Jennifer Rubin calls on Democrats to strengthen democracy by further eliminating its flaws.
Democrats’ Latest Attempt to Undermine Democracy
Just when you think there’s literally nowhere left for Democrats to go in bringing us all one step closer to full governmental collapse, there’s Jennifer Rubin saying, “Wait, have we tried this yet?”
The party’s most reliable hype man wrote Monday in the Washington Post that it’s absolutely imperative for Democrat Senate leaders, with their majority of one vote, to change institutional rules in ways that will deny their political opponents a say in essentially anything. Her very original argument is that democracy is at stake.
The wheels have apparently not fallen off that wagon yet.
“[T]he problem is Republicans’ insistence on denying the key component of a democracy: the power of the people to elect the leaders of their choice to govern,” Rubin wrote. “Republicans have grown attached to tactics that perpetuate minority rule, including thwarting voting (e.g., filibustering voting rights legislation) and denying election results (e.g., signing onto a brief to disenfranchise millions of Americans, baselessly challenging Biden’s electors) … Simply put: We need to shore up democracy.”
To be sure, by “shore up democracy,” Rubin means for Democrats to once again escalate political tensions by abandoning their allegedly precious norms and precedents.
They did it under Obama when the Democrat Senate majority terminated the filibuster for cabinet appointments. They did it under the same presidency by defending his IRS commissioner’s demonstrable harassment of right-leaning non-profits. They did it under Trump by claiming — without evidence! — that he stole the presidency with an assist from Russia and then that he was actually a Russian agent guilty of treason. They also chased down Trump’s private tax records. Then, they impeached him twice for no discernible crime. They did it during the 2020 election by encouraging and excusing months of nationwide riots, political violence, and the destruction of property. When Republicans had their own much smaller version limited to a single day, Democrats called for the protesters to be thrown in prison.
The one time Republicans even bothered to play the same game was at the start of the Trump presidency when they removed the filibuster for Supreme Court nominees. And that was only a tit-for-tat. If they had really wanted to one-up the opposition, they would have packed the court with another nine justices, as Democrats have been threatening to do since 2020.
For all of their B.S.-ing about “the norms,” “the soul of democracy,” and “faith in our institutions,” it’s Democrats time and time again taking a dump on all of it.
They weren’t so horny to “shore up democracy” after Trump was elected. Since 2016, they’ve asserted that elections aren’t fair unless they win, stripped state legislatures of their constitutional domain over election regulation, and attempted to bury their leading opponent for president under a crush of criminal indictments that threaten to put him in prison — for doing the very thing Democrats have done for years.
The only recourse out-of-power Republicans have in checking extreme measures the left has taken on abortion, transgenderism, and race discrimination is to consult the rule book and perhaps find a way to stall. That’s the same option Democrats have had and have used when they’ve been in the same position. It’s the same option Democrats would have when they’re inevitably in the same position again.
Rubin: Nope! Time to throw that one out, too, FOLKS!
Of course, their goal is to make it so that they’re never in the same position again. Then the things they’ve done won’t get to be done in return. For that, they have to “shore up democracy” by erasing even more of it.
How do Democrats argue that changes to institutional rules would prevent Republicans from perpetuating minority rule, and what evidence do they present to support this claim?
All of this in the name of “shoring up democracy.”
Now, with the slim majority in the Senate, Democrats are once again trying to undermine democracy by proposing changes to institutional rules that would consolidate their power and silence their political opponents. Rubin argues that these changes are necessary to prevent Republicans from perpetuating minority rule and denying the will of the people.
But let’s examine this argument more closely. Democrats claim that Republicans have been thwarting voting rights legislation and denying election results. They point to the filibustering of voting rights legislation and the baseless challenges to Biden’s electors as evidence of this. However, it is important to note that these actions were taken within the framework of the democratic process. Filibustering is a legitimate tool that has been used by both parties throughout history, and challenging election results, while controversial, is part of the legal process to ensure the integrity of elections.
What Democrats are essentially suggesting is that Republicans should not be allowed to exercise their rights and use legitimate tools to voice their concerns and opinions. By changing the rules to silence their political opponents, Democrats are actually undermining democracy rather than shoring it up.
Furthermore, the examples of Democrats abandoning norms and precedents in the past should give us pause. If Democrats were willing to abandon these norms under previous administrations, what is to stop them from doing it again in the future? Once the floodgates are opened, it becomes a dangerous precedent that can be exploited by any party in power.
Instead of trying to consolidate their power and silence their opponents, Democrats should focus on engaging in good-faith debates and finding common ground. Democracy thrives on diversity of opinions and the ability to freely express them. By silencing their opponents, Democrats are stifling this diversity and creating a one-party system.
In conclusion, Jennifer Rubin’s argument that Democrats need to change institutional rules to “shore up democracy” is deeply flawed. It is a thinly veiled attempt to consolidate power and silence political opponents. Instead of undermining democracy, Democrats should engage in meaningful debates and respect the democratic process. Democracy is not about silencing voices we disagree with, but about allowing everyone to have a say.
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