Brutkey

David Njoku
@davidnjoku@mastodon.world

There are around 200 countries on earth.

If you'd asked me to make a list of countries ranked from "most likely to meekly submit to autocracy" to least likely, I've gotta admit that I would've put America near the bottom.

Shows what I know.

RolloTreadway
@RolloTreadway@beige.party

@davidnjoku@mastodon.world I'd have put them close to the top, especially once the plan to take over the Supreme Court became clear.

I think, rather than looking at reasons why a country might meekly submit to autocracy, it makes more sense to assume that every country could do so, and look instead for things that can reduce the likelihood of it happening.

The US has nothing that can't be easily negated.

Nor, by the way, does the UK.

David Njoku
@davidnjoku@mastodon.world

@RolloTreadway@beige.party I think you're right; every country can submit to autocracy.

The reason why I thought America might be close to immune is that their system, as I understand it, was built to oppose it. They have a Senate to counteract the President and a Supreme Court to provide a balance to both.

RolloTreadway
@RolloTreadway@beige.party

@davidnjoku@mastodon.world But there are two fatal flaws: that the President gets to choose his own judges to serve for a lifetime (a truly terrible system), and that a disproportionate electoral system with only two parties means that a bare majority in the senate can be achieved with very little support.

David Njoku
@davidnjoku@mastodon.world

@RolloTreadway@beige.party You've got to admit that, on paper, it's a great system. Because supreme court justice serve life sentences you'd think they wouldn't feel beholden to any president.