OPINION:
Kamala Harris, in an interview with Fox’s Bret Baier that will dot campaign trails for generations to come as a classic textbook example of What Not To Do, slipped in during her off-the-rails critique of Donald Trump that America is “a democracy.”
No, it isn’t. America is a constitutional republic, not a democracy. And words matter; labels matter. Truth matters.
A republic is rooted in law and order and births a government that is constrained in its powers. A democracy is rooted in ever-changing whims of the people, leading to mob rule and chaos and an ever-growing government.
See why Democrats prefer the term democracy over republic?
From Harris, to Baier, in context of discussing why she thinks Trump would be so terrible for America: “And you and I both know that he has talked about turning the American military on the American people, he has talked about going after people who are engaged in peaceful protests, he has talked about locking people up because they disagree with him — this is a democracy.”
Lies about Trump aside — nothing like piecemeal to take remarks out of context for political fun! — there’s also the big whopper of all whoppers: the lies about this nation.
“I pledge allegiance to the flag, to the United States of America, to the republic, for which it stands …” — are the opening words of the Pledge of Allegiance.
Founding Fathers didn’t create a democracy when they designed the new government. As a matter of fact, they specifically shied from a democracy, seeing that form of governance as an opposing force to long-lasting liberty. By design, U.S. governments at all levels are supposed to protect the inherent, God-given rights and liberties of individuals. The Constitution was the framers’ chosen means of laying out the guidelines of good governance, which included a separation of powers so that the various bodies could serve as checks and balances on each other; a list of powers and authorities granted each body of government; and a written stipulation that those authorities not expressly given to government would rest with the people and the states.
Nothing in there says govern by popular opinion.
What’s happened over the years, though, largely at the hands of Democrats; largely due to dumbing-down of students in public schools; largely to opening borders to millions from countries with socialist and communist politics to enter and dwell in America — and thereby flood this nation with socialist- and communist-minded demands and entitlement mentalities — what’s happened over the years is that Democrats have been able to reshape the model of governance so that it’s turned away from individualism, away from the Constitution, away from limits and toward, ding, ding, ding, democracy.
As Randall Holcombe writes in “Liberty in Peril: Democracy and Power in American History,” the “principle of liberty suggests that first and foremost, the government’s role is to protect the rights of individuals,” whereas the “principle of democracy suggests that collective decisions are made according to the will of the majority.”
And where collective will supplants individual right, communism will grow.
For far too long, Democrats have been slinging that deceptive “democracy” line, and the civic and governmental implications of allowing them to redefine America’s political label has led to a redefining of America’s entire political system.
Call America a “republic” or a “constitutional republic” or even a “democratic-republic” — where the will of the people are expressed by votes for representatives who then carry out the long-standing laws and orders of the Constitution. But don’t call America a democracy. That Harris does speaks volumes about the type of White House leader she would be, as well as about the future she envisions for this nation.
It’s impossible to have mob rule and limited government at the same time.
Words matter. Labels matter. Truth matters.
Votes matter.
Founders gave us a republic. It’s up to us now to keep it.
• Cheryl Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com or on Twitter, @ckchumley. Listen to her podcast “Bold and Blunt” by clicking HERE. And never miss her column; subscribe to her newsletter and podcast by clicking HERE. Her latest book, “Lockdown: The Socialist Plan To Take Away Your Freedom,” is available by clicking HERE or clicking HERE or CLICKING HERE.
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