Historians will, I predict, regard the current situation as the American Civil War II.

@heidilifeldman Josh Marshall’s list is somewhat more inclusive: https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/the-status-interview-or-how-to-write-up-a-senate-purge-list

Here are some other actions a post-Trump reconstruction government might consider:

- force breakup of media monopolies
- denazify public bodies at all levels of government
- double or triple the size of the House of Representatives
- eliminate or reform the Senate

@fivetonsflax

Establish an essential living threshold.

Transparent threshold – $761 k is derived directly from the average grocery‑share of disposable income for the bottom 99 % of households.

Targeted surcharge – A 90 % marginal tax applies only to income above that level, isolating the ultra‑wealthy while preserving the existing progressive brackets for virtually everyone else.

Minimal administrative change – Updating the statutory threshold and @heidilifeldman

@heidilifeldman it seems to me that the civil war is fed vs states and for the states to prevail it means ending the federal experiment. At least temporarily to implement the necessary purge of laws and personnel. A “de-baathification” of DC. A “de-magafication” I suppose.

In the interim the states will need to replace services and use captured federal income tax dollars.

@heidilifeldman
Am still waiting for something i fear will never come:
The army remembers their oath to the constitution(!) and refuses to follow unlawful orders.

@Ulmo @heidilifeldman I highly doubt elections will be canceled. Most authoritarian regimes still hold them, to make themselves look more legitimate, but engage in major suppression of voters and/or candidates to force the result they want. We've certainly seen that in our own country's history (like before the 1965 Voting Rights Act, now in the process of being dismantled).

I worry that a lot of folks are thinking "well, elections haven't been canceled, so it can't be too bad". Yes it can be.

If you are on the side of American Democracy in the currently unfolding American Civil War II and elections are held, vote for candidates that understand the war and what will required if our side prevails. 10/10

Historians will, I predict, regard the current situation as the American Civil War II. Certainly we are in a civil war, instigated by the federal government, when it began sending unnecessary and militarized forces into American cities. (See pinned post.) 1/

@heidilifeldman
Some Germans say that the democracy the US ‘gave’ Germany after WWII was the one the US really wanted for itself. There are many interesting innovations in the German model which similarly has a state-federal structure. Australia (my country) also has that structure & some voting innovations that have stood the test of time and are still evolving. Doubtless many other models worldwide can contribute to Democracy Mk II to make the US a better country, ally, partner.

Historians will, I predict, regard the current situation as the American Civil War II. Certainly we are in a civil war, instigated by the federal government, when it began sending unnecessary and militarized forces into American cities. (See pinned post.) 1/

@msbellows @heidilifeldman @mastoreaderio

Ranked choice to end the 2-party, same equity extortion coin to choose from every election.

Roll back Citizens United and limit contributions to an honest day's pay.

#TIL that @mastoreaderio exists and how to use it

@msbellows

@cmthiede I keep running scenarios through my head that make ranked choice voting terribly unclear.

Let's say we have five candidates. C1 and C2 get 33% first round votes. C3, C4, and C5 all get 11%. Now in Round 2, C4 got 40%, but C3-5 were eliminated, yet round 1 and 2 give C4 a majority. But some of those votes come from C1 and C2.

I don't see how it works. I'm consistently confused by the logic.

@msbellows @heidilifeldman @mastoreaderio

@cmthiede I keep running scenarios through my head that make ranked choice voting terribly unclear.

Let's say we have five candidates. C1 and C2 get 33% first round votes. C3, C4, and C5 all get 11%. Now in Round 2, C4 got 40%, but C3-5 were eliminated, yet round 1 and 2 give C4 a majority. But some of those votes come from C1 and C2.

I don't see how it works. I'm consistently confused by the logic.

@msbellows @heidilifeldman @mastoreaderio

@heidilifeldman

Democracy was never meant to be done by election. Athenians knew it would captured by oligarchs. It was meant to be by sortition.
I modified this idea & how it could be structured & why. What I envision is completely different to what we have now. It’s a different democratic model, using a version of sortition. What I envision is practical & develops interdependence, understanding, experience, skills, while solving real problems.
https://mastodon.social/@JoBlakely/110531598480099232

@cmthiede I keep running scenarios through my head that make ranked choice voting terribly unclear.

Let's say we have five candidates. C1 and C2 get 33% first round votes. C3, C4, and C5 all get 11%. Now in Round 2, C4 got 40%, but C3-5 were eliminated, yet round 1 and 2 give C4 a majority. But some of those votes come from C1 and C2.

I don't see how it works. I'm consistently confused by the logic.

@msbellows @heidilifeldman @mastoreaderio

@cmthiede I keep running scenarios through my head that make ranked choice voting terribly unclear.

Let's say we have five candidates. C1 and C2 get 33% first round votes. C3, C4, and C5 all get 11%. Now in Round 2, C4 got 40%, but C3-5 were eliminated, yet round 1 and 2 give C4 a majority. But some of those votes come from C1 and C2.

I don't see how it works. I'm consistently confused by the logic.

@msbellows @heidilifeldman @mastoreaderio

@cmthiede I keep running scenarios through my head that make ranked choice voting terribly unclear.

Let's say we have five candidates. C1 and C2 get 33% first round votes. C3, C4, and C5 all get 11%. Now in Round 2, C4 got 40%, but C3-5 were eliminated, yet round 1 and 2 give C4 a majority. But some of those votes come from C1 and C2.

I don't see how it works. I'm consistently confused by the logic.

@msbellows @heidilifeldman @mastoreaderio

Historians will, I predict, regard the current situation as the American Civil War II. Certainly we are in a civil war, instigated by the federal government, when it began sending unnecessary and militarized forces into American cities. (See pinned post.) 1/

@RegGuy @cmthiede @msbellows @heidilifeldman @mastoreaderio only one candidate gets eliminated at a time. So in your example assuming c3 c4 c5 weren't exactly the same let's say 11.3% 11.4% 11.5% so c3 gets eliminated. His 11.3% is allocated however the voters wanted. Some to each of c1, c2, c4 and c5. Then repeat for new lowest ranked.

Not sure what would happen in a draw where two lowest candidates have exactly same number. I'm sure it's covered in the Australian system. Possibly a coin toss. But very unlikely to have exactly the same number of votes.

@heidilifeldman I wonder if there is a more precise term than civil war, where one or more groups of citizens are at war with each other.

This situation, when the government is waging war with one group of citizens (supposedly) on behalf of another, may not have a commonly used term to accurately describe it.

I think it's an important distinction, because Americans are not fighting Americans, even if some in government would love to change that. We shouldn't help them normalize the idea.