What is democracy?

[Markass]

Is it not about choice..? Here in oklahoma I understand that there's only two candidates on our ballot for president..no third party even..

But it makes sense if you're a legislator that made that law...Why would you want someone with ideas that differ from yours to be able to be elected? This sure doesn't inspire me to drive to go vote very much...I will, but I'm going to leave the president part blank...If I don't have the right to vote for who I want, then I wont at all...

They only make us think that we have a say in how things go..If democracy was the case then as far as I'm concerned, the electoral college wouldn't exist, and the general ballot would be the same as the primary ballot..

Markass Reviewed by Markass on 11-04-2008. What is democracy? Is it not about choice..? Here in oklahoma I understand that there's only two candidates on our ballot for president..no third party even.. But it makes sense if you're a legislator that made that law...Why would you want someone with ideas that differ from yours to be able to be elected? This sure doesn't inspire me to drive to go vote very much...I will, but I'm going to leave the president part blank...If I don't have the right to vote for who I want, then I wont at all... They only Rating: 5

[Gatekeeper777]

WHy isn't there a 3rd party canidate on your ballot?
Did they register?
BOB BARR is running on the Libertarian ticket!
Thats BULLSHIT you need to complain to your local elections board!

[dragonrider]

Hmmmmmm.... I don't know how it works in your state, but here in California we have candidates for 6 parties, plus a slot for write-in. We have candidates for Democratic, Republican, Green, Libertarian, American Independent, and Peace and Freedom. The parties have to go through some hoops to get their candidate on the ballot, so maybe they didn't do that in Oklahoma?

[flyingimam]

this is a misconception. America is not a democracy

1 a: government by the people ; especially : rule of the majority b: a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections
democracy - Definition from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary

1 a (1): a government having a chief of state who is not a monarch and who in modern times is usually a president (2): a political unit (as a nation) having such a form of government b (1): a government in which supreme power resides in a body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by elected officers and representatives responsible to them and governing according to law (2): a political unit (as a nation) having such a form of government c: a usually specified republican government of a political unit <the French Fourth Republic>
republic - Definition from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary

yes, rationally thinking about it, republic is a form of Democracy right? except that majority does not rule necessarily. and that creates all the fiasco about our awkward electoral system.

remember that just a few years ago, popular vote would have chosen another candidate, while electoral vote chose the other guy?

until this is not change, expect to live it the way we have lived so far
I dont even know why our govt wants to expand democracy to the world, if we are really intending to help them, we should give them our great system which is a republic.

More on the real differences: Democracy vs Republic | Democrats.com

now, the thing u r talking about that u are limited to only choose between the 2 parties, well that doesn't happen in a 'democracy'

all the above given, both systems have their own cons and pros

[killerweed420]

This is why they should have paper ballots like we do here in Washington. You can write in your own candidate. In my case I wrote in Ron Paul. It doesn't count because nobdy's vote counts for the presidential race but atleast if a lot of people wrote in a candidate it would help send a message.

[flyingimam]

This is why they should have paper ballots like we do here in Washington. You can write in your own candidate. In my case I wrote in Ron Paul. It doesn't count because nobdy's vote counts for the presidential race but atleast if a lot of people wrote in a candidate it would help send a message.

sadly it wont really matter, unless we are talking half the electorate or something, in large millions. which i dont see happenin at all

[Markass]

WHy isn't there a 3rd party canidate on your ballot?
Did they register?
BOB BARR is running on the Libertarian ticket!
Thats BULLSHIT you need to complain to your local elections board!

I haven't read to confirm whether or not this is true, but my boss told me that there's a law that states only democrat and republican can be on the ballot here in oklahoma...I'll have to do some more reading to find out for sure but it sure sounds logical to me..

[dragonrider]

I haven't read to confirm whether or not this is true, but my boss told me that there's a law that states only democrat and republican can be on the ballot here in oklahoma...I'll have to do some more reading to find out for sure but it sure sounds logical to me..

I would be EXTREMELY surprised if that were the case --- it is almost certainly not legal to ban other parties from the ballot. It's more likely that third parties have so little support in Oklahoma that they don't go through the time and expense to get on the ballot there.

[overgrowthegovt]

"There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party, and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit stupider, more rigid, more doctrinaire in their laissez-faire capitalism than the Democrats, who are cuter, prettier, a bit more corrupt (until recently), and more willing than the Republicans to make small adjustments when the poor, the black, the anti-imperialists get out of hand. But essentially, there is no difference between the two parties."
-Gore Vidal

Yeah, the elections are just a show, an advertisement for a pseudo-democracy in which corporatism and economic imperialism always come out on top no matter what party reigns.

[maladroit]

the republicans and democrats are like trains taking us to the same destination, but the dems are taking a longer and more scenic route

i still believe obama is different