I’m always thrilled to learn that another pro-democracy candidate has beaten a proto- fascist Trump admirer, especially when the winner was trailing in the pre-election polls. Sadly, I fear that too many of my fellow Americans have taken Democracy for granted after 250 years or become numb to the orange turd’s relentless daily lies, grifts and noise, and thus are passively allowing the freedoms that a million dead heroes earned for them to slip away like grains of sand washed out to sea by the tides. I visited Romania on business in 1984, when the dictator ruled with an iron fist. I loved the warmth and graciousness of the people and the beauty of the country, but was relieved to return to my democratic homeland.
I’m an 83 year old retired trial lawyer who now feels that the jury is out, deciding whether America will survive as a democracy, like Romania or Poland, or become another example of a failed democracy ruled by an authoritarian, like Putin in Russia.
Mr. Kasparov, former world champion and one of the all time greats, speaking about another world champion, Nicusor Dan (a rare individual who won multiple golds at International Math Olympiads with perfect scores). A most unlikely president who never utters empty words, ND is all about facts, numbers and common sense.
Democracy is not a free-for-all. There are rules and guardrails. You mock the idea that a democracy would nullify compromised election results after a foreign dictatorship interfered in the election. Would it be democratic to allow Russia to warp an election in another country? Is Russia a democracy? Belarus? Perhaps we should pat the leaders of the late Weimar Republic on the back for sanctioning the results of the July '32 Reichstag elections. Nullifying the results of an election was an extraordinary step taken under extraordinary circumstances. It would be a different story if Romania banned every right-wing lunatic from running, regardless of the context. But they don't. In fact, the latest such lunatic, Simion, ran freely, fairly (to the extent someone like him can), and very nearly won!
His candidacy was invalidated by electoral authorities, who pointed to a prior Constitutional Court decision (Dec 2024) annulling the election round he had won – ruling that his actions had flouted electoral rules and “violated the obligation to defend democracy”
Eta ruzzian propaganda! DEmocracy means when the democratic rules are respected, not when you/Ruzzia runs 27000 fake accounts on a chinese social media and NOT WHEN YOUR candidate lies that he has campaign spending ZERO. The Supreme Court in Romania decided to annul the elections after a meeting of the CSAT (Security Council in Romania).
I hope that you respond to Yuri Bezmenov's comment because this seems to be a popular take from the right-wing intelligentsia and I'd like to see if it can be decisively refuted. My view is that democracies need not be required to elect anti-democratic candidates. Otherwise, it's as if Troy had a law mandating that all Trojan horses must be admitted even if we know what's inside them. One might even imagine a well-functioning America with a constitutional rule disqualifying insurrectionists from running for office.
The Need for a Major Economic/Monetary Overhaul to Ensure Liberty
A gold standard is a safeguard against political mismanagement enshrined in the monetary powers and disabilities of Article 1 Sections 8 and 10 of the Constitution and the Mint Act of 1792 The current fiat monetary system is unconstitutional and denies the citizens the right to liberty and supports government hegemony
The history of dictators from Hitler to Mussolini to Lenin to Stalin to FDR shows that one of the first steps to gaining control of the government is to control the currency by keeping the monetary system off a gold standard, that is, when paper currency is redeemable in gold at request Otherwise the middle class taxpayer is presently disconnected from what happens in Washington DC and angry that they have no control over the possibility of impending hyperinflation
A gold standard is a safeguard against political mismanagement But currently we are so removed monetarily from what the framers of the Constitution knew would happen if the currency was not standardized to a precious metal that it will require from Money and Liberty, James Turk, 2021
I’m always thrilled to learn that another pro-democracy candidate has beaten a proto- fascist Trump admirer, especially when the winner was trailing in the pre-election polls. Sadly, I fear that too many of my fellow Americans have taken Democracy for granted after 250 years or become numb to the orange turd’s relentless daily lies, grifts and noise, and thus are passively allowing the freedoms that a million dead heroes earned for them to slip away like grains of sand washed out to sea by the tides. I visited Romania on business in 1984, when the dictator ruled with an iron fist. I loved the warmth and graciousness of the people and the beauty of the country, but was relieved to return to my democratic homeland.
I’m an 83 year old retired trial lawyer who now feels that the jury is out, deciding whether America will survive as a democracy, like Romania or Poland, or become another example of a failed democracy ruled by an authoritarian, like Putin in Russia.
Mr. Kasparov, former world champion and one of the all time greats, speaking about another world champion, Nicusor Dan (a rare individual who won multiple golds at International Math Olympiads with perfect scores). A most unlikely president who never utters empty words, ND is all about facts, numbers and common sense.
Democracy is when you nullify the results of an election and run a new one so that the unelected EU's preferred candidate wins!
Democracy is not a free-for-all. There are rules and guardrails. You mock the idea that a democracy would nullify compromised election results after a foreign dictatorship interfered in the election. Would it be democratic to allow Russia to warp an election in another country? Is Russia a democracy? Belarus? Perhaps we should pat the leaders of the late Weimar Republic on the back for sanctioning the results of the July '32 Reichstag elections. Nullifying the results of an election was an extraordinary step taken under extraordinary circumstances. It would be a different story if Romania banned every right-wing lunatic from running, regardless of the context. But they don't. In fact, the latest such lunatic, Simion, ran freely, fairly (to the extent someone like him can), and very nearly won!
His candidacy was invalidated by electoral authorities, who pointed to a prior Constitutional Court decision (Dec 2024) annulling the election round he had won – ruling that his actions had flouted electoral rules and “violated the obligation to defend democracy”
Democracy is when you can run elections free from malignant foreign interference. But you kremlinfolk would never understand that.
Eta ruzzian propaganda! DEmocracy means when the democratic rules are respected, not when you/Ruzzia runs 27000 fake accounts on a chinese social media and NOT WHEN YOUR candidate lies that he has campaign spending ZERO. The Supreme Court in Romania decided to annul the elections after a meeting of the CSAT (Security Council in Romania).
I hope that you respond to Yuri Bezmenov's comment because this seems to be a popular take from the right-wing intelligentsia and I'd like to see if it can be decisively refuted. My view is that democracies need not be required to elect anti-democratic candidates. Otherwise, it's as if Troy had a law mandating that all Trojan horses must be admitted even if we know what's inside them. One might even imagine a well-functioning America with a constitutional rule disqualifying insurrectionists from running for office.
Thanks for flagging that comment. I've replied below!
The US actually has an insurrection clause in our constitution article 14 section 3. However the Supreme Court failed to use it to deny Trump.
To be fair, I'm pretty sure he came out of a frozen lake in Austria . Heard he's going back to it though
Some discreet characteristics that contributed to Nicușor Dan success, probably interesting for chess players too:
1. When accused of something, he rarely fights back. Almost never.
2. He doesn't wait for answers from others to take decisions. He follows his agenda.
3. He never says "it's your fault". He explains your fault.
4. He separates ideologies from practical facts. If he would be in the USA, he wouldn't enter in debates about LGBT/gender/religion/traditions.
5. In the USA, someone with his characteristics would be a successful candidate for any of the two parties.
Some discreet characteristics that contributed to Nicușor Dan success, probably interesting for chess players too:
1. When accused of something, he rarely fights back. Almost never.
2. He doesn't wait for answers from others to take decisions. He follows his agenda.
3. He never says "it's your fault". He explains your fault.
4. He separates ideologies from practical facts. If he would be in the USA, he wouldn't enter in debates about LGBT/gender/religion/traditions.
5. In the USA, someone with his characteristics would be a successful candidate for any of the two parties.
Some discreet characteristics that contributed to Nicușor Dan success, probably interesting for chess players too:
1. When accused of something, he rarely fights back. Almost never.
2. He doesn't wait for answers from others to take decisions. He follows his agenda.
3. He never says "it's your fault". He explains your fault.
4. He separates ideologies from practical facts. If he would be in the USA, he wouldn't enter in debates about LGBT/gender/religion/traditions.
5. In the USA, someone with his characteristics would be a successful candidate for any of the two parties.
Some discreet characteristics that contributed to Nicușor Dan success, probably interesting for chess players too:
1. When accused of something, he rarely fights back. Almost never.
2. He doesn't wait for answers from others to take decisions. He follows his agenda.
3. He never says "it's your fault". He explains your fault.
4. He separates ideologies from practical facts. If he would be in the USA, he wouldn't enter in debates about LGBT/gender/religion/traditions.
5. In the USA, someone with his characteristics would be a successful candidate for any of the two parties.
The Need for a Major Economic/Monetary Overhaul to Ensure Liberty
A gold standard is a safeguard against political mismanagement enshrined in the monetary powers and disabilities of Article 1 Sections 8 and 10 of the Constitution and the Mint Act of 1792 The current fiat monetary system is unconstitutional and denies the citizens the right to liberty and supports government hegemony
The history of dictators from Hitler to Mussolini to Lenin to Stalin to FDR shows that one of the first steps to gaining control of the government is to control the currency by keeping the monetary system off a gold standard, that is, when paper currency is redeemable in gold at request Otherwise the middle class taxpayer is presently disconnected from what happens in Washington DC and angry that they have no control over the possibility of impending hyperinflation
A gold standard is a safeguard against political mismanagement But currently we are so removed monetarily from what the framers of the Constitution knew would happen if the currency was not standardized to a precious metal that it will require from Money and Liberty, James Turk, 2021