The Two-Party Cartel and the Simulation of Democracy

Why People STILL Believe in US Democracy.
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Why is the United States still considered a "legitimate" liberal democracy unlike the "Phantom Democracies" seen in countries such as Russia, Turkey, and Singapore? Does having a Two-Party System make America more democratic than a one-party state? Could the election of Donald Trump lead to the end of democracy? As we will see, "The Real Threat to American Democracy" involves a lot more than Trump. The argument being made in this video essay is NOT merely that the US is not a democracy or that America's Two-Party Corporate Duopoly is undemocratic. This video is about a LOT more than that. This video is also about the "Simulation of Democracy" and how different types of regimes legitimize their authority. In this video, we consider whether the USA is also a "phantom democracy" and how the American regime maintains greater democratic "legitimacy" compared to other countries with nominally "democratic" systems that lack real democratic substance.

In the second half, I draw on the theories of Jean Baudrillard on Simulation and Hyperreality to understand why most Americans, even those on the left, still buy into the spectacle of American Politics and the facade of US electoralism despite the obvious democratic deficit in American society and its elections. I consider the role of Donald Trump's election and whether Trumpism and "populism" represent a threat to the legitimacy of American Democracy OR if this actually reinforces the myth of democracy. Lastly, I consider how democratic revolutions differed in America compared to Europe and how the unique legacy of the American Revolution fosters national mythology that obstructs democratization.

Timestamps:

0:00 What counts as a "Real Democracy"?
2:38 The Two-Party Duopoly
4:16 “Power Sharing”
8:08 “Party Competition”
9:53 Perceived Legitimacy
11:37 Phantom Democracy
13:43 Simulation and Hyperreal Politics
16:13 Donald Trump and the Future of U.S. Democracy
19:25 The Democratic Revolution

Thanks to ​⁠​⁠​⁠‪@SecondThought‬ ​⁠​⁠​⁠‪@researchpurposes‬ and ​⁠​⁠​⁠‪@Gokanaru‬ for reading quotes.

Sources I mentioned and books for further reading:
G William Domhoff, Who Rules America? (the 2021 edition)
The Power Elite by C Wright Mills
The New Despotism by John Keane (Written by a liberal political theorist who outlines the concept of “Phantom Democracy” but strangely does not apply it to the US)
Political Power and Social Classes by Nicos Poulantzas
Prisoners of the American Dream by Mike Davis
https://act.represent.us/sign/problem...
My Cosmonaut Article: why-the-ruling-class-need-not-rule-nicos-poulantzas-and-the-marxist-theory-of-the-state https://cosmonautmag.com/2023/11/why-...
The other articles I mentioned are displayed on screen in the video.

Music by Karl Casey

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