First off, thank you very much for this post. I’ve been kicking around similar thoughts on these three books and am loving the discussion.
In a popular election, you’d love to promise the world to 51% at the expense of the 49%. Why isn’t this more common?
Define “more common” It definitely isn’t rare in the US. Ending exemptions for state taxes hurts blue states and helps red states. Forgiving student loans helps liberal college educated voters at expense of no college conservative voters.
Once in power, you’d love to disenfranchise more people so that you can have a smaller base (which you can promise even more to, while taking even more for yourself). Why isn’t this more common?
Again, accusations at least of disenfranchisement are very common in US. The debate over voter ID is primarily a debate about who would be disenfranchised by enacting them (“legit voters” having their vote cancelled by illegit voters or “legit voters” not able to vote at all cause the requirements are too strict). DC and Puerto Rico statehood are attempts to expand the franchise in a way that makes it easier for liberals to gain control of Senate and Presidency. Calls to end Electoral College are about disenfranchising rural areas in favor of urban areas (often very explicitly).
First off, thank you very much for this post. I’ve been kicking around similar thoughts on these three books and am loving the discussion.
Define “more common” It definitely isn’t rare in the US. Ending exemptions for state taxes hurts blue states and helps red states. Forgiving student loans helps liberal college educated voters at expense of no college conservative voters.
Again, accusations at least of disenfranchisement are very common in US. The debate over voter ID is primarily a debate about who would be disenfranchised by enacting them (“legit voters” having their vote cancelled by illegit voters or “legit voters” not able to vote at all cause the requirements are too strict). DC and Puerto Rico statehood are attempts to expand the franchise in a way that makes it easier for liberals to gain control of Senate and Presidency. Calls to end Electoral College are about disenfranchising rural areas in favor of urban areas (often very explicitly).