The problem
Fascism in the USA (inequality, lawlessness, polarization, cruelty) is not unique. Many countries are drifting towards fascism. Fascism is an answer to and a distraction from the threats posed by global warming and immigration. Unchecked AI is another looming danger. When we feel our identity endangered by complexity and change, we resort to our basic instincts, self-preservation and group loyalty; instincts that we institutionalized in capitalism and national sovereignty. When instinct and ratio clash, instinct prevails.
American democracy is complicit in creating the system that elevated Trump. The United States was never a genuine democracy, but an aristocracy where party elites governed. When voters grow weary of self-serving elites, it opens the door for a demagogue and Trump walks on the scene. He is the right man at the right place at the the right time to show the deficiencies of our current form of democracy. Trump is a master in giving voice to basic instincts, he is the personification of our instincts. But Trump is not the problem; he is a consequence and symptom of a dysfunctional democracy. When we are alarmed by Trump and his vassals, we are barking at the wrong tree.
Our current system of democracy does not provide an effective process for reaching shared decisions. Mass protest meetings in many countries demonstrate that people do not feel heard. Polarization, influence of big money, fake news, all are consequences of a democratic process that does not convey the preferences of the electorate. The kind of democracy the Founding Fathers designed in 1790 is not adequate for our current society in which social media provide every crank a megaphone and allow everyone to reach everyone, any moment. The FF could not foresee that TV and Internet would corrupt the democratic process. The checks and balances that were meant to prevent rule by a mob or an elite, resulted in the opposite. We are now governed by a combination of mob and elite. A self-serving elite holds on to power by manipulating a mob of frustrated voters. Voting has become a lame act that leaves everyone frustrated. The very idea of parties is silly. A vote for a party does not express an opinion about anything other than preference for party A above party B.
Democratic government requires mutual respect, dialogue and compromise That can work at local level, as town meetings show. In a nation-wide party system, respect, dialogue and compromise lead to defeat. Parties are about winning. Voting for parties gives people the illusion of self-government but is little more than a pacifier for people who like the idea of democracy. A binary election every four years is mere opium for the masses.
Mutually reinforcing impediments stand out:
A binary choice once every four years is a ludicrously limited way to convey preferences on policies on various issues
Elections of politicians are mere popularity contests driven by emotions and tribal loyalty. Preferences on policies are secondary. Slogans can carry an incompetent showman with erratic policies to the top.
A two-party system tends to divide votes equally because any clear policy preference will be co-opted by the other party. Party win or lose by small margins. In science, a difference of 2% or less is considered irrelevant. We let ourselves be governed by a system that is irrelevant. Mass protests are to be expected.
Social media aggravate polarization because conflicts attract attention, clicks and advertising income.
Money buys publicity. Most TV channels are owned by wealthy people and serve their interests
When votes had to be recorded on paper and counted by hand, the only feasible process was to tabulate preferences in two columns. Computers and Internet allow more sophisticated ways of expressing and tabulating preferences. Most importantly, voting on policies can be separated from electing politicians. Our current form of democracy is so deficient that 40% does not even take the trouble to vote. Distrust in government makes people give up on voting or worse, vote for destruction. What should we do?
Vote on policies
Permanent opinion surveys online can tell politicians what people want on every issue, all the time, at every level (town, county, state, nation). With that information :
The legislative branch translates opinions into laws.
The executive branch translate laws and opinions into actions.
The judicial branch checks actions against laws and opinions.
Elect politicians
To prevent popularity contest we should elect politicians in a sequence of levels. Let at town level each representative carrys a weight according to the number of votes they get. A minimum number of votes is required to participate in decisions; say twenty votes. Representatives thus elected, elect town executives. Town executives elect one among them as representative of their town at the next level. Town representatives elect county level executives who elect state executives who elect federal executives who elect the national president. A pyramid of elections prevents the formation of parties and selects politicians on competence, less so on popularity.
Educate voters
Voting is government. As government, one must vote for what one considers the is best for the most people. Civics classes should teach that voting based on self interest is the first step to corruption.
Provide information
The Internet allows fake news to proliferate. For instance, people are made to believe that:
"Republicans are against big government". In reality, government spending has been highest under Reagan, Bush and Trump
"The USA workforce is the most efficient" In reality, Americans work 30% more hours than Europeans for almost the same level of wealth
"The US health care is the best". In reality, Americans spend twice the % of GNP for a lower life expectancy
The Internet can help to identify fake news. Wikipedia’s hierarchy of unpaid editors provides an example. However, a voluntary, self-censoring system like Wikipedia is not money-proof. Editors can be paid under the table. We identify and punish false banknotes. Similarly, we can identify and punish fake news.
How to start?
Any political structure will resist revolutionary changes. No politician will choose to become obsolete. Change must start at local level where people know each other personally. In 1780 a system with the proposed complexity could not be managed. Computers with AI can handle complex data management.
Changing our system is not all we have to do. Fascism grows in a suspicious, contentious society. We can each make a difference – starting with our own minds. Reach out, share, support, show compassion. We can all do our part to improve the world. Fundamental change will only occur after far more hardship exposes the deficiencies of our current form of democracy. Probably, in our connected world our instinct to self-preservation will drive us to collective extinction. Latest edit October 2026