An American threat assessment

The phrase “threat to our democracy” has been a battle cry for so long that it has become as impactful as a morning greeting. It’s been relegated to a political slogan, a protest sign, a political identity marker.

It’s The phrase “threat to our democracy” has been a battle cry for so long that it has become as impactful as a morning greeting. It’s been relegated to a political slogan, a protest sign, a political identity marker.  meaningless. So has the response, “America is a republic and not a democracy.”

America can’t be reduced to a one-word description. America is an intersectional phenomenon molded into existence by liberty, democracy, and republic. Each element is a contributor to the U.S. Constitution, which guides, protects, and codifies our nationality. 

If there is an existential threat to America, as so many believe, where is it? Is there a generalized and systemic weakness, or is one of its three components creating a weakness? 

You can’t perform a threat assessment without understanding the terms defining the threat. 

Liberty: This is the foundation on which democracy and republic are built. Patrick Henry said, “Give me liberty or give me death!” Not “democracy.”  Not “republic.”

We have liberty because we have natural rights. Liberty has nothing to do with political or economic systems. We have these rights by the mere fact of existence—life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, freedom of expression, personal autonomy, and the right to protect ourselves and those rights. 

Natural rights are inalienable. The First Amendment explicitly states the government can’t take them away, and the Second Amendment is a remedy should the government try to do so. 

Democracy: Democracy literally means “people rule.” It is the underlying political philosophy of our system of government. 

Democracy is the communal protection of our natural rights by the people through participation in free and fair elections. 

Unfortunately, a pure democracy doesn’t protect our rights as one might think. Our Founding Fathers knew that democracy was tyranny, specifically “tyranny of the majority,” even though that phrase wasn’t commonly used until the 1850s.

Alexander Hamilton put it this way: “Real liberty is neither found in despotism or the extremes of democracy, but in moderate governments.”

So our republic was born to establish that moderate government. 

Republic: America is a republic, and it’s a republic because a pure democracy crushes the rights of the minority. The way we achieve rule by the people and liberty in this country is through a representative republic that allows an electorate to select people who represent the interest of not just the many, but also the few. 

The republic is the blue-collar component of our government. It’s where the sausage is made. It’s the nuts and bolts of our nation. 

Our republic made a contract with the people through the Constitution to “secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity.” (Preamble to the U.S. Constitution). 

The republic creates the legal framework of our society. 

Threats: The Trump administration has engaged in some isolated incidents of curbing free speech and expression. Leveraging federal funds against antisemitism at American universities stands out. 

This is certainly troubling, but it doesn’t rise to an existential threat to our liberty. Universities are free to, and have, fought back against the financial pressures. 

Legacy and online media are operating without government interference, except for perhaps the Gulf of Mexico issue. The Associated Press was restricted access to the White House for not referring to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, but they are fighting back.

People are still lashing out at the government on social media. People are still protesting without interference. 

We have the right to fight for our liberty, and the Second Amendment reinforces that right.

There is no threat to democracy. We still vote. We still elect representation that is supposed to fairly govern the population. 

As long as we have the right to vote, the people have a voice in the determination of their destiny. 

What’s in jeopardy is our republic—the structure and operational environment in which our democracy functions. 

We have a president who is taking the unitary executive theory to a dangerous place. He is issuing executive orders so fast the courts can’t keep up. 

With the whirl of these executive orders dangerously circumventing Congressional authority, this body is behaving as if they are too stunned to move. 

Lines are getting blurred among our separate branches of government, putting the system of checks and balances out of balance.

If our republic is failing to “secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity,” it may well be time for some serious changes and major adjustments.

Perhaps there is no better time than now to heed the words of Thomas Jefferson, who said, “On similar ground it may be proved that no society can make a perpetual constitution, or even a perpetual law. The earth belongs always to the living generation.”

Albert DeSimone

Bishop.