Trump is not the real threat to democracy

OPINION:

Democrats say former President Donald Trump is a threat to democracy. They apparently believe that repeating something often enough makes it true.

But when you have a candidate who’s like a windup toy that keeps walking into walls — and nearly four years of inflation, rampant crime, open borders and foreign crises — other than dire predictions of impending doom, what else is there?

In March, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that states do not have the authority to remove Mr. Trump’s name from the ballot based on the notion that he led an insurrection.

What could be more undemocratic than not allowing voters to cast their ballots for the leading presidential candidate? It’s even worse than disenfranchising the 14.5 million Democrats who voted for President Biden in the primaries.

The Biden-Harris administration’s Justice Department is suing the state of Virginia to keep it from updating its voter rolls.

Pursuant to state law, Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin ordered the removal of noncitizens from Virginia’s voter rolls. For the Democratic Party, that defeats the purpose of illegal immigration.

The party opposes election integrity on a broad front, including voter ID laws, which are favored by 80% of the public.

Progressives have targeted every institution that makes our system of government unique — including the Supreme Court, the Electoral College and the Constitution.

The party is furious with Mr. Trump for nominating judges who reflect his judicial philosophy, as all of his predecessors did.

Outrage has been building since the high court overturned Roe v. Wade and sent abortion back to the states, where most constitutional scholars say it belongs.

The self-anointed guardians of democracy want to pack the court, expanding it from nine to 13 justices, to dilute the influence of Trump nominees.

But why stop at 13? Why not 15, 20 or more? Then, every time the presidency changes hands, the party in power could pack the court to favor its side. Soon, the Supreme Court will resemble the legislature of a Third World country and operate as effectively.

They’re trying to protect democracy by neutralizing one of the three branches of government.

Liberals also object to the Supreme Court’s vigilance in guarding the First Amendment.

Democrats such as former Secretary of State John Kerry and the Democratic nominee for vice president, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, insist that free speech does not include disinformation and hate speech — anything they don’t like.

In the name of saving democracy, Democrats would demolish an essential underpinning of democracy: free speech.

The Electoral College is also slated for extinction. Mr. Walz has declared, “I think all of us know the Electoral College needs to go.”

The Founding Fathers included the Electoral College in the Constitution to protect the rights of small states. The Electoral College forces candidates to campaign nationwide instead of in just the most populous states.

The 10 largest states have more than half the nation’s population. Los Angeles County alone is larger than 41 states.

Other than California Gov. Gavin Newsom, does anyone want to see presidents picked by a city that’s a sanctuary from reality — one with the largest homeless population in the nation, super-rich celebrities who lecture us on compassion and middle-aged men skating bare-chested on the Venice Beach boardwalk?

Progressives want to get rid of the Constitution. You hear it everywhere, from The New York Times to Salon.com: The Constitution is outmoded, obsolete, written by slave owners for an 18th-century agrarian society and an obstacle to majority rule.

Here’s the thing: While establishing self-rule, the Constitution also protects the rights of minorities and makes certain freedoms inviolate, regardless of shifting majorities.

It’s the oldest written national framework of government in the world and one reason why, in 235 years, we haven’t had a Hitler or a Stalin, a military coup or a violent transfer of power.

Imaginary threats to democracy are a scam.

All progressives have to do is think of something that will give them more power over our lives and say it’s essential to preserving democracy. If you object, you’re an enemy of the people.

Vice President Kamala Harris says it’s OK to call Mr. Trump’s vision “fascism.” She wouldn’t understand what fascism is if someone spent the next year reading “The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich” to her.

• Don Feder is a columnist with The Washington Times.