Is the US really a model for democracy?

Question

The US is always saying how it wants to spread democracy to other parts of the world, especially when speaking about Iraq, North Korea, etc.. But does the US have a truly democractic system? After all, what it has now is a two party system which doesn't really represent every citizen's views. How can the US truly be the model for democracy that the founding fathers envisioned?

Thanks for all the answers thus far. My purpose was to start a debate and it looks as if I've succeeded.

Even though, as some people have pointed out and which I am aware, there are indeed other parties but they are not popular. Does the present system really allow for these other parties though? I remeber from a class I took on government that the mechanism by which representatives are elected kind of pushes other parties aside. Please shed some light, folks. I'm here to learn as well.

Answer 1

it used to be.

the USA have the oldest still existing democratic constitution in the world. which is in a way something to be proud of. but it leaves you with a problem. this constitution was one hell of a charter in its time, only that time is 230 years gone. times have changed... the world has changed. the american constiturion however has only be amended. it is overfraught with remnants of law that had their use and their sense back then, but have now become a burden more than a boon.

the right to carry weapons for example. but the most problems arise from the somewhat outdated kind of federalism, in which the single state has too many opportunities to make its own law, and the federal government too few handles to make them all row in the same direction.

i know it is more or less impossible, but the USA need a new constitution. THAT would be model democracy, by the way

Answer 2

Everyone had good answers, and close to the target. The USA is not a democracy. True democracy would invite true chaos. Every decision would go to the people for a vote. You can compare that to medicine. Good in small amounts, it will kill you in large amounts.

We the people, and this is not an insult, are not fit to make choices for ourselves on an everyday basis. We don't have the time or the willingness to learn and study all the information needed to make good judgments. So we elect "representatives" to do this for us. If we agree with the way our representatives cast their votes, we vote for that person. If we don't agree, we vote for someone else that we do agree with. If you want an example why, here is a test. Keep the fact that you are doing this to yourself. Find an issue before Congress or the Senate study the issue and learn every thing you would have to learn to make a choice yourself on that issue. Then take all of your knowledge and ask the opinion on that issue of the people around you. You will be surprised how many people don't know what you are talking about or are drawing their conclusions from bad information.

Our founding fathers knew the above would happen and made it impossible for us to shoot ourselves in the foot. Another step our founding fathers took on the same line is they created the Electoral College to "help" us cast our votes for our representatives because they thought we couldn't be trusted on our own. That's right, we don't even really elect our representatives directly. Yes we cast our votes, but the votes that are counted to make the choice are the votes from the Electoral College. Each state is given a specific number of votes based on population. The reason is the founding fathers were afraid that someone would run for office that would be extremely bad for the country and would "trick" the people into voting for him or herself. In theory the Electoral College would step in and make sure that the "bad" candidate would not be elected and cast the Electoral College votes for someone the Electoral College trusted.

So my friend, we are not a Democracy. We are a Representative Republic that is dependant on capitalism. Yes, any sort of freedom depends on capitalism, and capitalism depends on freedom. Neither one would work without the other. Is it a good model? Maybe. Is it the best? Time will tell. The model isn't old enough to have been considered a true test. That's a thousand years from now. On the bright side, if you look at the industrialized nations in Europe that used to be controlled by Kings and Queens, they now have systems not very much different from our own.

Answer 3

It's far from being a model for democracy. You are right, it is a 2 party system which both cater to Corp. America. The dems, pay lip service to the working class & marginalized people, but that is all it is. They will support abortion, gay marriage, and a few other things, just to make it appear they have the best interests of the common ppl at heart. It's a sham & has been for years. They have the American ppl so paranoid about a Socialist party being communist it's scary.
Democracy is nothing more than a beautiful concept that everyone in the world should be entitled to. However, it has one major flaw: It is the only door to capitalism.

Capitalism, and the human greed it fosters, is the terminal cancer that eventually consumes and destroys true democracy. People eventually become enraged at being raped by the rich and privileged, and rise up and revolt, and dictatorial government is the result.

The prime example of this simple fact is the wanton destruction of personal freedoms; the rape, murder, pillaging and occupation of other nations for their natural resources. This is the United States of America.

The real tragedy of all this is that despots like George W. Bush claim they are doing this to preserve democracy in the U.S. The fact is Americans lost their democracy the day he became president. There is a way to preserve personal freedoms and
democracy; it is called social democracy. Social democracy allows everyone to benefit, not just the wealthy. Social democracy is not communism.
It's actually closer to what the Founding Fathers envisioned, because it encourages "free enterprise" as oppossed to Capitalism. The Corp. world is selling out the US for the profit of the few. They are destroying the middle class, which is the main tax base. Anyway , before the US can bring democracy to others, I'm afraid it will be a case of "physician heal thyself".

Answer 4

All the media is required to do is provide equal time for political announcements. The time is available, the finances are not. By keeping announcement costs high, the little guy is kept out. The government of our Republic(America is not a democracy) does not have total control of the media. The major media generally only covers big news, and ''feel good' news. Nader, and the other minor candidates don't fit in either category.

Answer 5

I would say that the US is so Democratic that we have placed ourselves in a very poor habit of imposing someone elses views, values and morals on the rest of the population. I would dare call us borderline Socialist to be honest.

I live in the US, been in the US military and am a US citizen so I am not just talking "sh1t" from the sidelines (like Canada or Mexico, etc)
This country was founded on the basis of "freedom" and "democracy". Although it is a so called "democracy" I wouldn't call it a true democracy. That would be almost impossible to have since there are millions of different views out there, and to represent them all would require millions of different representatives.

You could call the US a Representative Republic.

And I would say that the founding fathers would have envisioned things differently than they are today. My biggest "gripe" with our govenment is that the people who claim to represent us are not one of us. They get elected and become elitists who seem to forget why, and who, put them in office. If they were to represent us truly, they should come to work with us, live like us, and exist like us on a daily basis.
Freedom, well most Americans take it severley for granted. We have many people who have no clue as to what freedom really is because they have become spoiled and complacent in their so called freedom. Most don't realize that their (any) "freedom" costs something, usually someone else sacrificing their freedoms for "the greater good".

And for all of you conspiracy theorists out there, you can say what you like because someone else has given you, (and every other whiner, complainer and b1tcher in this country) that luxury. Enjoy your freedoms, stop b1tching and stop being part of the, or "a" problem and change it. If you are just going to spread dissent and complain, get the hell out!

In other words, exercise your "freedom" to leave. I spent half my life in the military so that you can exercise that right, so please don't tell me that I have wasted MY time and sacrificed MY freedoms for nothing more than to hear you complain and cry about something you won't try and change. At least I can say I did something other than selfishly ***** about everyone else. If you don't agree, that's your right, opinion, whatever. Don't judge me, or anyone else because I may disagree with it.
Maybe if there were more action and less lip flapping, accusations, and allegations from everyone, things could be better, but that's still just a matter of opinion to someone else now , isn't it?

Answer 6

Considering that the US is the ONLY country that practices democracy, then, yes, it is a model. Other countries practice a form of democracy, the most popular being "Socialist-Democracy", but true democracy can only be found in the US.

As for your question concerning the party system, it's unfounded. There are numerous political parties, but the most "popular" are the Republican and Democrat parties.

Answer 7

Yes. The USA is the model for democracy in the world. All you have to see all the different people from different countries coming to our land. You have to see the entire world looking toward the USA for advise and help. All you have to see how different ethnic groups from all over the world come to live and get a better life in our country. Why is it that with all the problems that we have in our country, they are still coming in masses to our country. WHY? Well because the United States of America is the best country in the world. WE are not perfect and will never will but we are the best...

Answer 8

as far us is concern yes it is one of the good model of democracy. but as far bush is concern i dont think so by using the world democracy he is actually doing anti things where its seems to be very personalised. as his father could not able to do so the son had done. with new facts and figure about 9/11 i think it si clear that he is just doing the things for his personal satisfaction.
as fer america is good model of democracy at the time when abrhem linken is the president or John f kennedy .
from one person act i dont thing there is any thing wrong with the model but wrong people are there

Answer 9

Regardless of the current state of politics, the US is still the oldest purely representative government in the world. Whether or not you think it's working the way it's supposed to - and there are a whole lot of value assumptions wrapped up there that you haven't made explicit - it is still functioning. So in terms of creating and maintaining a single, representative government for two and a half centuries, the US is not only a good model, but the only model.

Answer 10

In response to all who say America isnt a model for democracy and in response to the question... If you want to make the point that America is not a model for democracy, say that it is a model of a true democracy, because democracy itself isn't something to be held so high. So in response to the question, yes America is a perfect model of a democracy.