Some Republicans have been defensive that the party has a strong anti-democratic bent. But the state GOP convention embraced it, writes columnist Danny Westneat.

A resolution called for ending the ability to vote for U.S. senators. Instead, senators would get appointed by state legislatures, as it generally worked 110 years ago prior to the passage of the 17th Amendment in 1913.

“We are devolving into a democracy, because congressmen and senators are elected by the same pool,” was how one GOP delegate put it to the convention. “We do not want to be a democracy.”

  • Zombiepirate@lemmy.worldEnglish
    70·
    8 months ago

    It must be exhausting to be a conservative.

    A republic is a type of democracy.

    So it’s really really stupid to be shitting on democracy if you want a republic.

    But they don’t actually want a republic; they want an oligarchy in which society is reordered back into the hierarchies where they were unquestionably on top.

    I’m so goddamn sick of the pseudo-intellectual talk-radio drivel spewed by brainwormed self-serving reactionaries being treated like it has any merit whatsoever (not by this article, just in general).

    • jjjalljs@ttrpg.network
      11·
      8 months ago

      It brings to mind that popular post that said conservatism has one value: there must be in groups the law protects but does not bind, and outgroups that the law binds but does not protect.

      Everything else is just trying to dress that up.

    • AwkwardLookMonkeyPuppet@lemmy.worldEnglish
      4·
      8 months ago

      It’s exhausting just being a person now. Every single politician, every single company, in every single country, is fully dedicated to stripping out the good things in the systems we were born into, all for their personal gain.

      I make an exception to the statement above for Bernie Sanders. He actually cares about the people and the country, and someone recently burned his office down because of it.

  • teft@lemmy.world
    58·
    8 months ago

    “Every time the word ‘democracy’ is used favorably it serves to promote the principles of the Democratic Party, the principles of which we ardently oppose.”

    That is some Olympic Games level mental gymnastics right there.

    • BakerBagel@midwest.social
      21·
      8 months ago

      I’m pretty sure thats exactly the intent behind all these chuds blathering on about “um, akshually we have a Republic and not a democracy” are actually trying ti accomplish. Imagine some Brit arguing that they have a King and not a monarch 200 years ago.

    • pingveno@lemmy.mlEnglish
      5·
      8 months ago

      So much of modern conservatism/Republicanism in the US is pure reactionary, “own the libs” thinking. If Democrats wanted to pass a resolution stating “puppies and kittens are cute,” they would be opposed merely on principle.

  • Jaysyn@kbin.social
    36·
    8 months ago

    Get fucked. The #fascist #GOP won’t even be a national party by 2028.

    And the faster they die, like the Know-Nothings they’ve been emulating, the better.

    • disguy_ovahea@lemmy.world
      24·
      8 months ago

      You say that, but there are a lot of liberals that think abstaining or voting third-party will do anything other than get Trump back in office.

        • disguy_ovahea@lemmy.world
          3·
          8 months ago

          I try my best to substantiate the truth by linking credible sources in hopes it’ll help when people start slinging opinions as facts.

  • Buelldozer@lemmy.today
    20·
    8 months ago

    One of the reasons that the 17th Amendment was passed was because so many State Legislatures were failing to send Senators that the Senate was getting hamstrung. Then there were States that sent two sets of Senators, one from each party, and the Senate had no way to distinguish which ones should be seated!

    I’m sure those two things sound familiar to anyone whose been paying attention to US Politics for the last few years.

  • Dubiousx99@lemmy.world
    14·
    8 months ago

    The 17th amendment tells them to eat shit. Not sure how they plan to write that legislation so it won’t be found unconstitutional.

  • PotentialProblem@sh.itjust.works
    7·
    8 months ago

    Holy shit. If this article is legitimate these people are morons. Luckily the governor, state, and house are all democratic controlled.

    Jesus wept.

    • FirstCircle@lemmy.mlOPEnglish
      4·
      8 months ago

      Oh, it’s legit all right, and yes these people are (evil) morons. https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2024/apr/23/washington-state-republican-party-endorses-6-candi/

      Sue Kuehl Pederson picked up 86% of the convention votes and secured the party’s nomination for commissioner of public lands.

      Kuehl Pederson wants to make logging a more prominent part of the state’s economy.

      “Unfortunately, our timber industry, which was the backbone of our economy for at least a century … it went down the tubes,” Kuehl Pederson said in a speech Friday.

      Kuel Pederson, a former senior environmental analyst at Seattle City Light, said the state needs to get its power from a mix of resources. She said the state will experience power blackouts if it transitions completely away from hydroelectric power produced by dams.

      “You know, wind and solar are fine,” she said. “They make you feel good about, you know, clean air, but you can’t live off of it.”