Could the U.S. become a Dictatorship?

Obviously it won't happen now, but it could be done, if the right people with the right plans came to power. Just think of Star Wars and how Palpatine made his way to power and turned it against the people. Hitler did the same also, he was voted in by the people. I was also thinking what if someone that high in power planned an all out assanination on our congress one night by hiring hit men for every senator and they would murder them in their own homes, who would lead our country if they were all assaninated? Just like that the president with no one to vote him out or watch over him could turn the country into a dictatorship. This is why I think the second Ammendment the right to bear arms is absolutely needed, incase something like this happens. If we get rid of it, we the people, would have no chance against a skilled military.

 

Yea and I could win the lottery tomorrow, but it's unlikely.

 

Wouldn't we have to begin wallowing in the absolute depths of corruption or be a nation in chaos first though?

Looking at the past it seems to follow some sort of trend when all the great dictators came to power. Hitler had the Depression in his corner and Napoleon had the endless violence and uncertainty of the French Revolution in his. Palpatine has a stagnant government that no one really likes for what it does but what it represents. Using the war with the Confederacy, I expect he'll demonstrate the ineffectiveness of the Senate and convince a galactic public hungry for leadership and decisive government that it's best to give him the reins.

 

Well think about it, if the U.S. goes into another depression, that's all it would take, someone genious at the very right time.

 

WEll, if it does, you can count on people like me and HavocHound to go after said dictator, and people like Darthpigfeet to blindly follow him

 

its called "checks and balances" folks look it up, its in your local constitution...

 

It is a remote possibility, but I wouldn't count on it any time soon.

Pretty much every system and political aspect of our society would have to be changed first.

 

It's a possibility, of course, but it won't happen.

The simple answer is the people will not stand for it. No American would kill another American for disagreeing with the leader. They may get angry, but no American could be driven to protect their leader so much to kill another American who merely protests him.

For example, if Bush were to suddenly declare himself Emperor, the people would simply say no. Americans aren't the kind to break out in violent factions, Bush supporters would be mad, protest maybe, but that's it. Claim they were cheated. Whatever, but a dictatorship would just not work here.

 

The only way for a dictatorship to work is for the leader to have full support of the military. In the US the military tends to be conservative, and will not support a dictatorship (not saying liberals are dicators, neither liberals or conservatives are really bad people, they just dont think on the same lines) So in one of those rare cases, the liberals and conservatives will work together to restore what we got, a Republic with strong democratic ties.

 

Should Congress ever be wiped out by any means, they will be replaced by the Governers and Mayors of the States, I believe.

So, a corrupt President bent on absolute power, would have to get rid of the successors of Congress too.

Besides, the military wont follow that corrupted of a President or any Generals he has under his influence. Don't forget the military is consisted of civilians and alot will fight back.

What would most likely happen is a Second Civil War.

 

"WEll, if it does, you can count on people like me and HavocHound to go after said dictator, and people like Darthpigfeet to blindly follow him"

ooooooooo Nice low blow. Get your facts straight Saint of Killers I wouldn't be following I would be the leader and you would be the first one to go.

Kidding

Anyway I will answer it just like Anakin did to Padme in SW. "Well if it works" but if it's not working then I will be the first to fight and die. Happy.

No the closest we as a nation ever got to this was in the 1860's when Abe Lincoln instituted Marshall Law in Washington D.C. and to arrest any Southerns in the area and put them in jail without trial. So many people were kept in prison throughout the Civil War without ever seeing a Lawyer or knowing what they were in prison for. No representation at all. The only other instance would be if the Nazis had won WWII.


Other than that our nation will not become a dictatorship in our lifetime or your childrens childrens lifetime. You forget there is a balance of power in our government and nobody with the exception of Lincoln, and Rooselvelt has all the power to impose their will.

 

One thing to keep in mind is that people in the military swear an oath to the Constitution and not to any one person.

 

I do not believe the United States would fall under dictatorship. We have had many tests in our past and have continues our system of government. The system of checks and balances is cyclical. For example today many would say that the Executive branch and judiciary branch out way the legislative branch.

The legislative branch is weak because the two parties are very similar and if you notice during Clinton's and Bush Jr's terms they have gotten most of what they want because they are middle of the road politicians as are most of the members in congress. This empowers a president to push policies they see fit.

The judiciary branch also has quite a bit of power. The Supreme Court deciding the vote on Florida should be enough for all to see that.

 

Britain, where I live, could very easily become a dictatorship. We have no written constitution, and the executive and legislative branches are effectively the same. If a dictatorial party received 330 seats in the House of Commons, we'd have autocracy within the week.

The US, because of its separation of powers, would be harder. The Supreme Court would probably function as the main roadblock. It could be neutralised, I suppose, by mass-increasing the number of justices, so that a friendly Court majority could then be installed.

 

This is a very vague idea in my mind, not really developed, but lets see if i can sort of explain it.

I an not afraid of the government of the USA becomming a dictatorship. Not for a very long time or ever.

However, I am worried that people will act like it is one.

When you look at the diffrence between a dictatorship and what we have now, one of the big diffrences is that we, the citizens, can chose to argue something. However, a part of me is afraid that people no longer care about things, or there would be mass public support for taking away freedoms. Smoking is still a freedom for people to do as they wish (for better or worse) but at this rate, the government does not have to do too much to limit it. Already it is sort of slowly being made into a social stigma, people are embariessed to talk about it.

One reason may be that people would be very reliant on the government, and therefore would be afraid to critize it. Medicare and Medacade are great examples in a way. Lets say the elderly dont like how the government is being run. Would they tick the government off and risk lossing their medication? (of my 3 remainig grandparrents, forgive me for saying this, but two of them would rather sit quietly and not rock the boat). That is one thing i am worried about.

This is all just a vague fear in my mind, and not well developed. So take it with the grain of salt it is worth.

 

Hitler was voted into power, yes, but I suggest you take a look at how that happend. Also, he won with 1 vote.

 

The US knows stability. That's why a dictatorship wouldn't work here. Other majorities accept "extended rule" of "good" leaders because they have experienced instability and think they can bring stability. The US knows how to get it, and wouldn't stand for it.

I can maybe see another president getting a third term or so, but we'll always have the Congress and impeachment.

 

I can maybe see another president getting a third term or so, but we'll always have the Congress and impeachment.

Its impossible now for a President to have a third term. The maximum of years a man can be President is 10 years. The two extra years is from say a Vice-President has to replace the President because he was assassinated or impeached out of office.

Franklin D. Roosevelt is the only President to have served more than two terms. I believe it was three terms. He realized that a dictatorship could come into existance if the public continues to re-elect a President. So he had Congress limit the amount of terms to two terms, the same amount of terms George Washington and other past Presidents served.

Now, the only way a President in the future can serve more than two terms is if he can convince Congress to abolish that amendmant. Which will least likely to happen.

 

"I believe it was three terms"

Four, but you make good points, nonetheless. He didn't really "serve" 4 terms, but was elected 4 times, so it doesn't really matter.

As for my response to the title question, no. The ACLU, the good old protectors of our "liberties" like raping young boys, would be all over it before it ever even started.

 

Actually, FDR had four terms, and after he died during his fourth term people decided it was too much and changed it to two terms.

 

I agree, no matter what crises we're in, or how good the president is, they'll never be able to serve more than two terms. And that's a good thing.

 

I believe the only way this would happen would be a total loss of faith in America by the PEOPLE of America.

There would be a state of Anarchy before a Dictotorship.

And I don't think that'll EVER happen.

 

"The ACLU, the good old protectors of our "liberties" like raping young boys"

I assume you're talking about the Nambla case. The ACLU has never tried to amke it legal for adults to have sex with children. What they did was defend the right of people to talk about having sex with kids. The first amendment doesn't just apply when you agree with the speaker, you know.

 

Well they shouldn't be allowed to do that either. That is a criminal act within itself, and anyone who speaks of it has the potential to do it for real. You have to be sick in the head to even want to talk about it.

 

You might as well come out and say you don't like freedom of speech. That's basically what you implied.