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[Frumple]

There's a whole word for that, actually, though I've forgotten what it is. Rule by random allotment is one of those proposed governance systems you occasionally hear talked about. There's even the rare implementation on smaller-scale stuff -- I've heard it used in factory work and whatnot, iirc, shuffling managers/PR folks/etc. at random, with something like group veto or impeachment options if the critter thrown into the lion's maw buggers up too badly.

Conceptually, if you're dealing with a population that is at least roughly meet the same minimums in regards to qualification and vested interest, and you've got some means of post-ascension quality control, you can just throw some random tosser in charge and it'll turn out decently enough (on the net, if not on any particular term). Don't recall anyone's trying it on a large scale, though.

[Angle]

I remember reading about how the city of Florence did that.

[Reelya]

The Athenians also used random machines to determine office holders for the bulk of duties. But they usually served in groups, to avoid issues with appointing incompetent people to important roles.

[Angle]

Yeah, the Florentines did too.

[misko27]

That was basically the entire conception of democracy starting in Greek times until very recently. Voting, according to Aristotle in Politics, is oligarchic. Of course, that doesn't make it right, since they were city states with different logistical challenges.

[Morrigi]

This is more state politics, or at least it was until recently. Now the Supreme Court may be getting involved.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2015/04/20/wisconsin-home-invasions-walkers-supporters-targeted-by-democratic-prosecutors-column/26081903/

Note: I do not share the above article's opinions on Putin, but it does illustrate the point.

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/417155/wisconsins-shame-i-thought-it-was-home-invasion-david-french

[PTTG??]

I can't say I'm not a little surprised. It just goes to show how effective internet "walled gardens" are. You only see the news you're likely to like... or, rather, read.

This seems to be from early May. I'm looking for reference on this having to do with Democrats and it seems mainly to be a police thing. There is a lot of stuff here about the events themselves, but precious little about the larger context.

[Lord Shonus]

Note that both those stories are questionable - National Review makes Fox News look left-wing, and Glenn Reynolds (the author of the USA Today guest editorial) is a rabid anarchist and individualist - one of his hobbyhorses is banning subsidized student loans on the grounds that poor people don't go to college because they're too lazy, not because they can't afford it.

The raid that opens the article -the only one where National Review gives any way to fact-check the situation- involved an investigation into allegations that she was running an astroturfing campaign for Walker on government time (while doing none of her actual work) and other corruption charges, such as moving to another job while collecting sick leave from her government job.

[scriver]

That was basically the entire conception of democracy starting in Greek times until very recently. Voting, according to Aristotle in Politics, is oligarchic. Of course, that doesn't make it right, since they were city states with different logistical challenges.

Well, if you only allow a small portion of your male populace to vote, like the Greeks did in their form of "democracy", of course it would be oligarchic.

[Morrigi]

Note that both those stories are questionable - National Review makes Fox News look left-wing, and Glenn Reynolds (the author of the USA Today guest editorial) is a rabid anarchist and individualist - one of his hobbyhorses is banning subsidized student loans on the grounds that poor people don't go to college because they're too lazy, not because they can't afford it.

The raid that opens the article -the only one where National Review gives any way to fact-check the situation- involved an investigation into allegations that she was running an astroturfing campaign for Walker on government time (while doing none of her actual work) and other corruption charges, such as moving to another job while collecting sick leave from her government job.

This whole thing is fishy as fuck.

http://www.politifact.com/wisconsin/statements/2014/jun/12/scott-walker/wisconsin-law-prohibits-anyone-who-knows-about-sec/

Edit:

That was basically the entire conception of democracy starting in Greek times until very recently. Voting, according to Aristotle in Politics, is oligarchic. Of course, that doesn't make it right, since they were city states with different logistical challenges.

Well, if you only allow a small portion of your male populace to vote, like the Greeks did in their form of "democracy", of course it would be oligarchic.

The U.S. is pretty damn oligarchic anyway, m8.

[misko27]

That was basically the entire conception of democracy starting in Greek times until very recently. Voting, according to Aristotle in Politics, is oligarchic. Of course, that doesn't make it right, since they were city states with different logistical challenges.

Well, if you only allow a small portion of your male populace to vote, like the Greeks did in their form of "democracy", of course it would be oligarchic.

But if you select lots from a small portion of your male populace, it's democratic? My point still stands: Representative democracy, voting as a democracy, is new concept, while lots are very old indeed. Of course, the Greeks used a literal version of words we use: Democracy means everyone, Monarchy means one, and oligarchy is somewhere between everyone and one (thus, by definition, all representative governments are oligarchies). Aristocracy was also used, but it isn't really used we use it as (we usually mean hereditary oligarchy): Plato considers Aristocracy to be the highest form of government, while Oligarchy is placed third (democracy punches in 4th in his judgement, beating out only Tyranny). Plato defined Aristocracy to be merit-based rulers.

The Greeks were strange people from a modern perspective.

[mainiac]

Democracy doesn't mean everyone.  Democracy means rule by the demoi, the citizen class.  Remember that before very recently citizenship was in no way supposed to be a default thing or universal.  You could be a free member of a society with generations of tie to where you live and not be a citizen.

[Reelya]

http://www.vox.com/2015/4/24/8489065/politics-negative-partisanship-fear

Politics isn't about who you love. It's about who you fear.

That's the upshot of a draft paper by political scientists Alan Abramowitz and Steven Webster that attempts to untangle a mystery about modern American politics: how can there be record levels of party loyalty and straight-ticket voting at the same time that fewer Americans than ever before are identifying as Republicans and Democrats?

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Spread the hate.

[mainiac]

Well that's just the republicans fault.

[Urist Imiknorris]

I blame minorities.