NOM

So Mike Lee tweeted that America isn't a democracy. An even-handed account of the skirmish: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa- ... SKBN26T2YX

I know it's not in a politician's mandate to understand an opponent and actually engage with their ideas, but the strident backlash bothers me anyway.

It shouldn't be controversial. None of us lives in a direct democracy. Rule of law trumps majority will until a change is voted in, and we rarely get to do that ourselves. The only thing I can find fault with is clarifying by using the term "constitutional republic" rather than something like "representative democracy" though both terms are correct (and both are incomplete).

So is this politics as usual? Doesn't explain why so many regular folks are assuming the worst.

Is it context? The president keeps saying things that make people worry that we won't have a peaceful transfer of power if he's voted out. (The prospect worries me, too.) Lee supports him. To a lot of people, maybe that makes his tweets come off sinister.

Is it just terminology, where Republicans use "democracy" to mean "direct democracy" and Democrats use it to mean "any form of democracy"?

Is it polarization? Tribalism?

Have I missed something?

Lee was speaking in the context of the times to support Donald Trump. Trump has been signaling that he will not accept losing the election and stepping down from office. Lee was offering a supportive argument for Trump to subvert our American democracy and remaining in office. Perhaps Lee further views the Federalist Papers as a blueprint for an American Emperor.

Personally, I want my elected leaders to support the concept of democracy.

If we were an actual democracy, tRump would lose big time, abortion would be legal without all the restrictions, we would worry more about California burning up and less about opening up new oil exploration in Alaska, LGBT would have equal rights, a few other things to terrorize conservatives and Hillary would be up for re-election.

So, Lee has every reason to be against democracy. His party is the minority and can only stay in power because we have this weird system where a vote in Nevada is worth more than a vote across the border into Cali.

I gotta agree with the penguin on this. It's all about the context. As an academic statement Senator Lee may be making a reasonable assertion, but in context of current American politics it is troubling. We have a liar-in-chief who is trying to undermine confidence in our election system, and a Republican party actively seeking every avenue possible to limit voting rights for people who are likely to support the other side. Senator's Lee's party does not align with the majority, but seems intent on keeping power by whatever means they can, however nefarious. So a statement that might otherwise seem innocuous looks to be anything but in the current climate.