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The week's question
In December 2024, in the thread "Re: BRK: Why Not XOM?", BreckHutHigh asked the members: "What about the long road trips with kids?" This week it is put to everyone again. The button below opens the small thread re-asking it - read what others have said so far, then give your own answer as an ordinary reply.
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Author: Lapsody   😊 😞
Number: of 84362 
Subject: Re: Two Words that Crystallized the Issues
Date: 11/30/25 7:23 PM
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What's a "guardrail"? <-- from a greyling

"A "guardrail of democracy" refers to the norms, institutions, and practices that protect a democratic system from authoritarianism, corruption, and instability. These safeguards can be formal, like checks and balances and independent judiciary, or informal, such as unwritten norms of mutual toleration and institutional forbearance. Examples include independent government bodies, a free press, and the principle that nobody is above the law."

"Institutional forbearance is a concept in democratic theory where public officials exercise self-restraint by avoiding actions that, while technically within the law, violate its spirit or its informal norms. It is a shared commitment to restraint that is crucial for democratic stability, as it avoids actions of uncertain legitimacy that can erode trust and fuel political conflict."

"Mutual toleration is a political concept where parties in a democracy accept the legitimacy of their rivals, acknowledging their right to exist and compete for power, even if they strongly disagree with their ideas. This is a core norm for a healthy democracy, alongside institutional forbearance (self-restraint in using one's powers). A breakdown of mutual toleration occurs when political opponents are viewed as existential threats and are no longer seen as legitimate, leading to actions like using unwritten rules to undermine them."

Dope says they got people to break/violate/disregard the law and violate the spirit of the law. He may mean institutional forbearance when he talks about the spirit of the law. Also, Jan 6 and stealing elections propaganda is not mutual toleration which Dope may construe as spirit of the law. Who knows? It's Dopespeak.

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This community has written 84,309 posts about US Policy. The article-length ones it recommended most:
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