times do change.

[ford_prefect42]

So, today I figured out that, in point of realistic fact, we no longer live in a Federalist nation. That went away with the civil war. Nor do we live in a constitutional representative democracy, that went away with FDR. Nor do we live in a Parliamentary representative democracy. That went away much more recently

Comments

[kharmii]

True..how do we come back when they've gotten away with what they have? You should add that the media is a co-conspirator. They are supposed to be calling these people out.

[ford_prefect42]

I don't know how you recover from this stage. If history is to be the guide, you don't.

More than the media, I blame the teachers. It's quite possible to detect the bullshit in the media. We did. But to do that, you have to A) not be indoctrinated to begin with, steeped for 12-16 years in the ideological fervor, the cultures of victimhood and white guilt, and the fraud that is neo-keynesian economic theory. B) Taught critical thinking skills, like "wait for the facts", or little things like what "intellectual honesty" means, or how to detect bullshit. It's taken them 30 years, but they have effectively instilled in our populace, a level of ignorance that would actually *consume* media so devoid of substance, so complicit in such major crimes, etcetera, as to allow this.

But that's probably a quibble.

[coercedbynutmeg]

Agree 100%. Husband doesn't and has a hard time understanding why I'm hellbent on keeping the kids OUT of the state-run schools.

[kharmii]

That's one positive thing we have going on: Choice of where you can send your kids to school. A lot of people home school, which is illegal in many left wing strongholds. If I could home school, I would, but since I can't, I'll at least get out of Illinois before the kids are old enough to go to school. I was talking to a guy who moved from Illinois to Indiana while his kids were still grade school aged. He said his son went from being an honor student to falling behind because the schools in Illinois are so inferior to Indiana.

[jordan179]

Obama, in particular has changed it. H?e has lived up to his promise of "transforming" America. In particular, he has changed it from a parliamentary democracy to a dictatorship. The powers of congress are now functionally non-existent. He refuses to enforce laws that have been in force for decades or centuries, creates his own new laws at the stroke of a pen, dictates policy in ways that are *totally* lawless. Essentially, he's "ruling by decree", and has been since his re-election.

Part of what made this possible was a cheerleader press, who hailed everything he did as wonderful and spinned his violations of the Constitution as bold glorious initiatives. Part of what made this possible was a Democratic Party in the Congress who held far more loyalty to their Party than to either their Country or their Branch of Government (in the last case, this led them to commit acts of stupid submission to Obama, and they are now complaining that he doesn't consult them often enough). And part of what made this possible was We The People, who

[ford_prefect42]

I am less confident of that. The thing is, he's got 2 more years. A lot can happen in 2 years under a dictatorship. Do you see elections being held held during an Ebola outbreak? The immediate aftermath of a 9-11 level terrorist attack? During a race war (full blown shooting war, not isolated riots)? Not only could he remain in power under those conditions, but he could do so with quite a lot of perceived legitimacy (at least, in the eyes of those that put him there to begin with).

I am not saying that that's what *will* happen, but it' distressingly easy to visualize scenarios.

[jordan179]

Do you see elections being held held during an Ebola outbreak? The immediate aftermath of a 9-11 level terrorist attack? During a race war (full blown shooting war, not isolated riots)?

Actually, I do. The United States of America has never missed or even delayed a national election. This included in 1814 (in the wake of temporarily losing her capital), 1860 (as the nation was drifting toward Civil War), 1864 (in the middle of that war) and 1944 (when World War II was still raging). Not only would Obama be bucking a very strong tradition in trying to cancel or delay elections, but he would be directly interfering with the plans of hundreds of national politicians. He would essentially be instantly making every politician in the country his enemy, which would grease the skids under him for a counter-coup.

I also don't think a "shooting" race war is even possible here. Too little race hatred, too many neutrals, and too strong a civil order on all levels.

Not only could he remain in power under those conditions, but he could do

[kharmii]

I don't think we'll ever have a race war, just business as usual, meaning that black people will continue to kill white people, and authorities will continue to claim robbery as a motive. :-P

[prester_scott]

100% in agreement.

I think it is getting late and Obama is growing tired. There will be a new tyrant along soon enough who can get really vicious.

[ford_prefect42]

Or, perhaps, Obama will be permitted to express his own vicious proclivities. Seriously, it can go either way. Megalomaniacs *never* get "tired" of wielding power.

[prester_scott]

It's also possible Obama would like to be President-For-Life but isn't tough enough to be king of the hill.

[jordan179]

I think you're right. His whole style of Administration shows that he is trying to look like a Third World despot -- and constantly surprised when the American people fail to be impressed by it.

[harvey_rrit]

Congress still has the power of impeachment... but then, it's possible that BO will declare that his nonimpeachment will be "deemed to have passed".

[jordan179]

At which point the issue will become whether or not the military sides with him. One would think that this would be obvious to the well-educated "Constitutional scholar," but then he didn't have the benefit of attending a third-rate college like I did.

[coercedbynutmeg]

Meh, they're pussifying the military and throwing out as many people who might stand up to him as possible. 2016 is too soon for him to stay in place but it might be a different story if he's followed by a like-minded successor.

[ford_prefect42]

2016 *may be* too soon for him to stay president... But a lot can change in 2 years with an active saboteur in the white house. There are a lot of scenarios that would see him cancelling the elections, and all of us being called "terrorists" for suggesting that that's not appropriate. One example being Ebola outbreak. Even 10 cases dispersed through the country, and the spread confinement measures would make the notion of "going to the polls" laughable.