies that the biggest donors have significant say in who 'represents' them and then they withhold cash until they get what they want. Whether or not they are doing the 'right thing' for the democratic party, they are allowed to and are interfering in the peoples' choice. Choice is an illusion
ReplyDeleteInteresting points, but who posted this? The display name is "Unknown".
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