Democrat’s Democracy vs. Republican’s Republic
Image by Mirah Curzer.
America is both a democracy and a republic. Citizens hold supreme power, and so America is a republic. At the same time, it is obviously a representative democracy.
MAGA Republicans, however, like to say America is not a democracy, but a republic, which is ironic for the party that championed the spread of democracy throughout the Middle East. Democracy was their primary justification for the Iraq and Afghan wars during the George W. Bush administration. But that was 20 years ago, when the traditional Republican party’s conservative policies appealed to the majority of Americans.
Then the Republican party believed in small government, individual responsibility, and free trade. Barry Goldwater, the leading conservative of his time, was pro-choice and believed that gay people could serve in the military. Today’s conservatives reject that thinking. Their positions on abortion and LGBT rights reflect Christian nationalist ideology. They believe the government should control women’s health care decisions and eliminate gay rights, and Donald Trump, their leader, believes tariffs are the solution to all fiscal problems.
Moreover, they have nominated unpopular candidates. In the past a political party would modify its positions and find better candidates in order to appeal to a greater number of voters. But rooted in religious belief on the one hand and an insatiable desire for wealth and power on the other, they cannot compromise.
No longer able to win the popular vote, they have concluded that democracy is no longer essential to the American government. They promote the idea of a republic and disparage democracy, no doubt perplexing, and embarrassing members of the Bush administrations.
Their strategies include a disinformation campaign designed to show that our democratic government is incompetent. And they manipulate the electoral system through gerrymandering congressional districts, stripping voter rolls, limiting polling locations and hours, and voter intimidation. Most egregious is their attempts to defraud. Trump unquestionably tried to overturn a free and fair democratic election as shown by the evidence compiled by the Jan. 6 committee and Jack Smith’s election interference trial, which in both instances is based on testimony by members of Trump’s own administration.
Now Trump projects his perverse attempt to defraud on Democrats saying it is they who will try to steal the election. And House speaker Mike Johnson says he will certify the November election provided the vote is fair. But as an ardent Trump supporter who attempted to undermine the last election, he is least capable of making an objective judgment. He had no supporting evidence in 2020 and has none now. But clearly Trump and Johnson are preparing a second coup attempt should Trump again be defeated.
Disinformation and lies about government incompetence are central to the Trump-Vance campaign. Their lies include nonsensical charges of immigrants eating pet dogs and cats and the government’s response to the recent hurricanes saying FEMA funds have been used to bring immigrants into the country, and that Biden has ignored pleas for help from red states, all of which have been denied by Republican officials in those states. And Trump’s recent confidant Laura Loomer posted, “The people in Appalachia should NOT comply with FEMA. This is a matter of survival.” She discourages people from applying for help while at the same time Trump and Vance say FEMA refuses to help. Both are total falsehoods and are designed to win votes at the expense of those in need.
Dubious Alliances
The Christianized Republican Party resents the evolution of American society and is desperate to reverse it. Trump has taken advantage of their desperation, promising that he is the savior. And he has delivered with Supreme Court nominations that favor Christian ideology as evidenced by its decisions on abortion, gay rights, and religious freedom.
The Republican Party has also been the traditional home of the affluent and corporations. They have little interest in protecting religious beliefs but are fully committed to protecting wealth. Trump accommodates by promising tax breaks and deregulation. At present, both corporations and the well-heeled are taxed at lower rates than wage earners. Many pay no taxes.
And he appeals to would-be oligarchs. Look at Elon Musk, and think of the fictional Lex Luthor who became the world’s richest man and then turned to evil because “what else was left to do?” Musk is investing millions in the Trump campaign and expects a return on his investment, specifically the position of “efficiency czar” in a second Trump administration, should he win. In that position he would protect his businesses from ongoing investigations by the government.
The will of the public thwarts the ambitions of the Christian fundamentalists, corporations, the wealthy, and would-be oligarchs. They understand that their aims will never be realized in our free society, so they have joined forces to undermine democracy in support of a Trump autocracy.
Getting What You Ask For
Should Trump win, the wealthy may live to regret it. While capitalism has generated great riches, when unregulated, it invites financial ruin, best exemplified by the Great Depression of 1929 and the sub-prime mortgage crisis of 2008.
And fundamentalists should also be cautious about getting what they ask for. They want a theocracy but if Trump wins, they will get an autocracy, and Trump is loyal to no one. And should Trump accommodate their theocratic ambition, they will still not be happy for religious governance is notoriously unstable–the fact that there are over four thousand Christian sects in the world attests to that.
It is the essential reason that the founders chose a secular constitution. If Christianity cannot govern itself, how could it govern a country in which citizens have been free to believe in Krishna, or Buddha, or Allah or Yahweh or the Great Spirit, as well as Jesus…or to not believe at all.
On the other hand, American democracy, rooted in reason and fact, has been stable for 250 years. And it guarantees freedom of belief for everyone. It is the best hope and path to a just and sane world. Kamala Harris and Tim Walz understand that. And they know that America is much more than a republic. It is a representative democracy, and that they will protect.
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