Arguments based on Democracy (A 4th of July Interlude)
A majority of people are often wrong about the most basic facts—you really think the problem is not enough democracy?
Greetings—
I’m in my last few weeks in Spain before heading back to the U.S. I’ll be at my homestead in New Hampshire for climbing season, to work on a few building projects, and to witness the last few months of what appears to be an ultra-scary election.
I don’t love writing about politics, and I know it’s not what you signed up for—but at the end of the day, politics affects us whether we care about it or not, whether we show up or not. In any case, I promise to get back to the climbing, the homestead, and the Spain renovation project next week.
But now, happy 248th birthday to the United States, and a few thoughts on democracy.
A majority of people in multiple major power countries would approve of their government’s preemptive use of nuclear weapons if it provided a strategic advantage either to their nation or a close ally.1
Just let that sink in.
Then think about it the next time you argue that what is needed is “more democracy.”
In the U.S., the founders feared a populist mob just as they feared a tyrannical king. This is why we have bizarre institutions like the Electoral College, which has twice in my lifetime given the presidency to the loser of the national popular vote (George W. Bush in 2000, Donald Trump in 2016).
I don’t approve of either of those presidents, nor do I approve of the Electoral College, but I get what the founders were thinking directionally.
Sometimes less direct voting is better.