Manso

James Fallows and me on the U.S. Constitution, NBD

James Fallows, responding to my question on his Reddit AMA yesterday:

[…]our political system is uniquely resistant to change. Our Constitution is harder to change than most other countries’ – and is getting quite old now. If “the Founders” were around today, they would never come up with something like today’s Senate. They were practical-minded people, and they would have seen it as unworkable that (a) a state with over 30 million people had the same representation as one with half a million people, (b) the modern abuse-in-practice of the filibuster makes it possible for an entrenched minority to block majority will. I don’t have the cite here, but a very valuable piece in the NYT a few days ago pointed out that no other countries are copying our Constitution. It no longer makes sense.

I cleaned it up a bit.

And here’s the NYT piece he references: ‘We the People’ Loses Appeal With People Around the World. One highlight:

In a television interview during a visit to Egypt last week, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg of the Supreme Court seemed to agree. “I would not look to the United States Constitution if I were drafting a constitution in the year 2012,” she said. She recommended, instead, the South African Constitution, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms or the European Convention on Human Rights.

Thanks to James for pointing my mind in new directions, and thanks to everyone who voted for my question.

Me, to James Fallows on Reddit:

You’ve said in this discussion: “the foundations of American democracy and self-government are a cause for serious worry.”

I tend to agree with this statement, but I have a hard time pinpointing the biggest fissures in the foundation. I often blame first past the post voting for creating a homogenous legislature. I also worry that national politics self-selects pathologically narcissistic individuals who are easily bought. But that’s just me.

What worries you most about American democracy? And could you elaborate on what you mean by self-government?

Please upvote me?

And, of course, you can give your own answer here. Are you worried about American democracy? If so, why?

Fine, it may not be legal to flip the bird on television, but that’s simply a remnant of the fifties we haven’t shaken. Unless somebody was handing out Xanax with the foam fingers, Lucas Oil Stadium was ringing with the music of profanities last night. More to the point, television viewers were submitted to ad after ad that likened women – negatively – to sofas, cars, and candy. Mr. Winter didn’t have anything to say about that, so I’d like to raise both of my middle fingers to him and anyone who thinks profanity is somehow more harmful to our children than images of violence and misogyny.