Is there a lore reason why American elections are so convoluted? (lemm.ee)

submitted 9 months ago by tombruzzo@lemm.ee to c/chapotraphouse@hexbear.net

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Are they stupid?

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[-] InevitableSwing@hexbear.net 13 points 9 months ago

Primaries in the US are real Americana.

They are covered on tv in a weird way that's part spectacle, part like sports coverage, and there's some odd solemnity too. It's typical for reporters and talking heads to use words like "duty" when discussing voting.

The last primary worth watching this year will probably be the GOP South Carolina primary which happens on February 24th. For the presidency it's Trump vs. Haley. South Carolina is Haley's home state. She'll probably get crushed by the Trump train that day, she'll soon drop out, and then primary season will effectively end. And - of course - the next presidential primaries will be four long years from now.

To watch them - there are pirate streams like this - https://livenewsof.com/msnbc-live-stream/. I have no idea why some pirate domains like that one aren't forced to shut down and continue year after year.

I'll leave this there...

American civil religion

[Robert] Bellah posits that Americans have come to see the document of the United States Constitution, along with the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights, as cornerstones of a type of civil religion or political religion.

I don't know if the page discusses it but there was no "two party" stuff when the founding fathers were around. The two party concept baked into many American brains to the scary degree. They think it's appropriate and even righteousness. Some Americans are afraid to think of a future without it even if their belief in it makes no sense at all. And liberals love to talk about the "good old days" when there were "good" republicans. A related comment of mine. It poisons their brains to the point they see George W. Bush as a good guy.

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Ninja edit

Another problem is the bipartisan love and worship of the idea of American exceptionalism.

[-] Mardoniush@hexbear.net 5 points 9 months ago

The idea that primaries are open to the general public and not just paid up party members (or, even internal selection committees with only indirect accountability to the rank and file members) is wild. The US doesn't have political parties in the real sense that other countries do, unless of course the "Wrong" candidate gets voted in.

[-] InevitableSwing@hexbear.net 2 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

Due to federalism - each state is different. Some have open primaries and some don't. Iowa doesn't even have a primary. They have a caucus. It's not open - each party has its own thing. It's... Haha - it's too hard for me to explain.

Explainer: How the Iowa caucuses work - YouTube

What's not explained is there's a lot of yelling in the gym to try to get people to go from one candidate's "team" to another. It's a pretty silly thing to do in the era of the internet for a nation of 340 million people. Also - Iowa and New Hampshire have very small populations and they are far from being demographically representative. They are very white states.