Weekly Opinion Editorial
TRUE DEMOCRACY IS MOB
RULE!
by
Steve Fair
As the story goes, Benjamin Franklin was
walking out of Independence Hall after the Constitutional Convention in 1787,
when someone asked him, ”Dr. Franklin,
what have we got- a republic or a monarchy?” Franklin supposedly responded, “A republic, if you can keep it.” 233 years later America may be losing the
republic Franklin and the founders crafted.
A republic form of government is one where
elected individuals represent the citizens and exercise power according to the
rule of law under the Constitution. In America,
those representatives are democratically elected. In a ‘direct democracy,’ the citizens directly
deliberate and decide on legislature. When elected officials in a republic abrogate
their responsibility, citizens often take matters into their own hands. True democracy is ‘mob rule.’ Based on the recent civil unrest, the U.S. is
looking more and more like a true democracy.
Some believe the United States has moved
from a republic to an oligarchy. In a
study by two political scientists; Martin Gilens, (Princeton), and Benjamin
Page, (Northwestern), they concluded the wealthy have a disproportionate amount
of influence in politics. Gilens and
Page write; “When the preferences of
economic elites and the stands of organized interest groups are controlled for,
the preferences of the average American appear to have only a minuscule,
near-zero, statistically non-significant impact upon public policy.” Gilens and Page are liberals and clearly had a
predetermined outcome, but they are correct the wealthy are more engaged in politics
than the poor. But no oligarchy can
survive mob rule. The numbers just won’t
work. So how does America get back to a
representative democracy? How does the
United States get back to the form of government the founders intended? Three ways:
First, the average citizen must actively engage
in their government. They have to do
more than vote. They must pay attention
to what is happening all the time, not just every two years at election
time. That involves attending meetings,
getting to know their elected officials, helping candidates, and contributing
money. The reason big money has taken
over politics is because so few average people are engaged in the process.
Second, the American system of government
must be taught to the next generation. Most
millennials have little knowledge of our system of government and the genius of
the founders. Pew Research, in a March
2020 poll, found two thirds of millennials
want the Electoral College eliminated and the president be elected by popular
vote. They fail to not understand the EC is
a fundamental principle of a representative democracy. Eliminating the Electoral College will result in large states having more and more control. The genius of the Electoral College is it gives power to individual states and not just population centers.
Third, Americans must commit to a democratic
republic. The mindset to understand the
importance of being involved in a republic is critical. Without wide-spread commitment from
individual citizens taking equity in their self-governing system of government,
America will not survive.
The U.S. Constitution’s first amendment guarantees
the right of citizens to peacefully assembly, but not to destroy private or
public property. What we are seeing in
America is mob rule because some elected leaders capitulate to a mob. Until citizens hold them accountable at the
ballot box, America’s system of government is doomed.
3 comments:
I agree that we have moved away from Dr. Franklin’s republic, but not as far as a monarchy. Arguably it could be called an Oligarchy or a Plutocracy; both fit what our current form of government we have become. In this country, it’s the wealth that controls. And that’s because money is power. And power ultimately corrupts. It is much easier to corrupt a republic than a democracy.
I must respectfully disagree with you that “the EC is a fundamental principle of a representative democracy.” It only pertains to a single elective office – the president. And it has a number of flaws, not the least of which is that it permits the election of a candidate who does not win the most votes. Moreover, it does not currently function as the founders intended.
Here’s in part what Alexander Hamilton wrote in Federalist #68 about that: “The process of election affords a moral certainty, that the office of President will never fall to the lot of any man who is not in an eminent degree endowed with the requisite qualifications. Talents for low intrigue, and the little arts of popularity, may alone suffice to elevate a man to the first honors in a single State; but it will require other talents, and a different kind of merit, to establish him in the esteem and confidence of the whole Union, or of so considerable a portion of it as would be necessary to make him a successful candidate for the distinguished office of President of the United States. It will not be too strong to say, that there will be a constant probability of seeing the station filled by characters preeminent for ability and virtue.” In other words the candidate must be fit for office.
Well, I’ve gone on too long. So, I’ll just leave with a quote from the British Historian Arnold Toynbee – “History shows that great nations rise and great nations fall, but the autopsy of history is that all great nations commit suicide.”
Herb Van Fleet
Tulsa, OK
Thanks for reading. The EC is about state rights and direct election of a president by eliminating the EC would dismantle/undermine state rights. That was my point. I agree there is too much money in politics, but the answer is not regulating how much a person can contribute, but a more broad base of involvement by citizens. I agree that most nations commit suicide because of apathy.
Steve
Thanks for the article. The young people must be better informed. Thanks, Steve
Post a Comment