Paul Revere by Cyrus Dallin, North End, Boston

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Friday, April 18, 2014

"A republic...if you can keep it."





At the close of the Constitutional Convention of 1787, Franklin was queried as he left Independence Hall on the final day of deliberation. In the notes of Dr. James McHenry, one of Maryland’s delegates to the Convention, a lady asked Dr. Franklin “Well Doctor what have we got, a republic or a monarchy.” Franklin replied, “A republic . . . if you can keep it.”


According to a new Princeton study, 227 years later, we didn't keep our republic:



Asking "[w]ho really rules?" researchers Martin Gilens and Benjamin I. Page argue that over the past few decades America's political system has slowly transformed from a democracy into an oligarchy, where wealthy elites wield most power. 

Using data drawn from over 1,800 different policy initiatives from 1981 to 2002, the two conclude that rich, well-connected individuals on the political scene now steer the direction of the country, regardless of or even against the will of the majority of voters. 

 "The central point that emerges from our research is that economic elites and organized groups representing business interests have substantial independent impacts on U.S. government policy," they write, "while mass-based interest groups and average citizens have little or no independent influence." 

As one illustration, Gilens and Page compare the political preferences of Americans at the 50th income percentile to preferences of Americans at the 90th percentile as well as major lobbying or business groups. They find that the government—whether Republican or Democratic—more often follows the preferences of the latter group rather than the first. 

 The researches note that this is not a new development caused by, say, recent Supreme Court decisions allowing more money in politics, such as Citizens United or this month's ruling on McCutcheon v. FEC. 

As the data stretching back to the 1980s suggests, this has been a long term trend, and is therefore harder for most people to perceive, let alone reverse. "Ordinary citizens," they write, "might often be observed to 'win' (that is, to get their preferred policy outcomes) even if they had no independent effect whatsoever on policy making, if elites (with whom they often agree) actually prevail."




Thomas Jefferson:

“I hope we shall crush in its birth the aristocracy of our monied corporations which dare already to challenge our government to a trial by strength, and bid defiance to the laws of our country.”  


4 comments:

okjimm said...

well...I like to think there is hope. The current political climate reminds one of the McCarthy era....and not even going into that 'they are both Republican' thing. During the Civil War the Copperhead Democrats were just as sleasy as the TeaParty is today. The American Party,the Know-Nothings, were equally odious. Our history is full of political 'evil-doers'; remember the Carpet Baggers and Scaliwags of the Reconstruction. We are at a crux in our nation's development...and I do believe we will succeed in resurrecting our core beliefs and truths. To that end...I, for one, will make an attempt to NOT broadly brush groups with derogtory appelatives and rather single out the assholes one by one.....you build Republics one brick at a time....you also disassemble hatred the same way.
Might be worth a shot. Who knows

Les Carpenter said...

Thomas Jefferson, a man most present day progressives use for convenience but quickly discard in favor of Alexander Hamilton or his modern equivalent.

It does my heart good however to find Jefferson being quoted here for in many respects he was a giant among men. Quite as noted in JFK's quip about Jefferson.

Ah yes, if only we had more Jeffersonian thinkers today. But we can understand with the "dumbing down of America" why we don't.

Yes our nation is becoming an oligarchy, and the sheeple are blind to the sight and deaf to the noise. It won't get better, and it is good to be getting old.

Thanks for the post, it help make my day.

skudrunner said...

We need to try the form of government we were founded on. Representative government by citizen legislators.

Need to end the day of the career politician because they lose sight about what it is like to be a working American.
Won't happen because there are to many who know nothing else but nice thought to have a government represent the people instead of the money and power.

Les Carpenter said...

Gosh Skud, we have the ballot box. So, I often wonder why we, as a nation use it to continue to send the same people, or their clones, back to the seats of power.

Possibilities: 1) Money, 2) The dumbing down of America

It's good to be getting old.