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[Wojtek S]

[WS:] I do not want to engage in semantic arguments.  I provide several
examples of reactionary measures introduced by a democratic process (voting,
ballot initiatives, referenda, etc.) To prove me wrong, you need to provide
me with some good examples of progressive changes being introduced by the
same means (as opposed to being enforced by auithorities of some sort.)  Can
you?

PS.  I agree that SC is a reactionary institution, but then this country as
a whole tends to be reactionary.  All its political instituions reflect
that.  The point I am making is that progressive reformers have it much
easier to introduce progressive reforms via administrative means (such as
courts or government) than through a democratic process, which is far more
likely to produce reactionary results than progressive ones.

Wojtek

On Thu, Nov 5, 2009 at 9:36 AM, Matthias Wasser
<matthias.wasser at gmail.com>wrote:


> On Thu, Nov 5, 2009 at 8:53 AM, Wojtek S <wsoko52 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > [WS:] Furthermore, "voting" in America is used almost exclusively to
> > mobilize the
> > right wing reaction, and almost never to pass a progressive change.
>  Almost
> > all that is progressive in this country, from the New Deal, to Civil
> > Rights,
> > to access to reproductive services and to rights to same sex couples
> > resulted either from the progressive judiciary or progressive
> > administration
> > curbing democratically enacted Jim Crow laws / restrictions and opposed
> by
> > democratic congress.
>
>
> Jim Crow wasn't the result of a democratic process. Blacks were
> systematically disenfranchised and excluded from the process. Throughout
> most of its history the Supreme Court has been a reactionary institution;
> the achievements of the Civil Rights era are anomalous.
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