When did it become acceptable to oppose democracy?
Conservative pedants have long insisted, “America is not a democracy! It’s a republic!” (Republicans prefer the sound of the latter for some reason.) The distinction, while there is one, is about as meaningful as, “That’s not a vehicle! It’s an automobile!”
The impulse behind the assertion is, of course, that many of our countrymen who proclaim their love of the Constitution, really hate all its references to voting, what with free and fair elections leaving room for their team to lose. Soon enough, the Roberts Supreme Court will argue that since the word “democracy” appears nowhere in the document, democracy is not “deeply rooted in the Nation’s history and tradition.”
Marc Elias writes at Democracy Docket, When Did It Become Acceptable To Oppose Democracy? :
In our two-party system, it is common for there to be sharp divides on the big issues of the day. But increasingly, the parties differ on the basic foundations of our democracy — from one person, one vote to free and fair elections to the peaceful transfer of power. I was struck that a recent article in the Washington Post referred to me and others focused on the right to vote as “democracy advocates” without any trace of concern or irony. It is true that I am an advocate for democracy. But I am left asking, when did it become acceptable to oppose democracy?
Since President Biden gave that [Philadelphia] speech, Congress has considered several bills aimed at protecting the right to vote and preventing election subversion. Each one of them has been opposed by Republicans. Not just some Republicans, but literally every single Republican in Congress. In 2006, the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) was passed 98-0 in the Senate and overwhelmingly in the House. It was even signed into law by a Republican president.
Now, when it comes to the attack on our electoral process, Republicans do not pretend to care. Stories about the disenfranchisement of voters or plans to subvert election results do not even garner Republicans’ platitudes. The degradation of American democracy does not even warrant their cynical thoughts and prayers.
You might think that the mounting evidence showing that the Jan. 6 insurrection was part of a broader and ongoing effort to undermine democracy would cause Republicans to question whether there is a need to do more to protect it. But preventing election subversion is at odds with the GOP’s electoral strategy and so far, Republican loyalty to the party’s electoral prospects has outstripped loyalty to the country’s future.
Shoring up our democracy will require holding accountable those who so recently sought to overthrow it for an autocrat-friendly would-be king. But legal accountability for the guilty is not enough. In state after state where Republicans control the legislatures, we see laws enacted that make it more difficult to register and cast ballots. Plus, 2020 election deniers (and theocrats) are running for or appointed to positions of election oversight where they will have thumbs prepositioned on the scales. Left unchecked, the pods will suck the life from the republic, leaving behind an empty husk.
Being informed is only the start, Elias writes:
Take to your own town square to be an active participant in the defense of democracy. For some that will mean posting on social media, for others it will mean talking to friends, family, customers and clients. Do not avoid the hard conversations; seek them out.
And, by the way, spend more time campaigning for Democrats than complaining about the flag-waving enemies of democracy. Don’t sleep through the snatching.
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