THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES narrowly defeated a resolution aimed at blocking further attacks on Venezuela after House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., held the poll open for a lengthy period to secure a final vote against it.
The House voted 215–215 on the measure. Under House rules, a tied vote is a defeat.
Johnson’s decision to keep the vote open for more than 20 minutes drew jeers from Democrats and an angry response from Rep. Pat Ryan, D-N.Y., one of the measure’s supporters.
“Close the vote! Come on! Seriously!” Ryan said. “Come on! This is serious! This is serious shit! Close the vote!”
Ryan’s request was ignored and the vote was held open until Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, who had been campaigning for a U.S. Senate seat in Texas, arrived in the chamber to cast the decisive vote against the measure.
The slow-moving vote in the House had threatened to spoil a signature achievement for Johnson, who minutes earlier had secured passage of an appropriations package that would prevent another government shutdown.
It’s how centralized power always works. Vanguard party or otherwise. Power becomes antidemocratic and serves itself.
It’s why power must be with the people directly. It’s not perfect, but it’s the least bad option.
Agreed.
Not when it’s well regulated. People become anti democratic. Not systems.
People with little experience, and skill, who are given enough money and a narcissistic upbringing, over time, always lead to centralized power. Literally every human culture and system of power w’ve created on the planet has fallen to this human design flaw. An easy life for the unskilled breeds insecurity through which nepo babies use their money to centralize power to feel skilled.
1700’s France Fall of Rome Qing Dynasty
Now 2026 USA.
Our only failure is in trusting that any part of a system of government can be self regulated. That any position of power shouldn’t be well distributed. Including the concentration of wealth.
Through the repeated attempts of humanity to organize over our entire existence with have literally brute forced our way into better and better systems. Now to the point where we understand the best solution for all of us, but lack the concentrated power and money enact it.
Once that changes, whatever system is developed next will likely be far superior to all of those before it.
Who does the regulation and runs the systems. When you answer that you will know why power always serves itself.
People. Which literally proves my point. Regulate people’s power, and they’ll never have enough to serve themselves.
Literally disproves. Even altruistic, benevolent people can’t avoid it. You regulate and operate by who and what you know. There will always be people/groups/things you don’t know. That no matter how hard you try you will run afoul of. And the larger the group you govern, the worse the disaster will be.
Do you understand the concept of power regulation I am talking about?
The point I am making is that minimizing the power any single person can hold in a structured government is very effective at preventing that role from being exploited. In short: anyone in a position of authority should never have power over themselves in it.
The distribution of checks and balances in the US was a good example of this dynamic in theory, but now a far more effective example are things like EU term limits, ranked choice voting, and multi party governments. The more limits like these that continue to be placed on positions of authority, the less those roles can be exploited by anyone. Regardless of their intent.
I’m fully aware of how even the most benevolent person can’t help but be tempted by power. I’m also aware of how effective we have been in limiting the power most people have over themselves in modern western governments.
The strength of EU countries in quarantining the spread of Trumpism within their own systems is proof at how effective better regulations over positions of authority can be at stopping their exploitation. You can very easily compare and contrast the results of the well regulated democracies in the EU to the US to see just how effective regulations can be at preventing exploitation.
People cannot exploit power if their position grants them none. By law, positions of authority should grant them none over themselves. No more using that role for themselves, means no more exploitation.