German Democracy
April 20, 2008
In response the Mock German Elections I thought that the Government could possibly have the tendancy to take far too long. For instance, our class could have continued to take a long time and we were very limited in out views and not very knowledgeable. However, I felt that it was very interesting how the coalition formed, it was a almost a form of controlled Chaos. Futhermore, I also recognized that the chancellorship was a very large bargaining chip, that every party, with the exception of Green was vying for. People were willing to sacrifice a large amount of seats in order to attain the Chancellorship, something i doubt would be the same in actual German Government. Overall, I learned alot about how the Government functions.
April 22, 2008 at 6:51 pm
I am in agreement with your post that the German elections would realistically take far too long, but I am interested in this type of political election more than the United States election. I would like to as you if you think a hybrid democratic election system could be possible by mixing the US system and the German system. I feel that the only major democratic aspect of politics that the US misses is the idea of forming strong coalitions around different policies (education, labor, environment etc). If politicians and parties in the US could release the arrogance and stubborness, I believe that this country could live under more universal, healthier, and more equitable ideals.
April 29, 2008 at 1:49 pm
I agree that a hybrid democratic system in the United States would improve democracy by allowing coalitions to form based on various policies. The gap between the two political parties in our current system sometimes makes it difficult for consensus and decision-making, and the introduction of aspects of the German political system might lessen this problem. However, I do not believe that this type of drastic change in the political system would occur in the U.S. We have a very different political history from Germany and other countries, and even small changes in the political process are difficult to accept.