By Scott Simond
USA
April 2, 2009

I found the video to be very thought provoking. But I think it's too simplistic to say our government is either a republic or a democracy. Ours accomodates both, and even those who would rather have a king than a president.

First, we have three branches of government. Obama seems to behave as an imperialistic ruler. Right now, he's got both houses of congress behind him, so the government is a runaway freight train. But that could change with the next congressional election in two years.

Secondly, we have two houses in congress. The House of Representatives was intended to more closely represent the populace because their districts are comprised of fewer constituents than Senators, who represent an entire state. For them to keep their seats, not only do they have to represent the political views of their constituents, their offices have to make sure that government is meeting their needs at the local level. That could mean lowering taxes to one constituency, preserving a military base to another, or increased funding for community programs in another. The House, therefore, is closer to democracy because the representatives answer more directly to their constituents. (They are still elected representatives, though)

The Senate, on the other hand, was intended to be a smaller, elite, deliberative body. Their terms last longer, so they have longer institutional memory. Each senator is elected by the entire state, so they represent a cross-section of people. And longevity in the senate has political advantages - eg committee chairmanships. This body is more "oligarchical" than the House.

Thirdly, the Supreme Court is the third branch that balances the other two. Now, conservatives dominate the Supreme Court. It may well be that the "socialist" policies of this administration may get checked at the front door of the Supreme Court.

Finally, we have have a two party system with a few "also rans" in the mix. Within each party, we have a mix of economic, political and social philosophies/ideologies. Blue Dog Democrats may be pro-union, but conservative on government spending, social issues and the military. Obama is already starting to run into trouble with them. That's not going to sit well with Southern Democrats.

Conservative Republicans are split on the social issues. Blue Blood Republicans often support big government. Some huge corporations benefit from government spending, either military spending, or social programs - like pharmaceutical companies recieving payments from Medicare and Medicaid recipients.

My conclusion is that our government is a mixed bag. I like the graph in the video that showed a sliding scale with government control on the one hand, and completely free market forces on the other. I think nations slide back and forth between the two.