Blog of Mass Destruction
Minority-Rule America
By THE REVEREND Published: December 12, 2012
By our readiness to allow arms to be purchased at will and fired at whim… we have created an atmosphere in which violence and hatred have become popular pastimes.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
In a legitimate democracy, the majority rules. But not in America.
Blame the Framers, blame whoever you want to blame....but the majority in the U.S. do not have final say. In fact, truth be told, the minority....if they have a mind to....can almost always have their way.
I pointed out during the Bush administration, when the polarization of America was deepening, that as long as Republicans hold the presidency and a minimum of 34 senators who will vote in lockstep, the majority could never have it's way. 34 senators are all that are needed to stop Congress from overriding a presidential veto. Democrats could hold the Senate with over 60 senators, but unless Democrats held over 66 seats, Republicans could block any attempt to override a GOP presidential veto.
Consider this past election.... Democrats gained more seats in the Senate and now have a 55-45 advantage over Republicans. Democrats hold a significant majority in the Senate....but as you know, in modern polarized America....it always takes 60 votes to pass anything. Which translates into the minority actually having control in the Senate. Odd for a democratic republic....but true.
Furthermore, I did a little arithmetic, and this is what I came up with...
Only tabulating the population of the states which have either 2 Democratic senators or 2 Republicans senators, I came up with 123.9 million in total population for states with two Democratic senators. 78 million in total population for states with two Republican senators. The remainder of the states have one Democratic senator and one Republican senator.
States with two Democratic senators have total populations outnumbering