[World Theory] American Media: The Current Situation of Democracy in the United States is Threatening, Public Dissatisfaction is Increasing, System | Politics | The United States
On August 24th, China Daily reported that many Americans believe that the US political system has collapsed and cannot represent them.
The article states that facing major challenges such as climate, immigration, inequality, firearms, debt, and deficits, the US government and politicians seem unable to reach a consensus. Every issue has differences, and they are huge differences. The current political system in the United States is simply unable to respond to public demand, and public dissatisfaction and disappointment are increasing. However, the US government is at a loss for this.
The article argues that there are countless reasons for this failure, including the collapse of trust in the US political system, and so on. However, the most important aspect is the collision and interaction between new and old forces.
The article points out that the so-called "old power" can be traced back to the drafting of the Constitution, as well as the "strange" presidential election system in the United States and the lifetime appointment of Supreme Court justices. Overall, the founders of the United States often distrust the public and attempt to establish structural protection against them.
"New Power" refers to the increasingly polarized political system in the United States. The reasons for political polarization are multifaceted, including the widening ideological gap between the two parties due to internal changes, the widening differences between red and blue states due to geographical classification, the widening urban-rural gap, and increasing personal hostility towards political opponents.
The article points out that the joint result of the two is that the minority in today's population can have a huge impact on policies and leadership, leading many Americans to increasingly feel that the government is a decoration of minority rule.
A new analysis by The Washington Post found that four out of the nine current justices of the United States Supreme Court were confirmed by senators representing minority populations in the United States. The analysis of population data and Senate composition by The Washington Post shows that since 1998, Republicans have dominated the Senate for 12 years, but during this period, the number of Republicans has not yet exceeded half of the US population.
The article argues that the current situation in the United States is precarious. Polls show that Americans are almost more dissatisfied with the government than citizens of all other democratic countries.
Henry Brady, a professor of political science and public policy at the University of California, Berkeley, has been studying these issues for many years. When he investigated the current state of democracy in the United States, he felt deeply pessimistic. "I'm very scared," he said. "I think our situation is very bad, and I don't know where the way out is."
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