Modern Machine Politics

[Frustration]

I was just listening to a podcast in which the Chicago 'Machine' was being discussed, and it caught my notice that both it and the corrupt system of New Orleans are dominated by Democrats.

In fact, there doesn't seem to be any political machine in modern American politics that isn't run by Democrats.

Why this should be the case, I don't know, especially since certain minority groups are tending to vote Republican, much to the horror and dismay of people who insist that 'minority' status automatically means supporting the Dems. And I simply can't make myself believe that the Republicans are more virtuous than the Democrats; I'd expect them to be about equal in their corruption.

[Draco Dracul]

Why this should be the case, I don't know, especially since certain minority groups are tending to vote Republican, much to the horror and dismay of people who insist that 'minority' status automatically means supporting the Dems. And I simply can't make myself believe that the Republicans are more virtuous than the Democrats; I'd expect them to be about equal in their corruption.

It's mostly because republicans focus on making it so that people that would vote against them are less likely to vote at all. And they primarily do it through legal means through legal means like reducing the number of polling places in populated counties, setting up voter id schemes that disproportionately favor their voters, purging voter roles, the war on drugs, etc. I think a big part of it is that when you have an ethos that the government can't work the public pork that makes machine politics work isn't really on the table.

[hammerofglass]

There's a well-established trend that Republicans win when voter turnout is low and Democrats win when voter turnout is high. Both strategize accordingly.

[BridgeConsoleMasher]

Democrat is short for democracy while a republic is contingent upon appeal to the constitution in spite of that.

It’s difficult to run a union style government without adhering to social interest groups across autonomous lines. If those groups overheat the democratic system against individuals then you get a balancing support for constitutionalists.

I don’t think the democrats are overbearing in their policy, it’s just a matter of government getting too monolithic to one side.

[McAvoy]

I do wonder how many moderates are truly out there. I have guessed around 30% which is more than enough to sway a vote from one to another.

[TGLS]

Supposedly there are almost as many moderates as there are conservatives. Gallup report

The tricky part is that clearly the Democrats have a huge edge on the moderates, otherwise, why are Republicans losing elections?

[Draco Dracul]

Supposedly there are almost as many moderates as there are conservatives. Gallup report

The tricky part is that clearly the Democrats have a huge edge on the moderates, otherwise, why are Republicans losing elections?

The funny thing for me is that if you're to the left of the political mainstream you have no answer to give because socialists, communists, and anarchists reject liberalism because they reject capitalism.

[hammerofglass]

Supposedly there are almost as many moderates as there are conservatives. Gallup report

The tricky part is that clearly the Democrats have a huge edge on the moderates, otherwise, why are Republicans losing elections?

The funny thing for me is that if you're to the left of the political mainstream you have no answer to give because socialists, communists, and anarchists reject liberalism because they reject capitalism.

I think that's going a bit far. Just suggesting that maybe the US should have a functioning social safety net and healthcare system has you far left of the American political mainstream.

[Frustration]

There are plenty of anarchists who support capitalism in the broad sense.

(edit to add) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anarchism_and_capitalism

[TGLS]

The funny thing for me is that if you're to the left of the political mainstream you have no answer to give because socialists, communists, and anarchists reject liberalism because they reject capitalism.

People outside the mainstream (Radical Socialists, Libertarians, etc.) who are committed enough to reject any of the three labels probably account for the 2% who aren't included on the graph.