It really was constitutional democracy version 1.0 and they honestly thought we would freaking fix it as we discovered problems
Replies
We did fix things until the things that needed fixing were less in the trim and more in the foundation
aug 26, 2025, 3:27 am • 16 0 • view
Wasn't it Jefferson who anticipated we should be on our 4th or 5th constitution by now at a minimum?
aug 26, 2025, 3:31 am • 2 0 • view
Thing is, we *are* on our 4th or 5th constitution if you understand constitutions correctly, as the totality of major rules structuring politics: bsky.app/profile/kjep...
aug 26, 2025, 3:39 am • 8 0 • view
Yeah, @hurricanexyz.bsky.social puts it in terms of we are in the 4th Republic I think rather than 4th constitution but he might correct me here
aug 26, 2025, 3:40 am • 3 0 • view
I'm unusual in that I think the current number is exactly two
aug 26, 2025, 3:50 am • 3 0 • view
Causing fights in the political science and law departments by saying the US Constitution is functionally amended often and irregularly because of Article V making it impossible to be actually amended regularly and infrequently
aug 26, 2025, 3:44 am • 9 0 • view
I finally have a view on this but find arguing about it sort of pointless. The law/politics divide is intractable, like conceptually, so why even bother
aug 26, 2025, 3:47 am • 4 0 • view
I mean, in the end it's just the frame that you use to discuss it. Nobody likes to confront it, but it's just norms all the way down, and if they are not reinforced by consistent application and deterrence they collapse, same as any other
aug 26, 2025, 3:48 am • 23 2 • view
This is also *why* the US is now in a rolling constitutional crisis; the constitutional norms around how domestic politics even *works* and how basic power is arranged through government, how it makes decisions, and its relationship to the public, are being fundamentally altered day by day.
aug 26, 2025, 3:52 am • 44 4 • view
That's my music
aug 26, 2025, 3:54 am • 6 0 • view
Certainly agree with that
aug 26, 2025, 3:49 am • 1 0 • view
We don't talk about it this way enough, but the Civil War meant the Constitution failed, full stop. Preventing civil war is the most basic task of any political arrangement, and it didn't prevent it.
aug 26, 2025, 3:30 am • 18 3 • view
I'm not sure if that's more constitutional failure or flat societal "we want evil shit" failure, because no constitution can stop a mass social movement that simply denied human rights exist and no Republic can tolerate that movement on a large scale.
aug 26, 2025, 3:34 am • 2 0 • view
"We become all one thing or all the other" basically
aug 26, 2025, 3:35 am • 1 0 • view
Trump's only a thing in our politics because of the Electoral College, never forget that
aug 26, 2025, 3:45 am • 46 4 • view
Pre-2016 I would've agreed with you. But now I'm not so sure. Elon's quarter billion $$$$ might have financed some pretty shady shenanigans. I still can't believe Harris lost every freakin' swing state.....
aug 26, 2025, 3:53 am • 0 0 • view
Which should have died when the 14th Amendment was ratified but that's just my 2 cents
aug 26, 2025, 3:46 am • 3 0 • view
Yep, it is a large defect to patch. Need to replace it with ranked choice, IMHO.
aug 26, 2025, 4:00 am • 1 0 • view