North Carolina is no longer classified as a democracy

[biostud]

http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/op-ed/article122593759.html

In 2012 Elklit and I worked with Pippa Norris of Harvard University, who used the system as the cornerstone of the Electoral Integrity Project. Since then the EIP has measured 213 elections in 153 countries and is widely agreed to be the most accurate method for evaluating how free and fair and democratic elections are across time and place.

When we evolved the project I could never imagine that as we enter 2017, my state, North Carolina, would perform so badly on this, and other, measures that we are no longer considered to be a fully functioning democracy.

In the just released EIP report, North Carolina’s overall electoral integrity score of 58/100 for the 2016 election places us alongside authoritarian states and pseudo-democracies like Cuba, Indonesia and Sierra Leone. If it were a nation state, North Carolina would rank right in the middle of the global league table – a deeply flawed, partly free democracy that is only slightly ahead of the failed democracies that constitute much of the developing world.

This is a problem that should be addressed no matter which political stand you have. If we can't have democracy at home, why would go and spread it to the rest of the world.

 

[dainthomas]

You knew it was bad when the state GOP was openly cheering their successful suppression of poor and minority voters ON election day.

 

[Moonbeam]

http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/op-ed/article122593759.html

In 2012 Elklit and I worked with Pippa Norris of Harvard University, who used the system as the cornerstone of the Electoral Integrity Project. Since then the EIP has measured 213 elections in 153 countries and is widely agreed to be the most accurate method for evaluating how free and fair and democratic elections are across time and place.

When we evolved the project I could never imagine that as we enter 2017, my state, North Carolina, would perform so badly on this, and other, measures that we are no longer considered to be a fully functioning democracy.

In the just released EIP report, North Carolina’s overall electoral integrity score of 58/100 for the 2016 election places us alongside authoritarian states and pseudo-democracies like Cuba, Indonesia and Sierra Leone. If it were a nation state, North Carolina would rank right in the middle of the global league table – a deeply flawed, partly free democracy that is only slightly ahead of the failed democracies that constitute much of the developing world.

This is a problem that should be addressed no matter which political stand you have. If we can't have democracy at home, why would go and spread it to the rest of the world.

The world is full of problems that should be addressed. That is because they are not addressed. North Carolina is exactly how the people who control it want it to be and they, those in power, choose to keep it that way and the citizens of the state allow them to.

What do you propose? We have been infected with an authoritarian sickness, in my opinion. If so how is it to be cured?

 

[kage69]

Truth hurts. Hard to argue with those findings given what I've read about the blatant power grab by NC republicans.

Enjoy the economic repercussions of your contempt for voters NC!

I look forward to these Banana republican asshats beginning the anticipated wailing and persecution complex regarding others using boycotts too.

 

[Jhhnn]

N Carolina Repubs were deeply disturbed & frightened when Obama (uppity Kenyan muslim usurper) won their state in 2008. It turned their world upside down. They'll do anything they can get away with to keep anything like that from ever happening again.

 

[raildogg]

This is a problem that should be addressed no matter which political stand you have. If we can't have democracy at home, why would go and spread it to the rest of the world.

Democracy? In what way?

Your elections are paid for by the highest bidders and the most powerful. You have Presidential candidates that need to spend around a billion dollars to even have a chance at winning.

Please, this North Carolina issue is being made bigger than it is.

When all candidates need to pander, beg and lie to get donations from their owners, then there is no real Democracy even though your favorite politician might say so otherwise.

 

[ivwshane]

Democracy? In what way?

Your elections are paid for by the highest bidders and the most powerful. You have Presidential candidates that need to spend around a billion dollars to even have a chance at winning.

Please, this North Carolina issue is being made bigger than it is.

When all candidates need to pander, beg and lie to get donations from their owners, then there is no real Democracy even though your favorite politician might say so otherwise.

Why do you even bother posting on p&n? To you every problem is either not an issue or both sides are bad. You are the epitome of the lazy, uninformed voter, who lacks any critical thinking skills.

Democracy works when there is a peaceful transition of power, when that starts to become an issue we should immediately look at the why, the how, and address it immediately.

If you think money is the issue then lets look at who or what party supports getting money out of politics. Hint both sides aren't the same in this regard.

 

[Jhhnn]

Democracy? In what way?

Your elections are paid for by the highest bidders and the most powerful. You have Presidential candidates that need to spend around a billion dollars to even have a chance at winning.

Please, this North Carolina issue is being made bigger than it is.

When all candidates need to pander, beg and lie to get donations from their owners, then there is no real Democracy even though your favorite politician might say so otherwise.

Diversion.

 

[trenchfoot]

Diversion.

Repubs have no other choice, seeing as if their Pres. Elect have absolutely zero redeeming qualities and a plethora of habits that any person with common sense would find disgusting and repugnant.

I pity Trump's supporters that they are painfully obliged to defend Trump's stupefying habit of uttering some really ridiculous and rash off the cuff comments. It's very much like constantly attempting to, yet failing at reining in a thoroughly spoiled brat, all while making hopelessly lame excuses for his behavior.

Trump is already well on the way toward alienating those mid-western working class supporters of his who are seeing him going back on his word to them time and again and he hasn't even taken office yet.

I can easily understand how their patience with him is already wearing thin.

 

[Jhhnn]

One of the more interesting things about N Carolina Repubs is that they've denied racist motivations & claim it's merely partisanship.

That's really just as bad. They're just rigging the game rather than winning voters. They clearly have no respect for the whole idea of democracy.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Should fix this and eliminate superdelegates. That would be a step on a long row to hoe, but a decided beginning.

 

[Zorba]

Should fix this and eliminate superdelegates. That would be a step on a long row to hoe, but a decided beginning.

Another diversion. Regardless the super delegates made no difference in the Democratic primaries.

 

[ivwshane]

Should fix this and eliminate superdelegates. That would be a step on a long row to hoe, but a decided beginning.

Did the super delegates vote for a different person than the rest of the people? No? Then that seems like a pretty stupid comment to make.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Another diversion. Regardless the super delegates made no difference in the Democratic primaries.

Hey if I want the Republican system reformed, which I do, I want it on the other side as well. It didn't come in to play but if Bernie had performed better we might have the situation where the vote was cancelled by the superdelegates. Of course that would be fine and all, right? No. Correct things BEFORE the next election and start now.

 

[Jhhnn]

Hey if I want the Republican system reformed, which I do, I want it on the other side as well. It didn't come in to play but if Bernie had performed better we might have the situation where the vote was cancelled by the superdelegates. Of course that would be fine and all, right? No. Correct things BEFORE the next election and start now.

Dem superdelegates have nothing to do with desperate & shameful power grabs by N Carolina Repubs. Let's face it- honest democracy isn't part of their agenda.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Dem superdelegates have nothing to do with desperate & shameful power grabs by N Carolina Repubs. Let's face it- honest democracy isn't part of their agenda.

The purpose of Republican tactics is control of the process to subvert the voter process. My perspective is that we have completely failed and that we need comprehensive and innovative reforms which applies to all concerned. So yeah I'm going to bring up things. Want to focus on the Republicans? Be my guest.

We nees a crapload of things starting soon before shock wears off.

 

[trenchfoot]

That damn Constitution and Bill of Rights just keeps getting in the way of what those North Carolina Repub politicians want to accomplish over there. As well, it seems a lot of other southern states are having a major headache over those two documents as well. So sad, but they're trying their best to mitigate the tenets of those documents and have managed to choreograph a few really clever side steppers so far with regards to voter rights, women's rights and the rights of the LGBT community.

Well, maybe with Trump hiring a few more activist right wing Supreme Court "judges" while also having the support of those activist conservative folks who now own the House and Senate, why, maybe something can be done this time around to "Make America Great Again".

Though the big question is, for who? Considering who Trump wants in his cabinet, it's surely not the folks who voted Trump into office. He's already back stabbed them way too many times to even remotely consider that they're the ones Trump is making "America Great Again" for, right? Right?

 

[Jhhnn]

The purpose of Republican tactics is control of the process to subvert the voter process. My perspective is that we have completely failed and that we need comprehensive and innovative reforms which applies to all concerned. So yeah I'm going to bring up things. Want to focus on the Republicans? Be my guest.

We nees a crapload of things starting soon before shock wears off.

Political parties have the right to determine the selection process for their own candidates. Nobody has the right to follow in the footsteps of Jim Crow.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

That damn Constitution and Bill of Rights just keeps getting in the way of what those North Carolina Repub politicians want to accomplish over there. As well, it seems a lot of other southern states are having a major headache over those two documents as well. So sad, but they're trying their best to mitigate the tenets of those documents and have managed to choreograph a few really clever side steppers so far with regards to voter rights, women's rights and the rights of the LGBT community.

Well, maybe with Trump hiring a few more activist right wing Supreme Court "judges" while also having the support of those activist conservative folks who now own the House and Senate, why, maybe something can be done this time around to "Make America Great Again".

Though the big question is, for who? Considering who Trump wants in his cabinet, it's surely not the folks who voted Trump into office. He's already back stabbed them way too many times to even remotely consider that they're the ones Trump is making "America Great Again" for, right? Right?

You don't know who Trump will put in because he's not a conservative nor a liberal. Sadly he's a bit like me in this sole regard. He won't let artificially imposed ideologies constrain him. Unfortunately he's a sociopath and thus has nothing to guide him except his emotions of the moment. It looks like Roe v. Wade isn't on the chopping block for example, but no one has any idea of what tomorrow will bring, including Trump. In some ways he reminds me of the protagonist in Memento, unable to process anything which happened the day before.

So who will he pick? I have no friggin clue. The thing to watch isn't Trump as much as he and Congress interact. He can appoint anyone he wants but getting them through isn't a sure bet.