Kachotocracy In America

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Of all the governments that could be used to describe the United States, democracy is probably the first word that comes to many people’s minds. However, I’ll argue that this word comes no where close to describing the current political landscape of America. Instead, the word most fitting of a description for our government is “kakistocracy.” It is a government in which the least qualified or most unprincipled citizens leads. From rants on twitter to the extremely inappropriate remarks about women, President Donald Trump qualifies to be the least qualified person to lead a nation. Although, before I describe why America is a kakistocracy, I need to first dismiss the idea that it is a democracy.
In our current political system, representatives …show more content…

During the presidential election, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump both had extremely low ratings. Less than half of America viewed the candidates in a positive light with Hillary at 41 percent of the population and Donald at 33 percent. However, what is important to note here is that these were our final candidates for the election. Is it democratic that candidates that are unpopular with the majority of the United States can still become president? It doesn’t sound like …show more content…

In a kakistocracy, it’s not just one person in power that is unqualified. It can be many people who can all affect the system. As more unqualified and unprincipled people are put in positions of power, reality seems to be ignored more and more. In one infamous example, which was filmed on live television and reported on by the Washington Post, the counselor to the current President, Kellyanne Conway, defended Sean Spicer when he lied by calling his lie an “alternative fact.” How does a fact become alternative? When a person makes an informed decision, they need to base it on reality since that’s usually where the problem lies. By ignoring reality or substituting your own, you effectively deter yourself from solving any problems. To do this while you are helping to lead a country with over 300 million people is both negligent and dangerous. To knowingly do this is just

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