On Sept. 18, 1787, at the close of the Constitutional Convention, Elizabeth Willing Powell asked Benjamin Franklin, “Well Doctor, what have we got, a republic, or a monarchy”? Franklin replied, “A Republic, if you can keep it”. The question I have is, are we about to lose it?
Rumors are going around that if the Republicans lose the House and possibly even the Senate, that Trump will do something radical like make some excuse or even engineer some crisis to declare martial law, or maneuver in some manner in order to not seat the duly elected Democratic Congressmen come Jan 2027. What happens then? This would amount (far more than the unorganized mob action in Jan 2021) to a true coup by the President. If this would occur, we are no longer a functioning democracy. And how would this situation be resolved? If the people take to the streets to justifiably dissent, does Trump bring in the military? And all this because Trump refuses to cede power because he fears impeachment and possible prosecution for many of the corrupt actions he has taken while President (I don’t know how that would all work out due to the immunity the Supreme Court has granted him).
What I find incredible is that, even despite the threat that Trump poses, why does he continue to enjoy such unconditional support? I suppose a great many of his followers do not believe he does pose such a threat (in spite of the fact that his behavior, for as long as he has been a public figure, has been almost solely centered around his own benefit and his own glory). Even more mind boggling are those who, like many of the Christian Nationalist leaders, are willing, even desiring to have a despot in power so long as that despot advances their view of what a Christian nation should look like. They act like they are such patriots, at the same time seeming to disbelieve the founders’ concerns about concentrated power. (Why else would they go along when Trump tries to get around so many of the Constitution’s codified separations of power, like only the Congress’s ability to legislate, the freedom of the press, states’ rights, etc.?) The irony in all this is that so many of these “patriots” that support Trump are the ones who are willing to empower a man to defy the constitution he swore to protect and defend, and who could bring about the end of our democracy. Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison would, I believe, not consider them patriots in any sense of the word.
If Trump does try to illegally stay in power by such means, how does a country survive this? We have survived lousy Presidents before, and at least when the people are responsible for placing them in power (by their vote), they can at least change their votes the next time as long as a peaceable and legal transfer of power is in place. But how is the situation resolved when a President has executed a coup and has the military power to back him? It seems it would take some action by a group within the Trump administration to declare him unfit (mentally, psychologically) and do what is necessary to unseat him. Or, a much more fearful scenario presents itself, where the populace itself has to rise up to unseat him. Civil war of a sort? We are then nothing more than that of a two-bit third world dictatorship!
Honestly, is that what Trump supporters want? Is having a Democratic Congress so fearful a thing that you would risk a violent clash between you and your neighbors, people with whom you’ve lived peaceably your whole life? Tell me, did Biden’s presidency bring about socialism (Trump said that if Biden was elected in 2020 we would lose our democracy “very quickly”). Did Biden ever attempt to nationalize all of America’s industries? Did capitalism cease and the country suddenly become one that is run by a central planning committee? If Biden destroyed our democracy, how then was Trump duly elected in 2024? You can debate whether or not Biden was a good and effective president (I do not think that he was), but Trump’s fear mongering was only and just that! The truth is that Trump himself, like no president before him has ignored and bypassed the constraints of his office (the Constitutional limits of any president’s power) by acting like a king and dictator. How, by using scores of executive orders to bypass Congress and attempt to legislate from the oval office, on matters far from where the executive office has legitimate power (to enforce, not make law). Trump’s second term has threatened our democracy enormously more than Biden ever did!
I find the excuses for Trump even more exasperating, more incredulous. A few days ago I heard a prominent Christian podcaster state that, although Trump was not the godly man he wished would be our President, he was far better than the alternative. What? After Trump’s failed and blatantly unconstitutional attempt to convince Pence to not certify the electoral vote in Jan 2021, Republicans had 4 years to pick another conservative to run in 2024. Why didn’t they? How is Trump of all people somehow uniquely qualified? Indeed, I think that if you filled an indoor arena with 10,000 of the best and brightest conservatives from around the country (selected on the basis of proven character, love of country, conservative values and proven leadership) that 1. Trump wouldn’t make that cut. And 2. All 10,000 would do a better job than Trump. At least they would stay within the law, they would uphold the institutions of our democracy, and they would maintain good relationships with our long-standing partners like fellow NATO nations. And none of them, to the degree that Trump has, would put personal glory ahead of the well-being of the nation.
A final note on Trump’s past election claims. Trump claimed in 2020 that if he lost, the election was rigged. How could he know? Did he have more accurate polling, and know this for certain? Or was he just setting the stage for a challenge of the vote. Two observations come through on this. The first is that his character seems to have contempt for “losers”. While a truly good person knows and values the utmost attempt to do good, they know that winning is not the absolute. Indeed, in politics, as elsewhere, a good person knows that sometimes the best person does not win. But that person will not take corrupt means to assure victory. But Trump worships greatness. Therefore, it can be expected that he might do whatever it takes to win and secure victory for himself. His skewed values demand it. Second, if a person of proven character would question the vote, one would have some reason for believing the claim. If a T.R. or Ike had questioned the vote, one might pay attention to the claim, but Trump? Trump supporters have said repeatedly that character doesn’t matter (and in doing so have acknowledged that Trump’s character is questionable). So why wasn’t a great deal more skepticism shown towards his claims? In 2000, Al Gore had reason to question the vote. Once decided by the Supreme Court, he dropped the matter, I believe at least partially because he put the well-being of the country ahead of his personal desires and glory. Trump has shown himself not to be that man. Character matters perhaps more than any other single issue. Character means a life lived by standards, it means trustworthiness in all situations, it means doing the right thing even when it is costly.
Well, I guess that’s enough. I hope that we get through November (and January) with a peaceful transfer of power. We live in perilous times, and the world doesn’t need instability in the US, a country that has mostly at least helped stabilize the world for about the last century.