The Prospect looks at what threatens American democracy:
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Dear
reader,

You hear it everywhere: the 2024 election is a battle for our
democracy. With Donald Trump the presumptive Republican nominee in all
but name, these warnings have grown ever louder. Democracy is under
threat.

For our February print issue, we wanted to examine what has everyone so
worried, and what exactly threatens our democracy. As you'll see in
the coming days, we found our problems are not limited to Trump. In the
kickoff to our series
, I
wrote about how the threat to democracy is coming from inside the house.
I'm talking about the Constitution itself.

The Founding Fathers, with limited belief in true democracy, created a
fragmented government where the majority does not necessarily rule and
addressing social challenges is made deliberately difficult. A
presidential election system that effectively disenfranchises 99.8
percent of the population, combined with a separately elected,
malapportioned legislature, is a recipe for dissatisfying stasis at best
and perpetual crisis at worst.

We have failed to fix many of these initial deficiencies, and then added
on more like the unjustifiable Senate filibuster rule, surgical
gerrymandering enabling politicians to choose voters, and a political
system that values the preferences of organized money over an organized
public.

In the piece, I argue that a movement intended to save democracy should
be honest about its flaws, and work to actually fix them. The same high
veto points that alienate Americans from their democracy provide
tremendous obstacles to overhauling it. But being honest about the
actual democracy we want, rather than focusing on abstract ideas that
don't match our reality, is more likely to inspire support. The way to
save democracy is to promise to give people one in the future. You can
read the piece in full here >>

READ MORE >>

All week, we're going to be diving deeper into what really threatens
democracy-in the states, in the courtrooms, and in the workplace. We
hope to broaden the frame to better understand where democracy actually
needs shoring up.

But we can't create the kind of reporting and analysis you expect from
us without your help. All of the reader support we receive funds our
editorial mission: illuminating stories about ideas, politics and power.
Any contribution you make today will make a huge difference.

Donate any amount today to support our work and keep independent
journalism alive >>

SUPPORT OUR WORK >>

 

Thanks for being a part of this,

David Dayen
Executive Editor, The American Prospect

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