Democracy is ultimately doomed. In the US, repealing the 19th amendment, which gave women the vote, would go some way to "preserving" it for a while -- as long as states banned women from voting.
But that would be impossible. "Progress," "democracy," "leftism," "universalism" or whatever label you choose, works as a one-way street, a kind of ratcheting mechanism. With a few notable and temporary exceptions, "progress" continues without real impediment from reaction, until finally the whole project ends in barbarism and despotism.
This is why choosing candidates is a fool's errand. The long-term solution does not involve voting. Democracy has never worked properly and cannot be made to work properly. The events of this century, in which democracy will disappear from the planet, will prove that decisively. We can only hope that it is not too bloody.
Democracy is ultimately doomed. In the US, repealing the 19th amendment, which gave women the vote, would go some way to "preserving" it for a while -- as long as states banned women from voting.
But that would be impossible. "Progress," "democracy," "leftism," "universalism" or whatever label you choose, works as a one-way street, a kind of ratcheting mechanism. With a few notable and temporary exceptions, "progress" continues without real impediment from reaction, until finally the whole project ends in barbarism and despotism.
This is why choosing candidates is a fool's errand. The long-term solution does not involve voting. Democracy has never worked properly and cannot be made to work properly. The events of this century, in which democracy will disappear from the planet, will prove that decisively. We can only hope that it is not too bloody.