Interview Transcript
Question: Is the American political system broken?
Alan Dershowitz: We’re getting democracy by sound bite, democracy by charm. And the likelihood of great leaders emerging from this form of popular democracy is, I think, diminishing.
But we have a responsibility. We can do something. The people in the vast majority of the world with no input in the activities of their governments have a much harder role. I think they have to focus on their own children, their own families, on focusing on their own lives, on improving their own lives, and are rejecting false promises of religious claims.
Recorded On: June 12, 2007
Is the American political system broken?
Professor, Harvard Law School
Democracy by soundbite is not democracy, says Alan Dershowitz.
November 13, 2007 | In Belief, Politics & Policy
Discuss
Dan Hofstra on November 14, 2007, 7:10 PM
Ironic…
Omar Sapayeen on January 17, 2008, 11:17 AM
I agree. However, let’s not forget that the bulk of the blame falls on the people who, these days, can’t be bothered to think over the issues and pick the ones that are actually relevant to getting America to move forward. As an economy, we’re stalling if not going backwards, because we no longer design the best cars in the global market. What we produce, and the services we provide are of similar quality yet more expensive than the same coming from China. Our best hope is to innovate that which is at the horizon, and for that our emphasis needs to be in education, and in job training. Instead, people are having us believe the problem is the illegal immigrant, whether gays should be able to say “I Do”, and the 2nd amendment.
I can’t tell if its the system that’s failing, or the people who were supposed to use it.
Add a Comment
You must be logged in to comment. Log in or Register