It's noticeable how many countries with American-style constitutions have legislatures cowed by this sort of stuff and essentially imperial presidencies, with elections that are incredibly tense - ThreadSky

dlknowles.bsky.social • 14 days ago

It's noticeable how many countries with American-style constitutions have legislatures cowed by this sort of stuff and essentially imperial presidencies, with elections that are incredibly tense

Reposted from Filipe Campante

As Congress behaves as if it's functionally shut down, it's important to understand how Trump has done it. The stereotype is tanks and an emergency decree or whatever, but here it's been the combination of two things: the threat of political destruction and the threat of violence.

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dlknowles.bsky.social•14 days ago

Kenya is the example I know best and it's fascinating how utterly meaningless the Kenyan parliament is most of the time. It's a talking shop and a bench for people to build their own local political empires, but it almost no check on the presidency whatsoever

dlknowles.bsky.social•14 days ago

The reason why is that becoming an MP requires you to invest a lot of money in patronage. You need to literally hand out cash at election time, and throughout your term, pay school fees, funeral expenses, and find jobs for your constituents. Or you will lose reelection

nathanielgraham.bsky.social•14 days ago

Reading that first sentence made me think you were talking about the U.K.

wanderthedesert.bsky.social•14 days ago

India feels the same, at the state governments at least. What is your take?

dlknowles.bsky.social•14 days ago

But of course you can only do these things if the president looks kindly on you! Or at least doesn't target you and your businesses

dlknowles.bsky.social•14 days ago

Another good example of this dynamic where on paper the elected boss is weak but in practice all powerful, is uh, of course, the City of Chicago

dlknowles.bsky.social•14 days ago

It only works when you have a politicised civil service and a lot of corruption. But I think this is what a lot of people in America haven't necessarily understood about patronage. Corruption is not only a result of Congress being weak, it is also *how* you make Congress weak

dlknowles.bsky.social•14 days ago

*Imagine* a world (it's not so hard to imagine given recent events!) where a whole bunch of government payments to contractors in a seat get shut down if a representative speaks up against the president. That's how things often work elsewhere in the world!

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