Administrative
Matters
- Importance
of viewing Videopaths
- Will be
a component of your section participation grade: 4 of
15 points
- We will
have knowledge of who accessed the site
- Look at
results
- Are there
problems with Internet connections?
- "Democracy,
the Musical"
on our web site
A
Democratic View of Elite Theory
- Traditionally,
Elite Theories are regarded as undemocratic
models
- A
democratic view of elite theory
- Only
elites internalize democratic values of tolerance and
freedom of speech
- The
Irony of Democracy: It's a good thing that elites
rule; the masses would not practice
democracy
Two
models of democracy: majoritarian &
pluralist
- Let us
revise the Constitution with the exclusive
objective being to maximize majoritarian
democracy, which means redesigning institutional
mechanisms.
- We are
transformed into "The People's Convention to Revise the
Constitution of the United States."
- Call to
the Convention:
- "Whereas
the Constitution of the United States, as ratified and
adopted in 1788, contains many patently undemocratic
features that serve to block the operation of a
majoritarian model of government,
and
- "whereas
those assembled here are interested primarily in
increasing governmental responsiveness to the popular
will,
- "we do
hereby convene as an august and sovereign body to
define, create, and otherwise establish a new set of
political institutions intended to maximize
governmental responsiveness to public opinion."
- By-Laws of
this Convention:
- Proposals
are limited to procedural desiderata: no
proposals that bear on the substance of
government policy will be considered.
- Proposals
must serve the intent of maximizing
majoritarian democracy.
- Proposals
are invited under these categories:
- Changes
in the structure and powers of present national
bodies:
- How
should we change the presidency?
- How
should we change the Congress?
- What
should we do about the Supreme
Court?
- Changes
in eligibility to vote?
- Changes
in powers of the national and state government?
- All
proposals must be accompanied by a reasoned argument
for its contribution to maximizing
democracy.
- Worthy
arguments will be published in the Populist
Papers, which we will publish to help sell the new
majoritarian constitution to the American people.
- All
proposals can be challenged from the floor as being
counter-revolutionary, if they do not actually promote
majoritarian democracy.
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