Please educate me on American politics

Plutocracy negates democracy, the interests of the population are ignored for the interest of the plutocrats, which will always be against the interest of the population.

The hope is the political system has installed checks on such power to allow the public to retake their influence on politics. But if plutocrats run the system for too long they will erode these checks to suppress democracy. This is consistent with the collapse of many historical empires.

There are fringe theorists that are hopeful for the replacement of government with corporations.

 

2020 Candidates should ask what people really want. My recipe is to figure out needs and trying to do something real. Maybe Bernie is doing just that, but I'm not sure if he fits in current environment - also I can be wrong about that. We'll see.

 

Socialist governments are always plutocratic. See Venezuela for example, where Hugo Chavez' civil servant daughter has over $4 billion in foreign bank accounts. Yes, socialists pretend that it's government by the people, but the party apparatus is no different than plutocracy.

 

One shakes your hand hiding a shiv behind their back. The other charges at you with a bayonet screaming at you to stand still.

Not a positive scenario either way, just different attempts at deception.

 

it should be more about the greater Good of our Republic not only constituencies.

 

If the definition isn't accurate, it doesn't help, no matter how simple it is.

 

He said it helped.

Oh but then again, you are of the type that want to tell people what to think aren't you?

 

You'll have to do your homework if you want a proper answer, I think. Popularity seems to be based on who spins the best narratives, though, much more than on actual policies, which most people don't even understand.

 

It can't really help if it is misleading, which it was

No, I just care about being truthful. Of memory serves, you are on the self-described authoritarian side of the political spectrum while I'm on the libertarian side.

 

You can't seem to be objective about Trump. That's a serious issue in politics - separating fact from ideology and wishful thinking..

 

"Democrats are for equal results.

Republicans are for equal opportunity."

This is political bias, not fact. It's an old partisan argument of Socialism = bad vs. our brand of "You're on Your own" = good. I just isn't so. If you are truly interested in American politics, it is simple, complex, and fluid. We have as many political beliefs here as are individual beliefs and desires. Sometimes they fall into a neat two party bundle but often they do not. Within that context, perhaps one differentiator is that each party has a different opinion of government's proper role in society and in an individual's daily life.

As a very general rule, Republicans favor less involvement of government than do Democrats. Abortion is a glaring exception. Often the debate revolves around things like regulations, rules, economic freedoms and the national safety net. Paradoxically, each party is committed to the preservation of individual freedoms and choice in one's daily life. This is where complexity arises. For example, Republicans and Democrats often tussle about the efficiency and cleanliness of automobiles but neither suggests relinquishing the ownership of an automobile. There are splinter minority parties that are free to make that argument.

America is a country of delightful harmony - we're at war with country "X" so let's kill them together, or in times of peace and prosperity, we are at war with each other so let's kill the other guy. Perhaps this as close to the understanding of American politics and society - Americans love an adversary and they love war because they are so good at it. Make no mistake about this; America is a country driven by an underlying greed and violence. American political parties play those cards to their advantage.

Each party claims to have the public pulse. Political polls and pollsters have evolved into big business in America. Usually they are driving factors in American politics except when they aren't. A neat example of this paradox involves guns. A little over ninety percent of American's favor stricter gun regulations but the National Rifles Association, a big political pressure group and money contributor does not. They win that argument, proving America is also corrupt. Pour all these factors into a national political cup, shake, and stand back because you never know what will come out. Most likely is the better angels or perdition, nothing in between.

 

You don't now what type of help he was looking for.

Once again, this is you projecting onto others how you think they should think, what they should believe, how they should act.

 

Yes I am authoritarian but we don't live in that system do we?

 

My only assumption is that the OP was looking for something accurate. That's a safe assumption for all honest, rational agents.

I'm projecting that he's interested in an honest answer . . . really?

 

My answer was honest, do you dispute it?

 

Your answer was inaccurate. An intellectually honest answer would strive fore accuracy, not the repetition of memes.

 

Still waiting for you to dispute it or are you just going to troll all day?

Maybe you should go do some research though since you will be debating me.

That's a tall order for anyone.

 

I already disputed it in my first response to you. Not sure how you missed it.

 

No you didn't.

You said Trump wants an equal result in trade but you don't know that.

I'm sure he is pushing for an advantage in trade so epic fail on your part.

 

Democrats are for socialism, voter fraud, all powerful government that harasses right leaning citizens using the IRS, abusing government power to spy on political opponents, high taxes, exporting jobs, two tiered system of justice for party members and cool celebrities, government take over of healthcare, aborting children (especially black children), selling uranium to Russia, making useless nuclear weapons deals with terrorist states, regime change (Syria, Libya & USA but not Venezuela or Iran), against free speech and right to bear arms, against freedom of religion (Christian or Jew) for compulsory religion (Islam), and controlling the means of production through ridiculous, expensive and burdensome laws and regulations.

Republicans are for truth, justice, freedom and the American way, the Constitution and capitalism.

 

Huh? Are you telling me that YOU are objective about President Trump? That is amusing!

 

He's pushing to get rid of trade deficits and has said so many times and has (unconstitutionally, by the way) levied tariffs to accomplish that. That's equality of outcome. Yes, I know that because I pay attention.

 

That's just his starting point, he wants to give America an unfair trade policy.

Like China has been doing to us for the last 30 years.

Pull your head out of that sand man, this is Trump we are talking about.

 

I sure am.

 

All I know is that I don't trust the guy who couldn't even keep an Atlantic City casino afloat to manage our economy. Thankfully, that's not really the President's job anyway. He just needs to shut is ugly gob and keep his tiny hands away from it.