this post was submitted on 29 Mar 2024
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Because there is still a reasonable veneer of democracy. The "both sides-ing" part of the electorate that doesnt see what is happening as a slow conversion to authoritarianism or fascism still know how to count and how elections are supposed to work. The system is getting slowly rigged from the inside, and it is extremely enabled by having questionable election results and need for recounts and exploitable legal actions.
You can see by watching coverage of Trump's second impeachment that there are principled old guard Republicans with lines they won't cross. There's also huge portion of the non-maga "center and center right" electorate thinks that this is all just some overblown BS and dont love Trump, but think it's all the same either way. A close election? Sure recount, sue, whatever, and those people will go along. Have a blowout confirmed by media and election polling and those people wake up and give a shit. All is not lost for democracy, but basically only half the electorate is even engaged in the discussion. In a close race a steal looks legit, in a landslide race that is overturned all the "nothing burger" crowd gets proof that there is blood in the water.
The US isn't Russia yet, but the insides are changing because fuckwits "protest" by sitting on their couches, not voting or engaging, and whining about how it doesnt matter. IT. MATTERS. This whole conversation is like the "first/then they came for the XXX and I said nothing" situation, but it starts at the ballot box.
That's sort of my point. When everything looks close and reasonable, democracy is the veneer, but when it's fully exercised, democracy still works.
I have a hard time feeling bad for sanctioning a country whose government is actively expansionist and an extension of the mafia even if I feel bad for the citizens, but that's a separate discussion altogether.