Democratic Party

The most common mascot symbol for the party is the donkey.

According to the Democratic National Committee, the party itself never officially adopted this symbol but has made use of it. They say that Andrew Jackson's opponents had labeled him a jackass during the intense mudslinging that occurred during the presidential race of 1828. A political cartoon titled "A Modern Balaam and his Ass" depicting Jackson riding and directing a donkey (representing the Democratic Party) was published in 1837.

A political cartoon by Thomas Nast in an 1870 edition of Harper's Weekly revived the donkey as a symbol for the Democratic Party.

Cartoonists followed Nast and used the donkey to represent the Democrats, and the elephant to represent the Republicans.

Note that the rooster is the only symbol ever recognized officially by the Democrats, although there is some question as to whether or not it was adopted on a regional or national level. The rooster still appears on many state ballots and may date to the 1840 "Log Cabin & Hard Cider" presidential election.

The United Nations was founded in 1944 after World War II by the allied forces at a time when they were very much flush with their victory. The allied forces included USA, Great Britain, Russia, China, and France

The UN, like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), is an undemocratic and unjust organization.

The UN belongs to the USA and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Despite its pretense of being an independent UN agency, its policies are generally dictated by the US.

How can the UN deny the rest of the world the opportunity to acquire nuclear knowledge just because Washington, Paris and London feel that this should not be in the hands of the colored races of the world?

We disagree with the French leader's belief that nuclear Iran could threaten the world when the US is using its veto to launch an attack on other nations without any justification. The UN Security Council has no right to stop or monitor other nations' nuclear progress if they claim to be advocates for democracy. Every nation has the ultimate right to seek scientific knowledge acquired through education.

The goal of the United Democratic Nations is to promote world peace through the process of democracy. It is the belief of this organization that increased representation equates to a decrease in war, conflict and the abuse of human rights.

Strictly speaking, the current structure of the United Nations is NOT democratic, in the political science sense of the word. While it can be said to be representative (all nations have representatives in the U.N.), the selection of those representatives is in no way democratic, and the U.N. as a whole has no real political responsibility to the people of the earth. Organizationally, the U.N. is an oligarchy, with membership limited to countries as entities, not representatives of some constituency. This is not to say that the U.N. doesn't have democratic impulses and goals, and frequently promotes (and even achieves) democratic purposes, but only that the current organization is decidedly non-democratic.

Democracy has certain weaknesses. Some of these are discussed below:

It lays emphasis on quantity as opposed to quality. Every person whether stupid or genius is treated equal while inequality is a biological phenomenon. It turns into government by "the ignorant and the intellectual." It standardizes life on a low level.

Mencken says that democracy is based on the assumption that all wisdom rests with inferior four-fifths of mankind, who according to Carlyle are "mostly fools." Government in democracy works on 'majority mecha­nism.

' Decidedly the intellectuals and wise people are in minority and majority is in the hands or intellectuals and mediocres. Democracy thus tends to be a Government of the mediocre since in it, votes are counted but not weighed.

It very often breeds inefficiency. The political leaders are more busy with forming political alliances and thereby maintaining their positions rather than looking after the administration.

In practice, the administration is run by the bureaucrats who owe no responsibility to the people. Faguet calls democracy as "cult of incompe­tence."

It breeds corruption like 'spoils system', 'lobby­ing', 'log-rolling', etc. Unhealthy political compromises are made, coalitions are formed throwing all principles to winds thereby. Privileges and power are distributed among the supporters of the regime rather than given to those who deserve. Democracy thus encourages nepotism, jobbery and favoritism.

It leads to formation of political parties which mislead, misinform and misguide the electorate. They distort issues, falsify facts, appeal to emotions, make falser and Utopian promises.

In democracy, people who have no principle of their own flourish while genuine persons with good intentions lag behind. Such people are generally election shy and shun the botheration of elections and political maneuverings.

People who belong to the class of careerists, opportunists, self-seekers and demagogues succeed easily in politics and they reach the scats of authority. Really capable people having compe­tence are pushed back to the wall.

It is very expensive type of government. Parlia­ments, cabinets, election machinery are all a costly affair and a burden on the tax payer. Millions of dollars are spent on the presidential election in the U.S.A., to take one example.

Freitschke describes democracy as a "corrupt dollar worshipping plutocracy or oligarchy of the rich". According to Lecky, "democracy neither produces equality nor liberty".

The rich classes and political leaders exploit the ignorant and simple masses.

Further masses are opposed to intellectual progress and scientific devel­opment.

It is pointed out that democracies are unfit to meet emergencies like the Economic Depression of 1922 and the two world wars. The Governments had also to assume dictatorial powers in democratic states.

Democracy leads to majority rule which tyrannizes the minority. It leads to revolutions and mob violence. It subjects the people to rule of numerous rather than rule of the wise.

The opponents of democracy point out that it is a process of dis-education rather than education. It lowers standards, it puts premium on emotion rather than reason, on ignorance rather than intelligence and knowledge. It creates among masses a false sense of equality.

Every voter thinks that he is equal to every other voter and fit to govern. The masses are less interested in advancement of science, culture, art, literature, etc., as compared to the privileged classes. "It produces a civilization" which Burns describes as "banal, mediocre, or dull".

Democracy, it is alleged, does not extend the domain of liberty and equality. It promotes practices like Mac- Carthyism in the U.S.A. or Preventive Detention Act in India whereby liberty and freedom of the people are completely taken away at the discretion of the executive.

The power of the state is used by the party in power to perpetuate its rule rather than for advancement of the people. As President Lowell said, one grievous failure of democracy in the U.S.A. is the misgovernment of her large cities. Lacky is of the opinion that democracy is opposed to liberty.

Democracy is a difficult form of government for assumptions on which it rests are difficult of fulfillment. It assumes civic capacity on the part of the citizen. This capacity according to Bryce lies in "intelligence, self-control and con­science". The citizen must be able to understand the interest of the community, subordinate his own will to the General will and must feel his responsibility to the community and be prepared to serve it by voting and by choosing the best men.

The fact remains that in most of the countries of the world these assumptions cannot be fulfilled. The people, by and large show indifference to public life. They neglect to study public affairs. Self-interest reveals itself in buying of votes. Party discipline kills independent thinking.

Failure of democracy in almost all the underdevel­oped countries is matter of common knowledge because of the fact that basic qualities enumerated above are not yet developed in them.

Political democracy in a class divided society under capitalism tends to develop into the rule of the few capitalists. The capitalists possess all the resources needed for elections whereas a vast majority of people, workers peasants and lower middle classes are without all those means which can enable them to come to the forefront.

Politics for the rich is just a business enterprise while the same is beyond the reach of the poor. Thus we see justification in the remarks that "in U.K. it is the Bank of England that rules (implies capitalists) and in America there is Dollar Democracy which implies the government by the economically dominant persons."