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when i was much younger, i considered the failures of our system of government and played with the idea we needed to take it down and build a better system.
Perhaps I should revisit those ideas (I quizzically ask myself)?
The problem I see is in as you point out, a hyper-partisan political world, there would be no consensus and thus no document. Some of the right wing nuts have already written that Pres Obama will cancel the elections, declare martial law, and anoint himself president for life.
Pres Obama could tell the American people the government created by the Constitution can no longer function as intended or it can no longer fulfill its Constitutional mandate, that he would take control as interim president until a tyrant could be appointed or elected. Maybe he could nullify all laws enacted since 1789 and allow men to be truly free. Maybe a dystopian America is closer than I think.
ignorance is the enemy without equality there is no liberty America can survive bad policy, but not destruction of our Democratic institutions
Some of the right wing nuts have already written that Pres Obama will cancel the elections, declare martial law, and anoint himself president for life.
Can we at least dance a little dance and sing "Youz guys are morons!" when Obama follows the law and leaves the White House in an orderly fashion on Jan 20th?
Still, there's some evidence — if anecdotal — that the problem is getting worse. In a December article on conspiracy theories, Vox's Dave Roberts pointed to a quote from Republican Rep. Devin Nunes, as reported by Ryan Lizza:
"The overwhelming majority of [Rep. Nunes's] constituent mail is now about the far-out ideas, and only a small portion is 'based on something that is mostly true.' He added, 'It's dramatically changed politics and politicians, and what they're doing.' " Belief in rumors and conspiracy theories appears shallow, but widespread — it's not that there are a lot of Americans who fear chemtrails, wear tinfoil hats, and believe that mysterious cigarette-smoking men are hiding the truth about UFOs. In that 2015 paper, Berinsky presented subjects with seven rumors, and found that only 5 percent of subjects believed all seven. However, each subject believed 1.8 on average.
"It's not that there are some people who believe a lot of crazy things," Berinsky has said. "There are a lot of people who believe some crazy things."
You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the old model obsolete. R. Buckminster Fuller
The crazy ideas may be sort of mutually exclusive. For example, believing somebody is an idiot and at the same time a super smart criminal mastermind are kind of difficult to hold in your tiny little brain at once.
I note, with just a hint of some relief, that for the first time in a couple of weeks, FiveThirtyEight has Clinton's chances improving (modestly) in all three parameters. As I noted earlier, I will not be satisfied until she's over 90%, but my preference is that the election is over and she's already won a landslide, as unlikely as that ever has been.
A well reasoned argument is like a diamond: impervious to corruption and crystal clear - and infinitely rarer.
Here, as elsewhere, people are outraged at what feels like a rigged game -- an economy that won't respond, a democracy that won't listen, and a financial sector that holds all the cards. - Robert Reich
I note, with just a hint of some relief, that for the first time in a couple of weeks, FiveThirtyEight has Clinton's chances improving (modestly) in all three parameters. As I noted earlier, I will not be satisfied until she's over 90%, but my preference is that the election is over and she's already won a landslide, as unlikely as that ever has been.
Get ready for the pump-up of the candidates' debate prowess....
A well reasoned argument is like a diamond: impervious to corruption and crystal clear - and infinitely rarer.
Here, as elsewhere, people are outraged at what feels like a rigged game -- an economy that won't respond, a democracy that won't listen, and a financial sector that holds all the cards. - Robert Reich
