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Re:Ruth Bader Ginsburg has died by rootusrootus on Friday September 18, 2020 @08:15PM (#24523260)
The next logical step is that the Democrats will flatly refuse to confirm any future Republican nominee for SCOTUS, regardless of what year of the President's term it is.

Partisan politics is tiring. The US is steadily becoming more and more mediocre while the rest of the industrialized world improves, because we are focused more on winning petty battles than improving our nation.

Re:Ruth Bader Ginsburg has died by ikiris on Friday September 18, 2020 @08:19PM (#24523317)
This is hardly about petty. its about power, and always has been. and the sides are in no way equal.
Re:Ruth Bader Ginsburg has died by tmountain on Friday September 18, 2020 @08:39PM (#24523543)
In this case, it's about the preservation of our democracy (Trump has already indicated he will contest the election), so I don't think "petty" is the appropriate term.
Re:Ruth Bader Ginsburg has died by _qulr on Friday September 18, 2020 @09:21PM (#24523913)
There's no democracy to preserve. The Supreme Court is inherently anti-democratic. As is the electoral college, the Senate, etc.

The US Constitution is explicitly anti-democratic, and it always has been, as the founders intended. I'm not saying this is a good thing, I'm just saying that's what it is.

Re:Ruth Bader Ginsburg has died by karpierz on Saturday September 19, 2020 @12:49AM (#24525181)
Can you explain how the US Constitution is anti-democratic? Or I guess, what you mean by democratic?
Re:Ruth Bader Ginsburg has died by _qulr on Saturday September 19, 2020 @07:41AM (#24526748)
I would define it as continual majority rule.

The anti-majority aspect should be obvious at this point: the President lost the popular vote (and indeed got the votes of only 26% of eligible voters), and the majority of the Senate represents a minority of voters.

The continual part is also essential. The less frequent the votes and/or elections, the less the public is able to express their wishes (and hold representatives accountable). Lifetime terms on the Supreme Court are the worst aspect of this. A member of the Supreme Court may be nominated by a President who lost the popular vote, confirmed by the Senate controlled by a minority of voters and whose members are only up for election once in 6 years. The Supreme Court justice then may hold power for decades, even as the "political winds" shift underneath the Court.

It's also important to note how difficult it is to change the laws, especially the Constitution itself. The Constitution was amended relatively frequently in the past, but now it's almost unthinkable. Separation of powers, checks and balances, mean that a determined minority can prevent pretty much anything from happening. They can completely thwart the majority from acting or changing the existing laws (which unfortunately have no expiration date).

Re:Ruth Bader Ginsburg has died by ReptileMan on Saturday September 19, 2020 @03:00AM (#24525723)
Well democracy is ruling by the demos - think three wolves and a sheep voting what to have for dinner. The moment you say that mutton is off the menu you are limiting the power of the demos to rule. So it is anti democratic.
Re:Ruth Bader Ginsburg has died by bonzini on Saturday September 19, 2020 @04:58AM (#24526148)
You are talking about direct democracy, which is but one kind of democracy. Representative democracy is still democracy.

Remember that Plato defined democracy in opposition to monarchy and aristocracy. Universal suffrage, freedom to form parties and to manifest against the government are (part of) what defines modern democracies. Even Switzerland only resorts to referendums in relatively rare cases.

Re:Ruth Bader Ginsburg has died by webmaven on Saturday September 19, 2020 @03:09AM (#24525761)
> Well democracy is ruling by the demos - think three wolves and a sheep voting what to have for dinner. The moment you say that mutton is off the menu you are limiting the power of the demos to rule. So it is anti democratic.

Limited ≠ Anti

Representative democracy is also limited compared to direct democracy, for example.