[FRIAM] Is the American political system broken?

[Jochen Fromm]

To me it looks as if the long period of presidential primaries is a 200 year old legacy from the time of the founding fathers which had neither cars nor planes nor mass media. Traveling by horse carriage from state to state took weeks. Today the world has changed, but the process is still the same. The result is an endless mud fight spectacle over several months where sometimes the biggest pig wins, not the best candidate.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_primaryGerrymandering is clearly sign of a rigged and broken system. https://act.represent.us/sign/gerrymanderingPropaganda channels like Fox News which are not sending fair and balanced news are another symptom for a broken system too.https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/editorials/fox-news-libel-dominion-propaganda-murdoch-carlson-hannity-20230302.htmlFrom my side of the pond first cracks and signs are visible, but the system is not completely broken yet, or is it? :-/-J.
-------- Original message --------From: Pieter Steenekamp <pieters at randcontrols.co.za> Date: 9/3/23  12:03 PM  (GMT+01:00) To: The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group <friam at redfish.com> Subject: [FRIAM] Is the American political system broken? I'm not an American, but because America plays such a big role in the world, I do follow what's happening over there. With the presidential elections happening next year, I cringe at the prospect that it will be another Trump vs. Biden affair. Can the leader of the world not do better?During the primaries of the last election, Andrew Yang intrigued me to no end. He did not make it as a candidate for the Democratic Party and subsequently formed a new party. He is now an outspoken critic of the American political system and has some proposals on how to fix it.To educate myself I asked Bing AI to write three essays:a) One for Andrew Yang's viewsb) One against itc) Lastly an objective review of the two views aboveBing AI answered with:I'm glad you're interested in learning more about Andrew Yang's view on the American political system. I can help you write three essays based on the information I found from the web. Here they are:a) Essay for Andrew Yang's view:Andrew Yang is a former presidential and mayoral candidate who has recently launched a new political party called Forward (or FWD). Yang believes that the American political system is broken and needs to be reformed to reduce polarization, corruption, and dysfunction. He argues that the current two-party system is outdated and does not represent the interests of most Americans, who are increasingly dissatisfied with both Democrats and Republicans. He also claims that the system is rigged by special interests, lobbyists, and wealthy donors who influence the policies and outcomes of elections.Yang's solution is to create a third party that is focused on moving the country forward, rather than left or right. He proposes a set of reforms that he thinks will improve the quality of democracy and governance in the U.S. Some of these reforms include:- Implementing ranked-choice voting, which allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference, rather than choosing only one. This would encourage more diversity and competition in the political arena, and reduce the spoiler effect and negative campaigning.- Adopting open primaries, which allow voters to participate in any party's primary election, regardless of their affiliation. This would increase voter turnout and engagement, and give more voice and power to independent and moderate voters.- Enacting term limits for Congress, which would limit the number of terms that members of the House and Senate can serve. This would reduce the influence of career politicians and lobbyists, and encourage more fresh and innovative ideas and perspectives.- Creating a universal basic income (UBI), which would provide every American adult with a monthly payment of $1,000, regardless of their income or employment status. This would help alleviate poverty, inequality, and insecurity, and boost the economy and consumer spending.- Reforming the electoral college, which would either abolish or modify the system that determines the winner of presidential elections based on state-level votes, rather than popular votes. This would make every vote count equally, and prevent scenarios where a candidate can win the presidency without winning the majority of votes.Yang believes that these reforms will create a more responsive, representative, and accountable political system that will serve the common good of all Americans. He hopes that his new party will attract voters from across the political spectrum who are looking for a positive and pragmatic alternative to the status quo.b) Essay against Andrew Yang's view:Andrew Yang is a former presidential and mayoral candidate who has recently launched a new political party called Forward (or FWD). Yang claims that the American political system is broken and needs to be reformed to reduce polarization, corruption, and dysfunction. However, his view is misguided and unrealistic for several reasons.First, Yang's diagnosis of the problem is oversimplified and exaggerated. He blames the two-party system for all the ills of American politics, but ignores the fact that there are many other factors that contribute to the challenges facing the country, such as social media, misinformation, cultural differences, economic forces, global events, etc. He also fails to acknowledge the benefits and achievements of the two-party system, such as its stability, adaptability, accountability, and responsiveness to public opinion.Second, Yang's solution is impractical and ineffective. He proposes a set of reforms that he thinks will improve the quality of democracy and governance in the U.S., but does not explain how he will implement them or overcome the resistance from the existing parties and institutions. He also does not address the potential drawbacks and unintended consequences of his reforms, such as:- Ranked-choice voting could lead to more confusion and complexity for voters and election officials, as well as more legal challenges and disputes over vote counting and results.- Open primaries could undermine party cohesion and identity, as well as allow for strategic voting and manipulation by opposing parties or factions.- Term limits for Congress could reduce institutional knowledge and expertise, as well as increase dependence on staff and lobbyists.- Universal basic income could create disincentives for work and productivity, as well as increase government spending and debt.- Reforming the electoral college could weaken federalism and state sovereignty, as well as increase regional polarization and alienation.Yang's new party is unlikely to succeed or make a significant impact on American politics. He faces many obstacles and challenges in building a viable third party that can compete with the established parties, such as fundraising, organizing, recruiting candidates, gaining media attention, attracting voters, etc. He also risks splitting or diluting the vote of his supporters or allies in other parties, which could benefit his opponents or adversaries.Yang's view on the American political system is based on wishful thinking and naive optimism. He does not offer a realistic or effective way to address the complex and multifaceted issues facing the country.c) Objective review of the two views above:Andrew Yang is a former presidential and mayoral candidate who has recently launched a new political party called Forward (or FWD). Yang has a view that the American political system is broken and needs to be reformed to reduce polarization, corruption, and dysfunction. He proposes a set of reforms that he thinks will improve the quality of democracy and governance in the U.S., such as ranked-choice voting, open primaries, term limits for Congress, universal basic income, and reforming the electoral college. He hopes that his new party will attract voters from across the political spectrum who are looking for a positive and pragmatic alternative to the status quo.However, Yang's view is not universally accepted or supported. There are many arguments and counterarguments for and against his view and his reforms. Some of the main points of contention are:- The causes and extent of the problem: Yang blames the two-party system for all the ills of American politics, but others point out that there are many other factors that contribute to the challenges facing the country, such as social media, misinformation, cultural differences, economic forces, global events, etc. They also argue that the two-party system has some benefits and achievements, such as its stability, adaptability, accountability, and responsiveness to public opinion.- The feasibility and effectiveness of the solution: Yang proposes a set of reforms that he thinks will improve the quality of democracy and governance in the U.S., but others question how he will implement them or overcome the resistance from the existing parties and institutions. They also warn of the potential drawbacks and unintended consequences of his reforms, such as confusion, complexity, legal challenges, party fragmentation, strategic voting, loss of institutional knowledge, dependence on staff and lobbyists, disincentives for work, increased government spending and debt, weakened federalism and state sovereignty, increased regional polarization and alienation, etc.- The viability and impact of the new party: Yang hopes that his new party will succeed or make a significant impact on American politics, but others doubt his ability to build a viable third party that can compete with the established parties. They cite the many obstacles and challenges he faces in fundraising, organizing, recruiting candidates, gaining media attention, attracting voters, etc. They also caution that he risks splitting or diluting the vote of his supporters or allies in other parties, which could benefit his opponents or adversaries.In conclusion, Andrew Yang's view on the American political system is a controversial and contentious one. There are pros and cons to his view and his reforms. There are also uncertainties and risks to his new party. The debate over his view is likely to continue as he pursues his political aspirations.Source: Conversation with Bing, 2023/09/03(1) Andrew Yang's Forward Political Party Views, Explained - Market Realist. https://marketrealist.com/economy-and-politics/andrew-yang-political-party-explained/.(2) What does Andrew Yang believe? Where the candidate stands on 5 issues - PBS. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/what-does-andrew-yang-believe-where-the-candidate-stands-on-5-issues.(3) Andrew Yang’s Disjointed Plan to Reform American Democracy. https://newrepublic.com/article/153888/andrew-yangs-disjointed-plan-reform-american-democracy.(4) Andrew Yang’s Third-Party Aspirations | The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/andrew-yangs-third-party-aspirations.
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