5.17.2002

Don't people take American government classes any more?

ArabNews: No media interest in a basic matter of democracy

A basic principle of democracy is that every person’s vote should have equal weight. So we might expect some public discourse about the fact that the US Senate is fundamentally undemocratic. But it’s a complete non-issue among politicians and journalists alike.

One of the key roles of news media should be to raise important questions that powerful people in government don’t want to ask -- or answer. However, while thousands of reporters and pundits stay busy with all kinds of stories about politics, they keep detouring around a central tilt of the US legislature’s upper chamber.
It's been a few years, but I recall that the government was set up this way on purpose. The President represents the country, which is why that office is responsible for the conduct of our foreign affairs. The House represents the populace at large, "the common man" as it were. And the Senate...Senator represents their state. Simple. There's nothing "undemocratic" about it, especially given that we don't live in a democracy.

Funny to see the column published on a Saudi news web site, a country where, as OpinionJournal pointed out, all voters are equal, because no one can vote!

No comments: