In favour
American democracy is teetering on the brink. While Biden’s election may delay the ultimate fall of Rome, it won’t prevent it. Why? Because Trump was a symptom, not the cause, of America’s slide towards kleptocracy. This means that while the 45th president’s departure from the White House might slow the collapse of the world’s oldest republic, it won’t reverse the trend.
Why is America’s democracy so brittle? The reason was articulated most recently in a report by the Center for American Progress, which argues that demographic changes across the country — making it more educated and less white — spell the eventual end of the Republican party’s capacity to prevail in free and fair elections.
Women, people of colour and other marginalised groups disproportionately favour Democrats, and soon the vast majority of the electorate will be comprised of these groups who — if they get out and vote — will carry the day every time.
No wonder the Republicans are running scared, though Democrats should be, too. If one party has the numbers to ensure they always win, the other side will feel cheated and try to exert their will some other way. Say, by cheating or blind support for “their” leader whatever he says or does.
Even violence and civil war are possible if the disenfranchised truly feel there is no other way to make their voices heard.
Or the Republican party could change. There is nothing inevitable about women or people of colour turning their backs on conservative and populist parties. But inclusion won’t be easy. The terrible truth is that the exclusion and scapegoating of marginalised groups is what makes others — say, the infamous Trump base — feel they belong.
Could it happen in Australia? Some say no, but I disagree. Australia is different to America in a number of ways, but the similarities are striking. They include the visible absence of gender and other forms of diversity in the Liberal/National Parties, and the embrace of bigoted tropes, candidates and policies since the John Howard era to neutralise the electoral threat posed by Pauline Hanson and other racist parties.
Like the US, Australia is a multicultural nation with more than a quarter of our population born overseas. Our electorate is also polarised in a way that media academic Denis Muller attributes to the influence of News Corp in both countries.
Then there’s the growing income and wealth inequality in Australia that, while less stark than in the US, still sees the top 1% of Australians live in households with an average weekly income 26 times that of the bottom 5%.
Against
Hold on Tiger! Trump destroyed American democracy? The US has just had one of the most free and fair elections in its history, with turnout that — in a country where voting isn’t mandatory — topped the charts. In fact, Trump got more votes than any US President before him. Only problem for him is Biden got even more.
According to the international observers invited by the US State Department to monitor the 2020 vote, it all went down with barely a hitch. Given free and fair elections are the cornerstone of democracy, claims that US democracy is hurting, or that Trump is the cause of the imaginary decline, are fanciful.
Australia’s democracy is in good shape too. The success of the national cabinet process — which saw cooperation between the conservative federal and mostly Labor state governments — in orchestrating Australia’s effective response to COVID-19 is only the latest example of how effectively our system works. And while contempt for political leaders among Australians is high, so is our appreciation of the freedoms our democracy delivers. According to the 2019 Freedom in the World report, Australia ranks sixth of 86 independent nations that display the qualities of a liberal democracy.
Does all this mean that advanced democracies like Australia’s can’t do better? Not at all. As the authors of the Democracy 2025 report argue, the “legitimacy gap” that has opened up between the ideals of democracy and what Australians feel their democracy delivers provides an “urgent wake-up call” to Australia’s political and civic leaders.
Democracies are always declared to be in crisis, according to a parliamentary paper on the subject. And as our political forebearers have warned us as far back as the fourth century BC, the cost of freedom is eternal vigilance.
Which side do you believe? Send your thoughts to letters@crikey.com.au with Both Sides Now in the subject line.
John Howard did not neutralise Hanson he stole her base, a bipartisan support of immigration after WW2 had left Xenophobes to vote on other policy, when he saw Hanson affecting his vote he grabbed Tampa and Xenophobia with both Hands and the Dog whistling has never stopped since.
Despatched that unguided Abbott missile to go after her – using Terry Sharples – paid for by a slush fund of which one of the trustees was Costello’s pater-in-law, Peter Coleman….. To look after/salvage her voting cargo while Hanson was “otherwise engaged”.
There was a Pryor cartoon at the time showing Hawke & Keating on the street seeing a derelict with distinctive teeth & eyebrows rummaging in a garbage bin for scraps labelled ‘racism’ & ‘xenophobia’.
How we larffed in such innocent times and thought, “Can’t happen here!”.
Democracy is always at risk. Democracy needs the politicians to play by the accepted rules, not just the law. Yet it is often tempting to break the rules, such as by not taking responsibility when things go wrong, lying and covering up, being secretive, pork barrelling etc. And it is tempting to push each of these actions just a little bit further than last time.
Democracy also requires that the public demand the politicians play by the rules. If we let it slide then it will just get worse.
That also used to be the media’s role. Shining a light in the murky corners so the voters knew what was going on.
Which is why the Coalition panders to Murdoch ($40 million to Sky TV) and tries to gut the ABC.
The ABC are a propaganda unit unto themselves and there is no excuse for their blatant political bias and activism. Have you seen any proper coverage of the US Election fraud lawsuits (Georgia thismorning for example), or the Open Senate Hearing in Pennsylvania yesterday. I havent. And yet I saw three entire four corners episodes dedicated to Trump and Russia collusion. If the ABC cant even up the equation then good riddance to them as they are no longer my, and so many others, ABC.
It wasn’t remotely an ‘öpen senate hearing” . It was a stunt set up by the so-called Policy Committee of the Republican members of the Pennsylvania state senate (upper house in other words) . Half a dozen people plus Rudy Guiliani in a 3.5 star motel in Gettysburg – not the state capital nor at all official. The amateur air only enhanced by a Trump phone call that was heard by the room only by holding the mobile phone he’d called up to a microphone.
Your exaggerations ruin your argument and your bias about the ABC somewhat destroys your claim that it is!
Which of the evidence presented do you dispute?
I believe that where the hearing was held is the same location where Abraham Lincoln made a speech at the end of the Civil War. That was stated by one Senator at the commencement of the hearing from memory.
Still awaiting the Release of the Kraken, me.
Come on, Sidney, why are we waiting…?
As opposed to The Moloch and His Minions @ NewsCprpse and on FauxNews in the USA and The Sky AFter Dark Comedy Show her in Australia?
NewsCorpse rags, including its vanity publishing arm, The Australian, remind one of that old Soviet era joke…
Нет Правды В Правде…Нет Новостей В Известий!
No Truth in Pravda…No News in Izvestia!
The Moloch became my particular cognomen for Murdoch as the biblical name of a Canaanite god associated with child sacrifice, through fire or war…in this case with the hacking of a dead girl’s mobile and the gung ho chickenhawk and cheerleading for both the Afghan Imbroglio and the Iraq Fiasco.
It is as though the worlds media is operating under a fascist ruler who is forcing suppression to opposition to any facts negative to Biden and the Democrats. So who is the fascist leader pulling the strings. What is being held over the heads of those within the media to get them to comply?
JMNO, the media should be doing exactly as you say “Shining a light in the murky corners so the voters knew what was going on.”
There is a media blackout going on across the world.
Fascist leaders reveal yourselves!
We know who your minions are, but who and where are you?
Sir, this is the McDonalds drive-through.
You know Jimbo your problem is that you have been reading that trash that poses as news in the Murdock press of which the Australian is a shining light of high class journalism for too long. The only useful purpose served by the Australian is as fish and chip wrap, and then that.s insulting fish and chip waste.
You also need to wean yourself off the comedy act know as Fox news and it would be much better re-named as Donkey’s News for simpletons.
Hey here is another for you even though a ‘little’ dated, ‘a Red under every bed”
Superficial on both sides.
LIke most commentaries at the moment, it overlooks the way the US has been engineered so the 0.1% steal most of the new wealth, and most people are hurting and know it. They want someone to change the system, or smash it. Biden is still the problem, not the solution.
Australia’s version? The Coalition has gone beyond corruption to actual capture by mining, gambling, arms, etc and they are about making us like the US (!). Labor lost its way decades ago and for some time has been a lumpen obstacle to reform … and survival. It just goes along with most of the Murdoch/Coalition destruction of what was once a reasonably fair-go country.
I thought Shorten had good policies at the last election, which was stolen by Morrison and the idiots who voted for him.
Agree, and yes the LNP is going the way of the GOP, i.e. being ‘owned’ corporate donors and libertarian ideologues.
Worse, Australia also cops the same architecture of influence helped along by Koch Networks e.g. IPA, CIS etc and constant promotion of radical right libertarian socio-economic policies through media and via MPs, along with pro conservative Christian and/or white nationalist dog whistling.
The same media where Australia is in a worse position, cf US, for diversity, depth and breadth e.g. NewsCorp/Sky, 9Fairfax and 7 dominating legacy media with its above median voting age audiences in regions (like US mid western strategy to leverage ageing/monocultural demographics); viewing the ABC as a threat to influence.
One of the main targets in the US is packing and manipulating the legal system and judiciary at state level with GOP appointees for the long term who can be used to bypass democracy, i.e. wind back or throw out legislation (when house votes are insufficient) e.g. environmental controls, minority rights, abortion, voting, guns, religion etc..
But what to DO????
To paraphrase, “The Electorate has failed the Country. It must work very hard to regain trust. Until then a new, more Worthy People will be selected.”
The Lights are going out all over the, soi disant, democracies, mostly due to the indolence of citizens.
Deracinated pablum; soi disant; are you showing off Indunn?
This takes it back to the US Constitution and its framers… land before people!
“The Founding Fathers were not interested in democracy, in fact, in a country with 3 1/4 million people, which is about what we were at the time of the separation from the UK only 700,000 people could vote — white males of property. So it’s never been terribly democratic. …and they put together a constitution which would protect property for all time. No nonsense about democracy!”
Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia” Documentary, 2013.
The Constitution was framed to protect the landed and wealthy of the then original 13 Colonies. It was written by the Founding Fathers to ensure that such landholdings, which in then what what was to become the USA were the wealth of the country, would be left in the hands of those already owning such. In fact many of the Founding Fathers were those very people.
An Electoral College which was constituted to give citizens in less populated and economically unproductive rural states with as many as four times the votes as those as those in more populous and economically productive urban ones, thereby violating the fundamental democratic principle of “one person, one vote;” It can also be alleged that the college was originally instituted and continues to be maintained for explicitly racist and anti-democratic purposes.
The loser of the popular vote has won the electoral college only five times before 2000. The last time such happened was in the mid 1800’s, long before universal franchise. Now it’s happened twice in 16 years and has enabled, inarguably, the two worst presidents in modern American history, both Republican. Dubya, The Faux Texan and as the Scots have it The Radge Orange Bampot!
A Senate, which until in the early part of the 20th century was not elected, Its members were selected by whatever group had control of a state’s legislature. It is there to protect the landed and wealthy class, as James Madison, a two term President of the USA and who was one of the major proponents of the Bill of Rights said this concerning the establishment of the US Senate and it was clearly anti democratic, “to protect the minority of the opulent against the majority.”*
*Statement (1787-06-26) as quoted in Notes of the Secret Debates of the Federal Convention of 1787 by Robert Yates.
Yes, I join the commentary that this article was shallow. Yes, to the conclusion that our democracy is at risk (well democracy is always at risk), or even that it is more at risk now given the recent major shift of the major parties to the far right. But where was the substance? Like the US system of majoritarianism where their parliaments don’t reflect the pluralism of society nor the participation of ‘marginalised groups’ in the parliament. Or the undue influence of corporations versus citizens, or the flourishing of corruption and the demise of the rule of law with respect to the executive arm of government? Or even the stronger point that the US system failed in being able to ‘sack’ a non-performing leader, just as the UK HoC and theAustralian federal HoR has failed to remove clearly incapable, incompetent and dodgy prime ministers.
Where in blazes is there any evidence that Morrison’s ‘national cabinet’ (it doesn’t deserve capital letters), has done anything, other than marketing spin, that the Council of Australian Governments couldn’t have done? Where is there even the evidence of co-operation among the States and the Federal government, or was this someone just believing that Morrison said it was? Under what law or part of Australia’s Constitution does it operate? Actually, the fact that Morrison seems to think he is the boss of it suggests to me that the national cabinet is evidence of the undermining of Australia’s democracy which is founded on a federation of sovereign states that divides power between the federal government and the states. What about the secrecy of Morrison’s national cabinet….and what will a premier do if a State parliament requires the premier to table the minutes? The better evidence of our democracy working is that the States did their own things on the pandemic (which I might add is also suggestive that the national cabinet certainly doesn’t operate on the basis of its members being bound by its deliberations like a real cabinet), including filling the void when the Morrison federal government shirked (& still does) the federal responsibility of quarantine.
Thanks for that..Well said. In fact far better said than i would like to say in agreement ..Ps. Isn’t it more a ‘minoritarianism majoritarianism’ in the US..? A sort of doubled up worse that excludes the idea of any common good .
Now THAT is analysis!
That Morrison thinks he’s the boss of it is more a reflection of Morrison. He’s that kind of guy.
There is reasonable evidence to suggest that the national cabinet did work well, with states conspiring against the stated wishes of Morrison, (boss man) and making hard but correct decisions in spite of him. Of course, conspiring is not the right word, agreeing is a better word. Whatever, Morrison was largely sidelined by his own creation, Vic and NSW basically ran the Covid policy response, and Qld, WA, Tas and to some extent SA just shut their states down.
What it may have opened up is a new style of government under the existing constitution, one where the states basically make the calls on most policy and the currently useless feds just dabble in defence, foreign affairs and a little bit in trade, and all the treaty signing. That seems to me much more in line with the original intent of the constitution.
Pity the constitution didn’t give taxing powers to the states instead of the feds (or was that just agreed during wartime and hasn’t changed – can’t recall). We might be able to choose between living in a higher tax, higher services government or a lower tax lower services small government. Could have been interesting.
“Australia’s democracy is in good shape too.” Of course it is, just look at the bare-faced rorting holding it up – with assistance rendered by that part of our media (not) “holding the powerful to account”? …. What’s a little jaundice?
Last night’s 7:30 “analysing” the effect of “lobbyists in helping Labor to win”?
*As if there wasn’t similar goings-on in the Limited News Party?
*As if lobbyists don’t do the same thing – worth remembering – at the federal level? … BCA? Mining lobby? Farmers Fed? Small Biz owners? etc etc?
*Going to “advertising executive(?)” Toby Ralph to help that ‘analysis’ – forgetting to remember Ralph’s role working for Howard, for so many “Non-core promise/easy with the truth in political advertising” elections, doing Howard’s advertising : lobbying the court of public opinion?
Sales only “remembering” Ralph’s history just before signing off – “someone watching might have known”?