[tengbretson]

> I, unlike you, live in a democracy and expect the government to not send goons to intimidate opponents.

How are those two concepts actually related or linked in any way?

[troyvit]

I think the point is that democracies are supposed to be able to vote goons out, otherwise it isn't a democracy. In the case of the U.S. though we sort-of voted the goons in, so I'm not sure what that makes us.

[Jimmc414]

A democracy where you can only vote goons out by voting other goons in is still failing at the thing democracies are for.

[troyvit]

I think you nailed something. There's a huge chunk of people who believe the US lost its democracy (covid restrictions, #meToo, etc.), and so they voted like they were fighting a war.