Let’s start by stating that the US is not a “pure” Democracy. And for a good reason. For those of us who’ve studied the Federalist Papers and understand our founding – we are a Representative Republic. Yes, we have democratic procedures, but we also have checks against those evil things that happen historically in a “pure” democracy. That’s why we have three branches of Government – to make sure we have a check against one branch gaining too much power. That’s why we have an electoral college – so that each state will have a voice in the Presidential election and that large population centers like NY or CA cannot dictate the outcome for the other 48 states. That’s why we had Senators appointed by the states – NOT by popular vote – so that they would represent the state. After the mistake of the 17th amendment, we have seen what happens. Popular “carpet baggers” from other states can win the popular vote – essentially representing their national party or their own petty ideology – and not the state where they were elected. Take Mitt Romney in Utah – who consistently sides with the left and the media like the late John McCain – but does not really side with this perhaps the most Conservative state in the Union Utah. Take Hillary Clinton – who never actually spent much time in New York – born elsewhere, 1st lady to Bill in Arkansas then in D.C. The list would be a long one. It is clear that the founders wanted the House to be representative of the people in a local district with a short 2 year term and directly elected but that the Senate and senators should represent the state. The 17th Amendment has clearly undermined representation for a state and the House members though theoretically on a short leash of 2 year terms, somehow manages to get reelected indefinitely because of the big money interest groups that keep them in power. In both cases, it is pretty easy to see why both local House members and Senators do not do a very good job of representing their constituents. The answer is repealing the 17th amendment and passing a Congressional term limit for both House and Senate. Simple, really. But the Congress will not initiate either. The States could actually initiate and ratify a new amendment, but it has become nearly an impossible obstacle to get the votes needed – even in state Legislatures. So, without Congress limited to make it more responsive to the people, it will continue to represent only the Big Money both domestically and even more insidiously – foreign players – especially the likes of the Communist Chinese.
James Madison explained it brilliantly in Paper Number 10, “Factions: Their Cause and Control.” There is a discussion of the problems generated by a particular segment of society gaining undue dominance over the others. As we can see today, where one party uses censorship to eliminate the opposition, and attempts to throw someone they dislike off a ballot if they know they cannot win (and they’re the ones calling this “democracy”). It was quite prescient for Madison in 10.13: “In a pure democratic government, a common passion or interest will, almost always, be felt by a majority of the whole. There is nothing to check the inducement to sacrifice the weaker part or obnoxious individual…they are incompatible with security and property rights. They are as short as their deaths, violent.” (Fed Papers, Modern English, Mary E. Webster)
The Heritage Foundation Bernard Dobski states: “America’s Founders carefully thought through the problems of direct democracy and explicitly rejected this model—and for good reason. They saw that because ancient democracies lacked any social or institutional forces that could check, refine, or moderate the will of the majority, they were prone to great instability, riven by factionalism, and subject to the passions and short-sightedness of the public. Direct democracies were thus vulnerable to tyranny.”
To me, the beginning of the end of our Republic started a century ago when the notion of “electing” senators by popular vote rather than appointment by their respective state put us on the slippery slope to a “pure” democracy. So, today we have calls to finish the job. Get rid of the electoral college. Get rid of any of the checks that prevent a tyrannical rule of a few large states and their interests over the majority- as in large population centers – urban dictating to rural…
Madison is very specific about the problem with ancient democracies “[it] is impossible to read the history of the petty republics of Greece and Italy without feeling sensations of horror and disgust at the distractions with which they were continually agitated, and at the rapid succession of revolutions by which they were kept in a state of perpetual vibration between the extremes of tyranny and anarchy.”
And as the modern American power brokers – some call Globalists – move toward their version of “democracy” – we move ever closer to something that is less than representative of the people – real democracy. For them, let’s pack the supreme court with as many like minded “democrats” to ensure they’ll interpret the Constitution or even re-write it to suit their Globalist agenda. Let’s turn D.C. and Puerto Rico into 2 more states – where they can guarantee that they control the senate indefinitely . And when they don’t like a particular house representative like Marjorie Taylor Greene – let’s use some archaic Civil War law to accuse her of inciting the Jan 6 Capitol riot – and keep her off the ballot. Never mind that many Democrats including Kamala Harris actually aided rioters during the summer George Floyd riots where there were billions of dollars of damage and police officers were killed and injured by the hundreds – by actually bailing out rioters – it is Greene who must be removed from the ballot. That’s how “Democrats” turn a democracy into anarchy and tyranny. Yes, when they announce that they think there will be more political violence, they are probably correct. When you essentially change the rules and change the nature of the republic and people no longer feel they have representation and that their vote doesn’t count, they are taxed without representation or that their elections are actually stolen – yes, there will be those who revolt. In 1776 we called them patriots. What will we call them in the 21st Century – patriots or traitors?