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How to explain to libs in crisis that the US Constitution is antidemocratic (piefed.social)

submitted 4 days ago by the_abecedarian@piefed.social to c/socialism@beehaw.org

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Part of what I see with 50501/Hands Off protests is that they have a theme of "defending the Constitution" from Trump. This is really a somewhat conservative position and doesn't have much historical rigor to it.

Prof. Aziz Rana of Boston College Law School is having a moment on Jacobin Radio right now. His basic thesis is that the Constitutional order is so deeply antidemocratic that the left argued with itself and the liberals over whether to focus efforts on challenging it in the early 20th Century. In the broad sweep of history since then, Americans have come to view the Constitution as a sacred text, but in fact, that order is part of what gives the Republicans and the far right their advantages despite losing the popular vote.

The shorter interview: https://www.leftbusinessobserver.com/Radio.html#S250424 (April 24, 2025)
The 4-part long interview: https://thedigradio.com/archive/ (see the Aziz Rana episodes starting in April 2025) - Part 4 isn't up yet.

So why should we venerate the Constitution, when it holds us back from real, direct democracy? I think part of what our liberal friends and family hold onto is a trust in the Constitution and the framers. They weren't geniuses, they were landowners worried about kings taking their property. Use these interviews, or Prof. Rana's book, to handle those arguments.

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[–] jatone@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 1 day ago

you're upset people are supporting a cause you support. got it. fuck you're a moron.

anyways; yes, trump taking power was a bad thing for them. just as harris and biden were empirically a bad thing for them.

Ms. 'I wouldn't do a thing different' would have continued enabling the genocide just as trump has. objectively neither candidate mattered on the issue.

The reason moron harris courted republican's is because she didnt have a damn policy supported by the left wing electorate. in fact her entire campaign was designed precisely to piss us off.

Are you happy with how that worked out? no? oh. well maybe you shouldn't support fucking corporate genocidal enabling candidates. now kindly fuck off and enjoy your state mandated fascism. you morons certainly earned it.