Quote: Original post by magic_man
The USA is a republic.

Actually, the USA is a federation of democratic-republics.

A Cheney being a total fucking retard? I'm shocked!

/like an iraqi torture victim
//ziiing!

Quote: Original post by Sirisian

Quote: Original post by magic_man
it seems strange to me that you have a Republican Party and a Democratic Party yet they have nothing to do with republic and democracy.

It's kind of confusing isn't it. You have to look at their ideologies to figure out what they stand for.

Generally republicans are the conservative party and democrats are the liberal party, but get this: In Australia, our conservative party is called the "Liberal Party of Australia"!

[edit]Zoid says it better \/

[Edited by - Hodgman on July 14, 2009 3:52:22 AM]

Quote: Original post by magic_man
Well I assume you know more about American politics than me, but it seems strange to me that you have a Republican Party and a Democratic Party yet they have nothing to do with republic and democracy.

I though all political parties were like that. In Australia, Liberals are conservative, Labor often tries to avoid doing work, Nationals only represent a specific segment of the nation, Greens are red, and One Nation tried to split us apart.

Quote: Original post by Trapper Zoid

Quote: Original post by magic_man
Well I assume you know more about American politics than me, but it seems strange to me that you have a Republican Party and a Democratic Party yet they have nothing to do with republic and democracy.

I though all political parties were like that. In Australia, Liberals are conservative, Labor often tries to avoid doing work, Nationals only represent a specific segment of the nation, Greens are red, and One Nation tried to split us apart.

And all of this is why I actually like the idea of an Absolute Monarchy. We all know that who ever we elect are going to screw things up, so lets save ourselves the time and expense of continued elections. Just give a few people the power to rule.

Then we'll 'vote' every now and then with bloody rebellion if the ruling party screws up too much in a given space of time. Then we elect a new king and found a new royal family. If we're lucky we could get several generations of stable and productive rule out of a lucky pick.


Of course, I would never actually support such a plan, as I would expect someone to screw up within a year.

Quote: Original post by Talroth

Quote: Original post by Trapper Zoid

Quote: Original post by magic_man
Well I assume you know more about American politics than me, but it seems strange to me that you have a Republican Party and a Democratic Party yet they have nothing to do with republic and democracy.

I though all political parties were like that. In Australia, Liberals are conservative, Labor often tries to avoid doing work, Nationals only represent a specific segment of the nation, Greens are red, and One Nation tried to split us apart.

And all of this is why I actually like the idea of an Absolute Monarchy. We all know that who ever we elect are going to screw things up, so lets save ourselves the time and expense of continued elections. Just give a few people the power to rule.

Then we'll 'vote' every now and then with bloody rebellion if the ruling party screws up too much in a given space of time. Then we elect a new king and found a new royal family. If we're lucky we could get several generations of stable and productive rule out of a lucky pick.


Of course, I would never actually support such a plan, as I would expect someone to screw up within a year.

Is this the part of the thread where Lessbread is proclaimed emperor of gamedev and the lounge spirals into a crippling civil war as the Libertarian posters attempt a regicide ;-)?

I hope not.

Quote: Original post by Talroth
And all of this is why I actually like the idea of an Absolute Monarchy. We all know that who ever we elect are going to screw things up, so lets save ourselves the time and expense of continued elections. Just give a few people the power to rule.

Then we'll 'vote' every now and then with bloody rebellion if the ruling party screws up too much in a given space of time. Then we elect a new king and found a new royal family. If we're lucky we could get several generations of stable and productive rule out of a lucky pick.

Personally, I think we should vote on specific issues, rather than for specific people or "parties". E.g. "do you support the idea of a national broadband network", "do you support the ideas set out in WorkChoices?" "do you support stem-cell research?" "do you support a carbon-trading scheme?" etc. A dozen or so "yes"/"no" questions every 3 or 4 years. Rather choosing rather arbitrary political parties where you might agree with some of their policies but not all of them.

A system like that would require a much more well-informed consituency, which I guess is the major stepping-stone :-)

OMG, shock and horror. A newspaper article critical of obama. Damn that conservative media!

Oh wait. Isnt this kindof like 'the exception that proves the rule'?

Quote: Original post by Hodgman

Quote: Original post by Sirisian

Quote: Original post by magic_man
it seems strange to me that you have a Republican Party and a Democratic Party yet they have nothing to do with republic and democracy.

It's kind of confusing isn't it. You have to look at their ideologies to figure out what they stand for.

Generally republicans are the conservative party and democrats are the liberal party, but get this: In Australia, our conservative party is called the "Liberal Party of Australia"!

Yeah, parties have a tendency to change over time. In the US the Democrats used to be the conservative ones, and supported slavery and all that nonsense, and the Republicans started off as a liberal party that stood for civil rights and all that jazz. There were two major realignments in the 20th century though; FDR marked the point at which the Democrats could clearly be considered a liberal party for the first time. Around the same time Hoover started taking the Republicans to the right but was unsuccessful. The conversion didn't really happen until the 1960's, when the Dixiecrats split from the Democrats over their support for the various civil rights acts of that decade, and Barry Goldwater implemented a southern strategy to try to win their votes. He was ultimately unsuccessful as well but it set the stage for Nixon to implement it successfully in the next election, firmly cementing the Republican party on the right now.

Same thing with the German Nationalist Socialist Party; the party was dying and Hitler seized the opportunity to change the ideals of the party to fascism, so they were no longer socialist. So the next time someone godwins a discussion by saying that the nazi's were socialists, you can tell they didn't do their research :)