Biden (and other presidents before him) had enough time to change from Electoral College to (more) direct democracy.

[jwildeboer@social.wildeboer.net]

Biden (and other presidents before him) had enough time to at least propose or initiate a change from Electoral College to (more) direct democracy. It didn’t happen. Because modernisation and boldness doesn’t exist in a two party system. Two party systems tend to be one party systems with irrelevant nuances that emulate but don’t live true democracy, IMHO. (Greetz to UK under Starmer, not much change, innit?

[kittylyst@mastodon.social]

@jwildeboer Abolishing the electoral college requires a constitutional amendment, which requires a 2/3 majority of both House and Senate, which is never going to happen given that the GOP have won the Presidency twice in revent memory whilst losing the popular vote.

IMO the US National Popular Voting Compact has a better chance of succeeding - it's currently at 259 EC votes (enacted & pending) - in a couple of cycles they may be over the 270 threshold.

[jwildeboer@social.wildeboer.net]

@kittylyst you may not have a couple of cycles left …

[sjuvonen@infosec.exchange]

@jwildeboer
This is not something a president can do in the American constitutional system. You are advocating for extralegal means of changing the political system if you say a president should have somehow magically already done it. Let’s not go into revolutionary fantasies here.

This has nothing as such to do with the two party system either. One is not the consequence of the other.

[jwildeboer@social.wildeboer.net]

@sjuvonen So let's just keep the system as it is and refuse any change because ... reasons? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_presidential_elections_in_which_the_winner_lost_the_popular_vote

[sjuvonen@infosec.exchange]

@jwildeboer
That is not what I said.

If you advocate for changing a system, you should show some evidence that you understand how the current system works. Blaming Biden for the current two party system does not convince anyone of that.

[jwildeboer@social.wildeboer.net]

@sjuvonen I added evidence. And any democratic decision on changing the current system is far from extralegal, IMHO. The initiative to make changes can come from anywhere, but in the US system the president can have an important role in promoting change.