Can our Democracy Survive?

[walleye26]

Say that Trump and the Senate actually ram this judge through. Then the New Democratic majority packs the court. How exactly will our government be seen as legitimate (it won’t) and how do we as a society move forward?

[หมูเด้ง]

Just have faith we don’t have our own break up in the next five years?

[Ferguson97]

I think the only thing that could really kill it is if a SCOTUS essentially overturns an election

[SWE]

It's already dead and buried

[Where's the Epstein Client List?]

I'm concerned that if this continues, we could see things like assassination attempts on SCOTUS justices.

[GeneralMacArthur]

Not in its current form.  We're going to have a situation where the judicial branch is totally subservient to the executive and legislative branches.  If you control the presidency and the senate, you get to completely change the judiciary in your favor.  And it stays that way until the opposition party takes both the presidency and the senate.  The country will swing wildly back and forth, and any time we have a split presidency/senate absolutely nothing will happen except for political maneuvering for the next election.

[redjohn]

There is no democracy when one party has to win the popular vote by double-digits to win a chamber of government. If Democrats won by a 20-point margin in Wisconsin, I'm not sure it would be enough to flip the state legislature. That's not a democracy. Our executive (specifically, our Republican executive) will become increasingly authoritarian, and we are not in any true sense of the word a democracy.

Democrats need to play offense. Pack the court, get rid of the filibuster, make D.C. and Puerto Rico states as they rightfully deserve. If we don't fight as hard as possible with all the tools of government to secure human rights and civil liberties, the Republicans will erase them as soon as they have the chance, as we've seen these past four years. It sounds dramatic to say, but the GOP really is a fascist party. If you give them an opening, they will seize power and they will rig the game to lock out Democrats, so they can enact their evil agenda (banning abortion, striking down same-sex marriage, even more insane tax cuts for the rich, and more bloating of the military budget). The Democratic Party is far from perfect, but the party is our only shot at holding our future before we lose it.

[lfromnj]

There is no democracy when one party has to win the popular vote by double-digits to win a chamber of government. If Democrats won by a 20-point margin in Wisconsin, I'm not sure it would be enough to flip the state legislature. That's not a democracy. Our executive (specifically, our Republican executive) will become increasingly authoritarian, and we are not in any true sense of the word a democracy.

Democrats need to play offense. Pack the court, get rid of the filibuster, make D.C. and Puerto Rico states as they rightfully deserve. If we don't fight as hard as possible with all the tools of government to secure human rights and civil liberties, the Republicans will erase them as soon as they have the chance, as we've seen these past four years. It sounds dramatic to say, but the GOP really is a fascist party. If you give them an opening, they will seize power and they will rig the game to lock out Democrats, so they can enact their evil agenda (banning abortion, striking down same-sex marriage, even more insane tax cuts for the rich, and more bloating of the military budget). The Democratic Party is far from perfect, but the party is our only shot at holding our future before we lose it.

Oh god, not this myth again, Yes the WI legislature is gerrymandered but theres other factors too such as incumbency and candidate quality. Also literally every D district was left uncontested basically but most R districts were contested inflating the PV margin. Finally also the self packing issue for WI Dems due to the fact WOW is no longer super Republican but Dane and Milwaukee are still very D while the rest of the state is R leaning in general.Baldwin still won a decent majority of 56 districts. Democrats if they actually won by around 7-8 points in the current map without the inflated PV, and around 4-5 in a fair map would flip the legislature. Democrats definitely would not have flipped the legislature even with a fair map in 2018 as Evers would not have won a majority of districts.

[walleye26]

I'm concerned that if this continues, we could see things like assassination attempts on SCOTUS justices.

I’m concerned about this but on members of Congress. With polarization like this, and thinking this is literally the end of the world, somebody is going to get hurt.

[SnowLabrador]

It's already dead, mate.

[Blue3]

It never achieved being a truly representative democracy in the first place.

[Wrong about 2024 Ghost]

I'm concerned that if this continues, we could see things like assassination attempts on SCOTUS justices.

I’m concerned about this but on members of Congress. With polarization like this, and thinking this is literally the end of the world, somebody is going to get hurt.

We've already had an attempt on Republican legislators in 2017. Plus the attempted assassination Rep Giffords' back in 2011.

What I suspect we're going to see, regardless of the November outcome, is more of these. (And more incidents of political violence in general.) The real question is what shape the curve takes, whether its steep or shallow. We're going to see the term "Cold Civil War" a lot more in coming years. (Unless it turns hot, of course. Which is what Putin wants)

Some sort of acceleration was inevitable once the GOP (and through them, the nation) failed to reject Donald Trump and his pro-political-violence rhetoric back in 2016. Electing Biden will be a step in the right direction, but only a step. And I fear the Trump-led GOP will not react well to any loss.

If we can somehow hold things together until the current GOP starts becoming electorally impotent, we have shot, but the chances of that seem to fade every day.

[Mr.Bakari-Sellers]

Yes, Dixiecrats Jefferson and his collegues enslaved AA and put AA in Jim Crow.

GOP is now a states rights party but still believe that AA and females are equal citizens that was unfounded in Dixiecrats.

We have had Republican Crts since Nixon and Burger, Rehnquist and Robert's have been moderates on Civil Rights

Burger was the one that affirmed Roe and Abe Fortas was supposed to be CJ, Burger was moderate

[American2020]

https://twitter.com/pettigrew_stats/status/1307772503444598791

[Trump Is A Maoist]

If McConnell actually cared about America, after this SCOTUS seat is filled, he and others would meet with Pelosi and others and negotiate legislation (or a constitutional amendment?) stating an official date every four years that you MUST fill a SCOTUS seat by or else leave it to the next POTUS. My personal preference would be May 1st, June 1st or even July 1st (2024, 2028, 2032, 2036, etc etc).

Obviously McConnell doesn't care at all, so this is just a hypothetical exercise.

[Storr]

https://twitter.com/pettigrew_stats/status/1307772503444598791

And this doesn't even have to pass the Senate to occur.

[Roll Roons]

https://twitter.com/pettigrew_stats/status/1307772503444598791

And this doesn't even have to pass the Senate to occur.

In that case, it's partly logistical. Where is the space to build a new House office building? Would it be possible to add floors to Cannon, Longworth and Rayburn? Will there still be enough room for everyone in the House chamber during SOTU?

[Blue3]

Build underground, or have annexes for new offices, and so much can be done via telework now.

[Kevin Graham]

https://twitter.com/pettigrew_stats/status/1307772503444598791

And this doesn't even have to pass the Senate to occur.

In that case, it's partly logistical. Where is the space to build a new House office building? Would it be possible to add floors to Cannon, Longworth and Rayburn? Will there still be enough room for everyone in the House chamber during SOTU?

We're talking about Democracy not if Congress wants to love it or list it. They're the government they can just build a new one and it isn't like DC has much of choice in its current form.

[Horus]

https://twitter.com/pettigrew_stats/status/1307772503444598791

And this doesn't even have to pass the Senate to occur.

In that case, it's partly logistical. Where is the space to build a new House office building? Would it be possible to add floors to Cannon, Longworth and Rayburn? Will there still be enough room for everyone in the House chamber during SOTU?

We're talking about Democracy not if Congress wants to love it or list it. They're the government they can just build a new one and it isn't like DC has much of choice in its current form.

A good compromise would be increasing the house by 150-200 and also moving it to Wichita or Topeka.

[Roll Roons]

https://twitter.com/pettigrew_stats/status/1307772503444598791

And this doesn't even have to pass the Senate to occur.

In that case, it's partly logistical. Where is the space to build a new House office building? Would it be possible to add floors to Cannon, Longworth and Rayburn? Will there still be enough room for everyone in the House chamber during SOTU?

We're talking about Democracy not if Congress wants to love it or list it. They're the government they can just build a new one and it isn't like DC has much of choice in its current form.

A good compromise would be increasing the house by 150-200 and also moving it to Wichita or Topeka.

Other government agencies, maybe. But Congress should be based in DC.