VOTER POWER
US Democracy
Myth: The US isn’t a Democracy, it’s a republic.
Fact: We are a Constitutional Republic AND a Democracy. That’s because a republic is a form of Democracy.
The founding fathers believed in a democratically elected government, but they didn’t support a purely Rousseauian-style democracy. So, they devised a system where representatives are democratically elected by the populace to serve at the pleasure of the citizenry.
The existence of voting representatives gives us the “republic” part of our government. But we also have the Senate to balance out power between states–that is, to keep larger states from overpowering smaller states–and the House of Representatives to accurately represent the citizenry of states based on population.
The beauty of the American system can be found in its effort to combine democratic ideals with a classical republic to develop a practical democratic system. In fact, it’s this republicanism that makes democracy work in America.
Propaganda of Authoritarianism: Trump’s “Squad” Tweets
Either he’s a natural at it, or President Trump is being coached on classic Russian propaganda techniques. The president’s defense of his own racist Tweets is the latest chapter in what is knows as the “4D Approach” to propaganda: dismiss, distract,...
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New Tax Reform Bill Counts Fetuses as People
Last Friday, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed a bundle of bills known as “Tax Reform 2.0.” This proposal would count “unborn children” as beneficiaries under 529 education savings plans. Democrats say it’s just a way for Republicans to push their anti-choice agenda.
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There’s a Nasty New Weapon in the Election Hacking War
Russia’s intelligence agency has generated malicious software that’s virtually impossible to expunge. According to The Daily Beast, the malware can persist even if the operating system is reinstalled or the hard drive replaced—security measures that would normally expel an intruder.
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President Trump Orders FBI Investigation into Kavanaugh
President Trump has directed the FBI to further investigate Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, after several key Republican senators requested that he do so. As of the writing of this article, three women have come forward to accuse the Supreme Court nominee of sexual misconduct.
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GOP Senator Blasts President Trump for Discrediting Kavanaugh’s Accusers
Last week, President Trump came under fire for saying that “if the attack on Dr. Ford was as bad as she says,” she would have promptly reported it to the police. Republican Senator Jeff Flake chastised the president for his remarks.
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Corporations Team Up to Increase Voter Turnout
Despite today’s politically charged atmosphere, America’s voter turnout rate remains persistently low. According to The New York Times, less than half of eligible voters participated in the 2014 midterm elections. Now, corporations across the nation are teaming up to address this problem.
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Rod Rosenstein Expected to Be Fired
On Monday, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein made an unexpected trip to the White House, sparking rumors that he would be fired. But as NPR reports, Rosenstein’s career is still intact—for now. According to White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders, President Trump and Rosenstein “had an extended conversation to discuss the recent news stories.”
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Executive Order on Election Meddling is Toothless, Officials Say
Last week, President Trump signed an executive order that authorized the U.S. to slap additional sanctions on any foreign entity caught meddling in America’s elections. But while it may look like the president is taking a hardline stance on election interference, officials say that it’s nothing more than an empty gesture.
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Woman Who Accused Kavanaugh of Sexual Assault Comes Forward
The identity of the woman who accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault has now been revealed. Her name is Christine Blasey Ford, and she’s a 51-year-old research psychologist who teaches at Palo Alto University in California.
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Manafort to Plead Guilty, Cooperate with Investigators
After months of refusing to cooperate with federal prosecutors, former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort has finally flipped. President Trump has yet to comment on the matter, though it doesn’t take much to infer how he feels. During an Aug. 23 interview with Fox News, Trump said that flipping “almost ought to be illegal.”
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