Below is my column in The Hill on the latest calls to protect democracy with distinctly undemocratic measures. Former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton insisted that the 2024 election was our D-Day, suggesting that voters would have to fight the GOP like the Nazis in World War II. Clinton previously called on Europe to censor American citizens when Twitter sought to dismantle its censorship program and called her defeat in the 2016 election “illegitimate.” Yet, for many civil libertarians, the “defenders of democracy” are the very threat to democracy going into the 2024 election.
Here is the column:
In 2024, the greatest test for our Constitution may be whether it can survive the “Defenders of Democracy.”
Ronald Reagan often said, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the government and I’m here to help.” Today, Reagan’s line cannot compare with the line that sends many of us into a fetal position: “I’m a Democrat and I am here to save democracy.”
The jump scare claim is that unless citizens vote for democrats, the end of democracy will begin shortly. In 2022, House Majority Whip Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.) told “Fox News Sunday” that “democracy will be ending” if Democrats lost the midterms.
The rhetoric has continued to ramp up with the upcoming election.
From President Joe Biden to a host of progressive politicians and pundits, the 2024 election is all about saving democracy. The public has been told that if the Democrats lose power, citizens will be living in a tyrannical hellscape. Vice President Kamala Harris stated in one interview that 2024 “genuinely could be” the last democratic election in America’s history. Dozens of Democrats have said that democracy will end if Biden is not reelected.
The Washington Post even ran an op-ed titled, “A Trump dictatorship is increasingly inevitable. We should stop pretending.”
Many Americans have tuned out the overheated rhetoric, as shown by Donald Trump’s continuing lead in many polls even after his conviction in Manhattan. The warnings also ignore that our system has checks and balances that protected democracy for centuries as the world’s oldest and most successful constitutional system. These dire predictions would require all three branches to fail in an unprecedented fashion.
While these figures cite the Capitol riot on Jan 6., 2021 as evidence of the pending collapse of democracy, the system worked as designed on that day. Congress refused to be deterred by the riot and virtually every court (including many presided over by Trump-appointed judges) rejected challenges to the election.
The most obvious threats today to the democratic system are coming from the left, not the right.
Democratic secretaries of state sought to block Trump from the ballot in 2024, and Democratic members sought to bar roughly 120 colleagues from their respective ballots. It seemed that the greatest threat to democracy was its exercise by voters. Fortunately, a unanimous Supreme Court rejected the theory and added, “Nothing in the Constitution requires that we endure such chaos.”
There has also been a push by Democrats to keep third-party candidates off ballots. Again, the last thing democracy needs is for voters to have more democratic choice.
In New York, Democratic congressional candidate Paula Collins even suggested that, after the election, the focus must be on “re-education” of MAGA voters, although she acknowledged that “that sounds like a rather, a re-education camp. I don’t think we really want to call it that. I’m sure we can find another way to phrase it.”
Democratic operatives are using the same rationalization to call for biased reporting to help Biden get reelected.
Democratic strategist James Carville this week demanded more “slanted” media coverage against Donald Trump to save democracy. Carville was triggered by New York Times editor Joe Kahn suggesting that the newspaper report the news in a fair and neutral manner. The suggestion sent many pundits into vapors at the very thought of reembracing objectivity in journalism.
“I don’t have anything against slanted coverage,” Carville insisted. “I really don’t, I would have something against it at most other times in American history, but not right now. F— your objectivity. The real objectivity in this country right now is we’re either going to have a Constitution or we’re not.”
It was particularly galling to hear the call for “slanted coverage” in the same week that the Hunter Biden laptop was authenticated and used as evidence in his Delaware trial. The government has called the widely reported claim that the laptop was “Russian disinformation” a debunked “conspiracy theory.” Carville was making his pitch for more biased reporting to the very media that buried the laptop story before the last election and spent two years in denial of its authenticity.
Yet, many journalists agree with Carville. Some journalism schools have been teaching that reporters need to dump concepts of objectivity and neutrality to achieve political and social reforms.
This week, reporters were irate after Washington Post publisher and CEO William Lewis issued a blunt message that the newspaper could not survive after losing half of its readership and tens of millions of dollars last year. He told the staff: “People are not reading your stuff. Right. I can’t sugarcoat it anymore.”
The fear that these newspapers might cover Biden and Trump in a fair and balanced way was immediately denounced as . . . wait for it . . . a threat to democracy. After Carville’s meltdown, the Washington Post’s Margaret Sullivan warned Kahn and others that “our very democracy is on the brink, and how the Times covers that existential threat is of extraordinary importance.” She then asked whether the paper will “forthrightly identify the problems posed by a radicalized Republican Party that is increasingly dedicated to lies, bad-faith attacks and the destruction of democratic norms.”
Sullivan expressed alarm that the media would “try to cut the situation straight down the middle as if we were still in the old days — an era that no longer exists?”
The “era” appears to be the golden age of journalism when most Americans respected and patronized the same media outlets. Now, citizens are fleeing mainstream media, and polls indicate that they view reporters as pursuing the very political agendas embraced by figures like Carville and Sullivan.
Many voters are also responding to what they see as the politicalization of the criminal justice system, particularly with Trump’s recent trial in Manhattan. Again, these cases are being embraced as key to “defending democracy” when many citizens view them as the very antithesis of a nation committed to the rule of law.
This glaring disconnect was evident when President Joe Biden spoke on the top of the Point-du-Hoc in Normandy on the 80th anniversary of D-Day. Biden again used the event to suggest that democracy was in danger in the United States with the upcoming election. Yet, Biden has overseen widespread government censorship with federal agencies targeting those with opposing views on everything from elections and climate change to COVID-19 and transgender policies.
As Democratic secretaries of state sought to bar Trump from ballots, Biden refused to oppose the efforts. When liberal law professors and members demanded to pack the Supreme Court to guarantee a liberal majority, Biden refused to denounce it during the last campaign.
This is why some in the country may view Biden and the Democrats as existential threats not just to democracy, but to themselves. They see a party that is engaged in efforts to cleanse ballots (of Republicans), censor dissenting voices and prosecute political opponents. That is not exactly what propelled those men to climb the cliff of Pointe-du-Hoc in 1944.
Fortunately, our democracy does not depend on any president. It was designed by James Madison to withstand the worst, not the best, motivations of our leaders. After all, Madison wrote in Federalist #51, “If Men were angels, no government would be necessary.”
The system that he designed has withstood political, economic and social crises, including a civil war. It may even protect us from today’s “defenders of democracy.”
Jonathan Turley is the J.B. and Maurice C. Shapiro Professor of Public Interest Law at the George Washington University. He is the author of “The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage.”
Dr. Peter Navarro is in prison right now.
Steve Bannon is going in a week.
They both asserted EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE for sham phony illegitimate J6 committee subpoenas.
The ignoramus LIAR who belongs in prison RIGHT NOW is CASSIDY HUTCHINSON.
SHE LIED before the sham J6 committee.
Scumbags CHENEY and PELOSI would not allow exculpatory testimony or exculpatoryevidence
AND they KNOWINGLY allowed CASSIDY HUTCHINSON to lie.
They spread those lies thru their PROPAGANDA FAKE NEWS MEDIA.
F*CK the SHAM J6 COMMITTEE. F*CK them all right into prison where THEY belong.
PUT CASSIDY HUTCHINSON IN PRISON FOR LYING.
PUT CHENEY IN PRISON FOR DESTROYING EVIDENCE.
ARREST AND PROSECUTE THE SCUM PSYOCHPATH named PELOSI.
When Democrats say “Democracy,” what they really mean is “Democrat-acy” which is the rule of Democrats and the Democrat Party only. That is the opposite of what Democracy really is. Democrat-acy is a dictatorial one party (theirs) rule. There is no room for descent.
“Republicans spoke out against the verdict because the high-profile case against Hunter Biden undermines . . .”
That verdict has zero bearing on the fact that the Left is using lawfare to persecute the republican candidate for president.
A gang terrorizes your neighborhood. Then turns to a different neighborhood. The Left then concocts the non sequitur: See, that gang terrorizes other neighborhoods, so it can’t be terrorizing yours.
Republicans apparently don’t like Hunter Biden’s guilty verdict.
“Republicans spoke out against the verdict because the high-profile case against Hunter Biden undermines their constant claims that the U.S. Department of Justice has been “weaponized” against Trump and his supporters. If President Biden were masterminding a conspiracy to persecute Republicans, after all, why would he skewer his own son?
Republicans still found a way to make that argument by suggesting the gun charges were actually a cover-up. ”
Of course. They want more.
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Jonathan: I have been out of town. Just got back and here is my response to your column. You state the “most obvious threats today to the democratic system are coming from the left, not the right”. I disagree.
DJT is the presumptive GOP nominee for President. Here is his record: (1) Found guilty on 34 criminal counts of falsifying business records and interference with NY’s election law; (2) the DJT org. was found guilty of multiple criminal charges of tax fraud in NY. In addition, DJT is criminally charged with (1) an insurrection to overturn the 2020 election; (2) stealing top secret national defense docs and obstruction of justice; (3) charged in Georgia under the RICO statute for unlawfully trying to change the vote count in a state election. And these are just the criminal cases.
In addition, DJT was found liable for the sexual assault and defamation of E. Jean Carroll–not once but twice. He was also found liable for massive business fraud in NY by Judge Engoron–to the tune of $500 million.
DJT is now a “convicted felon” who still believes he is above the law. He has attacked the rule of law–the criminal and civil justice system that is the bedrock of our Democratic criminal justice system. He admires autocratic leaders like Hungary’s Victor Orban. He would try to rule as an authoritarian if re-elected. He has said he would not recognize the election results of this year’s election if he loses.
What is remarkable is that Joe Biden has not committed any of the offenses DJT has committed or charged with– or found guilty by judges or juries. The real threat to our our “democratic system” is DJT and the right–not the left!
Dennis McIntyre is an idiot! He pretends that the bogus accusations and phony convictions and biased opinions of one corrupt judge are actual facts and evidence of criminality!
People as IGNORANT as Democrats like you, Dennis, should NOT BE ALLOWED TO VOTE.
YOU ARE TOO STUPID.
For what seems like 2 or more years now, nearly every time a Democrat politician speaks about something important, the two words ‘OUR democracy’ are added. I know it wasn’t always that way.
One can’t help escape the feeling that the dems ‘own’ the use of the word democracy — they don’t of course — they just flout it and the GOP and Independents choose not to.
As another proof of its commitment to democracy, the DNC, through surrogates, has filed a lawsuit in New York to boot RFK Jr. off the ballot, on the grounds that many of he signatures on his nominating petitions do not comply with statutory requirements. A DNC spokesman says that “Everyone has to follow the rules.” See USA Today.
Funny when Trump makes this argument, he is called an “insurrectionist”.
“A DNC spokesman says that “Everyone has to follow the rules.””
As i have said, irony recognition and self awareness are not liberal traits.
Wow, they must really be running scared to be throwing money at NY now.
Maybe you can place a finger on just when we transitioned from a republic to a democracy and enlighten me.
For me it began with the Brett Kavanaugh hearing. Then 2 ridiculous and unconscionable impeachment hearings and finally the 20 20 stolen election.
And also there is Ridiculous Hillary still out there saying absolutely ridiculous things like the she-devil she is.
No Threat To Democracy?
Trump’s Sanity In Question
Donald Trump held an outdoor rally in Las Vegas Sunday amid triple digit temperatures. The Las Vegas Fire Department had to rescue at least 6 attendees from heat stroke.
While denouncing Joe Biden’s push towards electric vehicles, Trump veered off into this monolog regarding electric boats:
*****
“I say, ‘What would happen if the boat sank from its weight, and you’re in the boat, and you have this tremendously powerful battery, and the battery’s now underwater, and there’s a shark that’s approximately 10 yards over there?’
“By the way, a lot of shark attacks lately, do you notice that? Lot of sharks. I watched some guys justifying it today: ‘Well they weren’t really that angry, they bit off the young lady’s leg because of the fact that they were not hungry but they misunderstood who she was.’ These people are crazy. He said, ‘There’s no problem with sharks, they just didn’t really understand a young woman swimming.’ No, really got decimated, and other people, too, a lot of shark attacks.
“So I said, ‘There’s a shark 10 yards away from the boat, 10 yards, or here. Do I get electrocuted if the boat is sinking, water goes over the battery, the boat is sinking? Do I stay on top of the boat and get electrocuted, or do I jump over by the shark and not get electrocuted?’ Because I will tell you, he didn’t know the answer.
“He said, ‘You know, nobody’s ever asked me that question.’ I said, ‘I think it’s a good question. I think there’s a lot of electric current coming through that water.’ But you know what I’d do if there was a shark or you get electrocuted? I’ll take electrocution every single time. I’m not getting near the shark. So we’re going to end that, we’re going to end it for boats, we’re going to end it for trucks.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/06/10/trump-sharks-electrocuted-boat-story/
…………………………………..
This is a former president seeking to reclaim the White House. And he’s babbling like a neurotic in some comedic movie.
If actor Bill Murray gave this same speech, in his addled by marijuana tone, it would be a laugh riot. But for a presidential nominee, it’s not one bit funny.
YAWN
As pointed out by others below, these are satirical remarks about compelling use electrical motors. There is nothing crazy about them.
The shitlibs problem is they think every word out of Trumps mouth is a policy commitment or a political pledge.
The dude just likes to talk and have fun with his audience.
It would be like us showing up here with “OMG Joe Biden just said he wants to bring back cannibalism!!
Whats hard to tell is if they are feigning outrage or if they are really that stupid. So sad.
They are that stupid. Democrats are the Party of Stupid People.
I saw that. It was hilarious!!!
Newsflash for turdrunner.
Trump is not a Presidential nominee.
Such hyperbole!! Not funny!!!