Demographics and Demagogues

                       Demographics and Demagogues

When you hear people talking about the notion that America is not a democracy, as if they had never read the first page of any American civics book, they are not talking about rights or social justice. They are talking about this:

By 2040, 70 percent of Americans will live in the 15 largest states. That means 70 percent of America will be represented by only 30 senators, while the other 30 percent of America will be represented by 70 senators.

The pamphleteers at the New York Times say: When Democrats compete for the Senate, they are forced to appeal to an electorate that is far more conservative than the country as a whole. Similarly, gerrymandering and geography means that Democrats need to win a substantial majority in the House popular vote to take the gavel. And a recent study by Michael Geruso, Dean Spears and Ishaana Talesara calculates that the Republican Party’s Electoral College advantage means “Republicans should be expected to win 65 percent of presidential contests in which they narrowly lose the popular vote.”

When these people talk about remaking the country they are talking about restructuring the country away from the basic compromise the majority made with the minority that allowed for the creation of it, i.e. the country's very essence. While the slaveowners were a part of this compromise, that does not invalidate the argument; the main concern was the protection of the minority from the demagoguery of the majority.

This may not be for everybody. But that's what we are.