Congress, Democracy and Politics
Posted by: Erick G. Kaardal in Untagged on Nov 01, 2009
I want to share with you a few points about Congress, Democracy and Politics:
1. In the 18th Century when the Constitution was framed, the new forms of government were transitioning from monarchy. The biggest concern was the democratic mob taking over. The Constitution was drafted to protect minorities.
2. The American republic as designed required Congress to represent the people.
3. In the late 19th Century, philosopher John Stuart Mill and others identified large, centralized and mediocre bureaucracies as being an obstacle to self-government and good government.
4. The American Constitution was never amended to address the threat of large-centralized and mediocre bureacracies to the people's representation in Congress.
5. Today, the federal agencies and their private allies have more sway over Congress than the people. This aspect is what one might call a "democratic deficit."
6. Neopopulists believe that the people need to use democratic means to get control of Congress back and to ensure the excellent government they are not receiving from the current arrangement.
7. Under the current environment, the neopopulist charge to take Congress back from the federal agencies would be called democracy as juxtaposed to the current "politics."
8. The current "politics" is too rationalist, ideological and partisan to be an effective vehicle for the people to take Congress back from the federal agencies.
9. Instead democracy is the way to go.
10. Over the long run, there are two alternatives. (1) The people manage the government. (2) The government manages the people. Neopopulists distinguish themselves from liberals and conservatives by preferring the former.
11. Ideologues want the government to manage the people -- it's a natural consequence of rationalism: the philosopher King.
12. Neopopulists declare the death of rationalism, the philosopher King and expert-dominated government.
13. Neopopulists express hope in the people and their government by engaging democracy and rejecting the current left-right ideological politics.
