The Real Threat to the Democracy

 

How many times in the last year (or more) have you heard the expression an existential threat to our democracy? And how many times was it directed toward one specific person and his followers? Just for the sake of clarity, let’s define our terms here. An existential threat can be defined as “a threat that could conceivably risk the extinction or widespread destruction of humanity.” (Bryan Walsh, Vox Media Editorial Director) Makes a lot of what we’ve heard seem a bit over-exaggerated, doesn’t it? But these are the same people who are trying to convince you that a couple of thousand (mostly unarmed) protestors who stormed the capital one January were a serious threat to overthrow our entire government.

Candidates running for office will often make outrageous claims about their opponents in order to bolster their own chances, but this particular one is downright laughable. Biden, Harris, and tons of other Democratic leaders want you to believe that Donald Trump is a tyrant (another Hitler), and if he wins in November, he will throw out the Constitution, declare himself King, and refuse to ever leave the White House again! Maybe not the end of humanity, but at least the end of America as we know it.

Do you believe them?

I don’t. I do believe however that there is a real threat to our democracy, our form of government (constitutional republic), and our country as we know it. And that threat comes from the very ones who are making the accusations.

Have you ever noticed that many people tend to project their own faults onto others? Liars tend to believe that everyone lies. Thieves think everybody steals. And so on. And then, because they believe it, they are often quick to accuse others of the very things they are prone to do. (My theory anyway.)

If you know much about the founding fathers, you know they spent a lot of time on the Constitution. They developed a unique system that has worked pretty well for the last few centuries. To avoid tyranny, they established three separate, but equal branches of government, with lots of checks and balances. Then, they added the Bill of Rights soon after it was ratified, adding those amendments to ensure that certain rights and freedoms would always be protected. (That is to say that citizens would be protected from the government. There were many Americans who did not want a federal government at all, but that’s a story for another day.)

So, is our democracy being threatened? And by whom? Ask yourself the following questions.

• Which party is using the executive branch to prosecute (and persecute) a political opponent?
• Which party wants to change the rules of the legislative branch so that a simple majority will allow substantial changes to laws?
• Which party is attacking the credibility of the judicial branch and seeking to restructure the Supreme Court?
• Which party is actively trying to censor (and/or criminalize) your first amendment rights to free speech?
• Which party would love to completely abolish the second amendment, or at the very least greatly limit that freedom?
• Which party is intent on turning millions of illegal immigrants into voting citizens?

In 2008, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama spoke about “fundamentally transforming” the United States of America. Maybe we should have listened to him. He was serious. His party still is, and they are still working to achieve that goal.

So yes, there is a real threat to our democracy.