The Decline of American Democracy

Gideon Rachman of the Financial Times notes:

https://www.ft.com/content/0341d438-8ece-11e6-8df8-d3778b55a923

“How did it come to this? The presidential election debates should represent US democracy at its finest. Instead, the second Clinton-Trump debate centred around sordid allegations of sexual assault, threats, lies and mutual contempt.

At one stage, Mr Trump boasted that Mrs Clinton would “be in jail” if he were in charge of the legal system. Political rivals to the president get imprisoned in Robert Mugabe’s Zimbabwe. America is meant to live by different standards.

Sunday night’s spectacle is not just embarrassing for the US. America is widely regarded as the “leader of the free world.” So the rise of Mr Trump threatens to damage the prestige of democracy everywhere.”

Political debates hit a new low:

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/11/arts/television/donald-trump-hillary-clinton-second-debate.html

http://www.newyorker.com/news/john-cassidy/the-nastiest-presidential-debate-of-all-time

American Media – Reality TV Entertainment Mixes with Politics

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/10/business/media/donald-trump-the-showman-now-caught-in-the-klieg-lights.html

American Politics – Facts Rarely Matter

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/10/09/us/elections/fact-check-debate.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2016/10/10/fact-checking-the-second-clinton-trump-presidential-debate/

Even worse footage of Trump antics may exist
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/10/10/trump-tapes-british-apprentice-producer-under-pressure-to-releas/