The ruling part is disappointingly taking the gop route of claiming the acting president can't appoint Constitutional Court judges, or accusing the Dems of being political, or taking offense at being called aides of the insurrection, or boycotting various votes.
The Dems are like "yeah I did just call you an aide of the insurrection", are plowing forward with their two CC judge noms anyways (the third is the ruling party's), and generally being quite competent. It warms my heart as a Korean.
By the same token, a million COVID deaths at some point in the past would've left a lasting incentive with voters to work against the party that let it fester and is currently broadcasting their intent to end vaccines as we know them.
I was going to say “amazing what the presence of viable third parties does,” encouraging coalition building etc versus just being “the opposition party,” but it seems like that probably doesn’t adequately explain it, seeing how little representation any of the non-PPP/DPK parties have?
My other completely naive take is that maybe a modern govt structure formed more recently is different in some tangible way, versus trying to maintain a status quo based on interpretations of events ~250 years ago? I don’t know, but gosh, there are aspects of ROK govt / citizenry that have *shined.*
Me too. Re “naivety,” I think I’m just trying to acknowledge that I’m very much an outsider looking in on the whole incident, so I’m trying not to draw conclusions that I can’t support or…fetishize?…things that are very real to all the people involved and affected.
I'm Canadian and viable third, forth, fifth, etc parties exist but it's always going to be binary like the USA and now even more so because the right is united and the left is not. We had a coalition until the ruling party started to do weird shit and it is imploding as of yesterday.
i'll have you know america's democratic party is very good at occasionally directing strongly worded letters, disapproving frowns and loud "tsk-tsk"s in the general direction of republicans, so there.
The difference between their leadership and ours is actually believing in the stakes. No matter what they may say, most our electeds have internalized that politics is like sports. You may win or lose, but hey you'll get 'em next year!
I appreciate how when you were first drunkenly reporting on the coup, you wanted to be clear you were not a political reporter... And now you've got more meaningful political commentary than all the MSM combined :)
Also, the people on the street didn't pretend that if they don't support the opposition, another opposition that they like more will just jump out of nowhere and win, instead of the dictator wannabe winning.
They understood they either lined up together, or dictatorship.
How are their elections structured—do they get donations from corporations? Why do people run for office in SK? Is it for power and greed like they do here?
While in South Korea, I was moved by how friendly and welcoming rural farmers and shop keeps were to this visiting American, and how easily and genuinely children laughed and smiled at the simplest things.
Possibly it has actual ties to its voting base? That would be so great - a party whose decision-makers actually came from its base. And truly opposed the agenda of the party in power.
We have fetishized the permanence of Ds and Rs dually running the country in an eternal back-and-forth, and anyone older than about 50 cannot grasp that the fundamental dynamic underlying that (ie that both parties act in good faith, even with ideological differences) has collapsed.
Someone here this morning suggested that the 'resistance'should re-brand itself 'The Opposition'. Resistance has an air of just digging in it's heels when the other side does something whereas 'the opposition' implies action. Actively taking on the other side even proactively.
I don't hate my kin. I just think he's weak willed and frightened. He should listen to FDR fireside chats instead of just fucking yelling and complaining about others.
i responded to that post this morning - the bald eagle is a scavenger - when I lived in alaska - the bald eagles hung out at the dump eating garbage - perhaps it's the right symbol for the trump administration
yes, South Korea has a conservative slanted media environment funded by venture capitalists…yet still, their liberal/left party fights and ignores the media attacks. unlike the Democratic Party which will cave to even the slightest media pressure
liberal voters who support dems can and do blame everything/everyone BUT the democratic party for failure on every possible level.
meanwhile elected dems are blaming (checks notes) trans folks, "defund the police" (apparently that shit will NEVER get old), muslims, etc for the last election.
personally I think it is pretty simple. chump beat two highly qualified females and lost to a old man that campaigned from his basement and he would won this time in my opinion.
The Democrats just ran a campaign with an unprecedented mid-stream candidate switch to overcome historic candidate unpopularity, marathon rally schedule, and massive get out the vote operations because they don’t want to win at stuff. Great analysis Sarah.
How embarrassing. Imagine not realizing the point of politics is to lose after putting forth a token effort and then making snarky posts directed at your opponents on social media.
If hierarchy is evil then power is evil then trying to win is evil so I better not vote/better vote for a hopeless joke candidate. The fundamental Achilles heel of the American left. Also, hierarchy bad means no effective, persistent organizing.
It's not about winning, its about inclusivity. You're out of touch but then again you come from Korean elites and eat, sleep and breath among white American liberal elites who think their shit don't smell. Hang out with poorer whites. You won't know that community in Portland.
People who are comfortable with their job and content with the world believe that the moment in time where they achieved that state was the best time in human history and all problems stem from not doing "more of that". no they don't know what "that" is.
If we are able to put term limits in place this would change in less than a decade. We have a gerontocracy about to get steamrolled by an idiocracy and both are blockading our ability to enjoy a high functioning social democracy in this country. They've institutionalized dysfunction.
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Or so you'd think.
I mean, our voters clearly don't.
If South Koreans can do it, so can Americans. Let's kick the MAGA's GOP traitors and his evil henchmen out of the Whitehouse.
They understood they either lined up together, or dictatorship.
Americans didn't get that.
The constitutional court was on their side.
In the US, there's no longer a legal way to hold Trump responsible for his crimes.
"The enemy would have won today if they were led by a winner."
The Democrats just don't want to win anymore. It's pathetic.
Ahh the crisp taste of a functioning democracy
meanwhile elected dems are blaming (checks notes) trans folks, "defund the police" (apparently that shit will NEVER get old), muslims, etc for the last election.
Democrats can’t deprogram 70 million people.
That's how the REAL work gets done.
My one-brain-celled orange cat demonstrates higher intelligence than all Democrat consultants.