tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26542777.post7340376111319634083..comments2023-10-26T01:59:40.483-07:00Comments on The Dividist Papers: Carnival of Divided Government Quadrâgintâ (XL) Special "Fight Procrastination Day" Editionmwhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11181222537529037359noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26542777.post-28296530367380169742010-10-11T08:34:32.497-07:002010-10-11T08:34:32.497-07:00@Tully
I'm back and thought I should close the...@Tully<br />I'm back and thought I should close the loop on the outcome for this year's "cast and blast". <br /><br />Apparently there are no stupid grouse in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Or at least, none that managed to fly in front of my shotgun. Flushed a bunch, but no boids. OTOH, I've been fishing in the Escanaba River since since grandpa put me on the bank with a hook and worm almost 50 years ago. This year I landed the biggest trout I've ever pulled out of that river, a <a href="http://eatarf242.blogspot.com/2010/09/last-day-of-trout-season.html" rel="nofollow">nice 19' Brown</a>. <br /><br />In the meantime, with no blogging help from me on the political front over the last few weeks, the GOP seems to have improved the odds of restoring divided government in the mid-terms. Perhaps I should spend more time time fishing and less blogging.mwhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11181222537529037359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26542777.post-89652137118985048612010-09-23T10:13:14.990-07:002010-09-23T10:13:14.990-07:00@tully. Understood.@tully. Understood.Metavirushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18399799638759096551noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26542777.post-52005423890644455862010-09-23T10:06:59.904-07:002010-09-23T10:06:59.904-07:00Leaving aside that I was commenting on divided gov...Leaving aside that I was commenting on divided government in general and not on your post, MV ....<br /><br />To state the obvious, our "rich world allies" are not us. They have different traditions, values, and histories. The number of them whose current forms of government were designed after a nasty-but-successful colonial revolution against an oppressive parliamentary system is <i>nil</i> -- we are unique in that regard. The only one with a government older than ours (or even close, most are post-WW2) is Great Britain, whose parliamentary system we revolted against. <br /><br />In any case, they are not us (nor do I desire to be them). Why they choose what they choose for themselves is something to ask of them, though I suspect "tradition" would figure largely in the replies. <br /><br />None of them is exactly like the others, either. Even among the parliamentary systems there is wide diverence in applied form, from the constitutional monarchies to the democratic republics.Tullyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03842067230152580405noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26542777.post-951545374013444222010-09-22T08:41:15.207-07:002010-09-22T08:41:15.207-07:00@Tully - I definitely understand the general argum...@Tully - I definitely understand the general argument. I just find it fascinating that none of our rich world allies thought that our system was a good one to use when they were choosing either a presidential or parliamentary model.Metavirushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18399799638759096551noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26542777.post-80394110910539185032010-09-22T08:16:06.343-07:002010-09-22T08:16:06.343-07:00More cogent and on topic, the true worth of divide...More cogent and on topic, the true worth of divided government in a pluralistic system is this: It trends strongly to government only acting on those issues on which there is common ground between factions and strong agreement among the electorate. <br /><br />Unified government, on the other hand, trends strongly to cram-downs of extremely partisan "solutions" for issues on which there is very strong disagreement, and often less than anything even remotely resembling majority approval among the electorate. <br /><br />Divided government is therefore much more <i>democratic</i> than unified government can ever hope to be. <br /><br />Unified government almost guarantees the tyranny of the minority to some extent, whereas divided government can only lean towards the tyranny of the majority -- and our legal system is strongly stacked against tyranny of the majority. Just as our political system is stacked towards correcting tyranny of the minority.<br /><br />Why, you'd almost think the Founders had designed it that way ... <br /><br />Myself, I am a fervent supporter of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Log" rel="nofollow">King Log</a>.Tullyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03842067230152580405noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26542777.post-23960058443955353012010-09-22T07:58:58.720-07:002010-09-22T07:58:58.720-07:00Trouts and birdz? I love trouts and birdz! Dove se...Trouts and birdz? I love trouts and birdz! Dove season is still ongoing here, but of course all the dumb ones are now dead. (Some of the dumb ones are hiding out in my freezer ... )Tullyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03842067230152580405noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26542777.post-46203078957120295422010-09-22T07:10:50.829-07:002010-09-22T07:10:50.829-07:00lolz. the vast majority of my thinking is not kne...lolz. the vast majority of my thinking is not knee-jerk. if it was, i probably wouldn't have the self-awareness to realize when the ideology I currently subscribe to is no longer useful. it has happened before and i'm sure it will happen again. you're always welcome at Library Grape - where we love to helpfully point out all the crazy coming from the teabaggers, religious nuts and their various hangers-onMetavirushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18399799638759096551noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26542777.post-13694037503127211082010-09-22T06:32:25.576-07:002010-09-22T06:32:25.576-07:00Mssr. Virus,
Thanks for your comment. I have updat...Mssr. Virus,<br />Thanks for your comment. I have updated the post to reflect your preferred label of rabid, knee-jerk, liberal (or something like that). <br /><br />If current projections hold up, I will probably be looking to you for guidance after the election. Republicans retaking either house and restoring divided government means that I will <a href="http://westanddivided.blogspot.com/2007/12/republican-like-me.html" rel="nofollow">once again be changing teams</a>. Re-electing Obama will be the only way to maintain divided government beyond 2012, so I will need to work on getting my knee-jerk reflexes back.mwhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11181222537529037359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26542777.post-51902775858319481492010-09-21T10:24:55.686-07:002010-09-21T10:24:55.686-07:00hey! point of order on this: "Metavirus clai...hey! point of order on this: "Metavirus claims to be an independent". I claim no such thing. However, maybe you were confused by my several explanations of how my partisan affiliation has changed over time. I used to be a raging liberal, then later I morphed into a strident libertarian for a long while, and now I've come back around to being a pretty strong liberal/progressive. If you take a random sample of my posts over the last few months, you'll find the latter point quite obvious -- and one that I am obviously not trying to hide.<br /><br />to your main discussion of my post on Library Grape, the essence of what I was talking about is why nearly every other rich western democracy chose a system of government that doesn't provide for divided government. i don't really know why but posing the question elicited some interesting responses. it is also an interesting thing to note that most of the other countries that chose the presidential form of government are all either third world countries or some form of pre- or future- autocracy.Metavirushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18399799638759096551noreply@blogger.com