It wasn't a "statement of preference." It was an observation. I'm not a constitution writer, nor a system builder, and have zero interest in that sort of thing. But, if I were "the king," dictator or tyrant, I'd take the Constitution we have (after purging it of every Amendment other than the original ten) and I'd say, "Here it is, kids: The law of the land. Them's the new rules, so don't you go messing them up." That is to say, I like the Constitution of the United States that the Framers wrote, exactly as they wrote it, just fine, and deeply resent how little it is respected these days.
Notice that under "my regime" the determination of qualifications for the exercise of the franchise are left to the several states.
I don't see how the labor movement per se and exercise of the franchise per se are necessarily related or mutually interdependent. It seems to me there are sources of social power that do not depend on the ballot box for their effectiveness. Though I have noticed that, these days, it is fashionable to politicize everything.
And what we seem to have gotten from that is endless, one-size-fits-all rules for specifying just about everything in human life. One key by-product of the universal franchise seems to have been the creation of a mass, totally homogenized, and highly regimented society.
I've got to go to work now, though there's more I'd like to add. Maybe later. Thank you for writing, lentulusgracchus. best, bb
Makes me chuckle. I was out fishing today with my wife at a state park, and while walking along a footpath, we heard a boy call out to his mother, "Mommy, Mommy, I am King of the Universe!" There, I thought to myself, is where the trouble begins. :-)