Democracy Index: "USA is now a flawed democracy"

http://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2017/01/daily-chart-20

The USA suffers from many problems. public trust in institutions, from police, to banks, big business, courts, healthcare, politicians, is minimal. No issue can be discussed without turning into a partisan issue. No issue can be resolved because of partisan gridlock in politics. US voters are given the alternatives of keeping the corrupt status quo, or dangerous populism.

The USA is not a healthy country right now. And I think it will get worse.

 

Its getting better as we speak America is becoming great again

 

I notice 3 or 4 Scandinavian countries are at the very top for best democracies.....typical!

 

The Economist's assumption is flawed. The U.S. is not and was never intended to a be democracy. The public has near zero influence on government policy. Democracy is defined as government of, by, and for the people, not government of, by, and for the 1%.

 

The blogger is obviously just another butt-hurt special snowflake Hilliary loser, who doesn't understand that the US is organized as a federal republic.

What else is new?.

 

It isn't just a question of electoral process. It is a study about the citizens' day-to-day access to the decisional process of their countries.

Maybe the US was organized as something else, but right now it is a plutocracy. Your democratic power in the US is directly proportional to the amount of money you have.

PS: Get over "Hilliary".

 

Well, you've certainly got government by and for the 1%. Trump and a big portion of his cabinet are 0.001% ers.

 

We've always been a flawed democracy...

... it is our striving to continue to be a democracy...

... is what sets us apart.

 

To what "standards" of democracy is the US held for comparison ... ... American standards, naturally ...

 

A Federal Republic democratically based. So still a Democracy in fact

Are you arguing that we don't have universal suffrage?

And PLEASE don't bring in the Electoral College, The EC is a mechanism, not a means of governance.
The Representatives in a Republic function largely as they see fit, within their terms (the theory is that they represent what they see as their constituent's best interests, but not always their will) the Electors in the EC have NO legal discretion as to their votes and the whole thing would function just as well if the votes of the represented districts were just transmitted and tallied.

Were the Electors in the EC real representatives I am nearly dead certain there would have been a LOT more controversy among them over Trump's being elected even though he lost the popular vote

Now you might argue that the Constitution originally had Senators elected by the Representatives, not directly by the people. However that has not been the case for a long time.

 

Blogger? Its a report by the economist...

Why do so many americans think that democracy and republic are somehow antithetical? Its such a ridiculous argument. The definition of democracy that you people use is FRINGE and very uncommon. So why dont you just stop being special, and join the rest of the world + half of the USA? Basically, you insist the word means something it does not. Why do you people do this? Its very annoying.

 

The American government is too bloated and bureaucratic. It's a cancer that only cares about its own survival and growth. It doesn't give a rat's ass about the people.

We won't have "good" government until the monster in Washington is cut in half. Only then will the people have faith in our democracy again.

 

Glad to see when the USA gets downgraded as a destination country. Maybe those Mexican drug dealers and human traffickers will go to Sweden or Germany where they welcome ethnic diversity.

 

Sweden is a Republic. Their form of the senate (Riksdag), elects the Prime Minister. The people elect the Riksdag.

 

Sweden is a higher ranking than the US, so my point stands!

 

You assume Populism is dangerous.

You also assume what we have in the Corrupt Establishment is not also just populism, but with the BLM/MS13 crowd, instead of the cornhuskers.

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The US is a republic.....lolz!

 

After 8 years and thanks to Obama, I'd have to agree with you, but not to worry, President Trump will fix it.

 

Trumps election is the response to the USA now being a flawed democracy not the cause that would be GWB and Obama

 

America is still a great place to live.

Most of what you hear is vastly over exaggerated.

 

Sweden has been higher than us on that index for the last 10 years, spanning two Presidents. How do you think Trump will fix it?

 

Don't destroy the surreal bubble of Forums.

Trump loves Putin. Russia is Evil. America is Good.

Sweden the best place to live with Ikea, America is evil because a website told you so.

 

Yup we are more of a Republic than Sweden is. Its democrats who want democracy hence the moniker Democrats while republicans seek to preserve the republic hence the moniker Republicans

 

Then obviously the blogger doesn't understand "representative democracy."

 

The US is a representative democracy, not a true democracy.

It's not my fault the blogger is so poorly educated as to not know and understand the differences.