Both during and after the vice presidential debate on Wednesday night, Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) repeatedly vilified democracy and claimed free speech protections are anti-democratic at a time when President Donald Trump is trying to stifle free speech and is threatening to reject election results if he loses.
Many of the great powers, who also happen to be our allies, are democracies. That includes the United States since we directly elect our Senators and Representatives, as well as public officials on the state and local levels.
Over the centuries, Americans have sought to expand democracy, such as extending voting rights to women and people of color. That’s what democracy is all about.
But Lee, who is in Trump’s pocket, bad-mouthed democracy in several tweets during the debate.
The word “democracy” appears nowhere in the Constitution, perhaps because our form of government is not a democracy. It’s a constitutional republic. To me it matters. It should matter to anyone who worries about the excessive accumulation of power in the hands of the few.
— Mike Lee (@SenMikeLee) October 8, 2020
We’re not a democracy.
— Mike Lee (@SenMikeLee) October 8, 2020
@KamalaHarris here’s why you should agree that we’re not a democracy: the whole point of a constitution is to tell majorities what they can’t do, regardless of how badly the majority wants them. Free speech protections? Totally anti-Democratic.
— Mike Lee (@SenMikeLee) October 8, 2020
Democracy isn’t the objective; liberty, peace, and prospefity are. We want the human condition to flourish. Rank democracy can thwart that.
— Mike Lee (@SenMikeLee) October 8, 2020
Lee apparently doesn’t think about what he is saying, because most power is already in the hands of the few such as his own. It’s no secret that the richest Americans have control of the federal government. If that were not the case, Republicans would not be passing tax cuts for the wealthy every chance they get and would not be constantly bailing them out during times of economic turmoil.
As for free speech, it’s totally consistent with democracy. Just ask Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Sweden, Norway, and the Netherlands, just to name a few.
And if liberty, peace, prosperity, and the flourishing of the human condition were the objective, Republicans would not be helping Trump lock children in cages. They would not be trying to take healthcare away from millions of Americans. They would not be pushing more and more Americans into poverty. And they would not have kept us at war for the last 20 years while calling for a massive war with Iran.
Twitter users were aghast at Lee’s attacks on democracy, especially since Trump is claiming that the election is rigged against him and may refuse to leave office if he loses.
Do you not see that right now power is concentrated in the hands of the few? Billionaires who can control elections and the Courts?
— Shawn Davies (@Benny_Hana345) October 8, 2020
Such as the Due Process and Equal Protection clause of the 14th amendment, which guarantees, under the law, the right to same sex marriage
And the same Due Process clause, which guarantees a woman’s right to privacy, and right to have an abortion
— PurpleDragon (@PurpleDragn) October 8, 2020
Scariest tweet ever. https://t.co/Po9GIzOt2s
— Barb McQuade (@BarbMcQuade) October 8, 2020
Oh is this why Roe v Wade is good law because it posits that the government can’t tell a woman what to do with her body?
— SUPeR DuPeR MiSsILe (@ArrogantMonkey) October 8, 2020
We’ve reached a point where R’s say out loud everything they used to hide. “We’re not a democracy”. Unlucky for you Senator we have an election upcoming where voters get to decide what they want for America. We the people are flipping the R Senate majority. Enjoy minority status
— r/VoteBlue Start campaigning and stop complaining! (@Mattrek1) October 8, 2020
Clearly, Republicans need to be banished from the government for generations by the people, just as our Constitution and government were ordained by “we the people,” which is the very foundation of democracy.
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