Much can be said about the dysfunction of U.S. politics. In November, the nation will choose between reelecting a senile president or electing a former president who believes the national interest and his mirror are the same thing. At the same time, Congress is riven with partisan posturing. Yet freedom and the marketplace of ideas still reign supreme. The same most definitely cannot be said of China.
Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping and his mouthpieces claim that they offer democracy of a different kind. A democracy in which various officials, all with absolute patriotic loyalty, offer varied ideas that ensure a policy process that provides the best outcomes. They claim the Chinese people are able to offer their own thoughts as long as they do not cross the red lines of challenging the Party’s decisions or questioning Xi’s wisdom. This is a lie proven by the absolute insecurity that defines the party’s response even to satire or mild online protests. The lie of happy unity under Xi is further proved by the dear leader’s crackdowns on top government and military officials. The lie was also proven by a BBC News story on Monday.
