What’s so Special About Democracy Anyway?
Almost every time a presidential election is held, we all hear hyperbolic claims that “everything is on the line” and that it is the “most important election of our time.” That, of course, can’t be true of every election. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t true about any election.
I am now arguing exactly that — only this time, it’s actually true.
This isn’t due to a kind of partisan bias, like the accusation of Trump Derangement Syndrome. I am fully willing to credit the president where he has succeeded, such as his ability to keep the US from getting into any new wars since his inauguration.
This isn’t because I am especially enthusiastic or even supportive of a Biden presidency or wokeism (which Biden isn’t in favor of). I supported Andrew Yang for the presidency. Joe Biden has literally said that if you don’t vote for him, “you ain’t black.”
And honestly, I’m not even saying this because of Trump’s policies, most of which are fairly mainstream in the Republican party. The reason this election is so dire is because the system that got Trump elected into the highest office in the world is being undermined by the president himself.
Forget about Trump’s many moral failings, mishandling of the coronavirus, encouragement of division, anti-freedom of speech views, and racist and anti-semitic rhetoric. Those things matter — a lot. But they don’t matter as much as the democracy that is foundational to the United States.
Our democracy guarantees to Americans that if a president loses, they will engage in a peaceful transfer of power and concede the election results. It assures us that there is no foul play in determining the outcomes of elections — and if there is, that it gets dealt with properly.
The president has undermined both of those securities repeatedly. Just as he did in 2016 even when he won, Trump tells us he will not concede the results if he loses. And his rationalization for this is based on no reason or evidence; just his own wild claims that there will be vast fraud. In fact, the data say that mail-in voter fraud is a minuscule problem.
Democratic norms also include things like not treating one’s political opponent as illegitimate and especially not threatening to lock them up. Another function of a democracy is a free press which is taken seriously by those in government positions.
Since 2016, Trump has called for a variety of his political opponents to be locked up only to receive loud cheers from his supporters. And like most authoritarian leaders, he has called the media an “enemy to the American people.” Concerns about bias in journalism are warranted but dismissal of all criticism as “fake news” should be appalling to everyone.
Whether one flocks to Trump as a reaction to puritanism on the left or they just want lower taxes, the undermining of our democracy is a line we can’t let politicians cross. Tomorrow, November 3rd of 2020 is going to be an important day that may result in violence in the streets. But regardless, with a Biden victory, we will at least feel stable within our democracy again.
