Hey readers, MJ digital producer Sam here.
It seems like everyone these days is yelling about democracy. "We need to save democracy!" "Democracy is on the ballot!" "This election is between democracy and authoritarianism!" My response? To hell with our American democracy.
Hear me out.
The first election I was able to vote in was in 2016. (We all know how that went.) So, I hardly see American democracy as something to model or replicate. But my frustrations with US democracy go much deeper than 2016. In fact, it goes back to this country's founding.
As I explain in a new video to accompany Ari Berman’s latest piece on minority rule, the Constitution was designed to include explicitly anti-democratic features. It was built to favor the rich and the white. As much as Joe Biden wants voters to prove that US democracy "isn’t a relic of history," Ari makes crystal clear that 2024's threats against democracy, including Donald Trump himself, are so much older and more profound than the former president.
But our broken democracy is something I also see as fixable. I hope this video helps decipher the roots of what needs to be changed for everyone frustrated with how a minority of white, wealthy, religious conservatives have taken over every aspect of American life despite the majority of us wanting something different.
Because I don’t care what the Founding Fathers wanted for democracy.
— Sam Van Pykeren
P.S. Stick around for a silly post-credits scene!
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