400 million people is 400 million distinct people. Nobody could or does represent them; the idea that someone can represent “the will of the people” is propaganda. Same with every other government; they actually just have control.
A leader that is elected by their country, represents it. It’s a collective responsibility.
Well, that’s basically the propaganda. Says who? God? Physics? Neither. And, elect how? Some countries have proportional representation, which neither the US or Canada do.
At the end of the day, a state is anything that has a monopoly on the use of force. Some allocate political power within themselves through elections (of many massively different kinds), while some do it other ways.
You could say, “okay, elections have nothing to do with it, but we’re still responsible for what we let our governments do”, and there’s a strong argument for that. But, by that measure pretty much everyone sucks everywhere, which you can take however you want.
The president represents the country.
Yeah, there is that legal fiction, and typical way of looking at things, so it’s not an incorrect phrasing. It’s just kinda funny.
Nah he represents it
400 million people is 400 million distinct people. Nobody could or does represent them; the idea that someone can represent “the will of the people” is propaganda. Same with every other government; they actually just have control.
A leader that is elected by their country, represents it. It’s a collective responsibility.
In Trumps case, he truly represents it, in every way. Selfish, debaucherous, arrogant, can’t take criticism.
Well, that’s basically the propaganda. Says who? God? Physics? Neither. And, elect how? Some countries have proportional representation, which neither the US or Canada do.
At the end of the day, a state is anything that has a monopoly on the use of force. Some allocate political power within themselves through elections (of many massively different kinds), while some do it other ways.
You could say, “okay, elections have nothing to do with it, but we’re still responsible for what we let our governments do”, and there’s a strong argument for that. But, by that measure pretty much everyone sucks everywhere, which you can take however you want.