When faced with the possible return of President Donald Trump, the current agenda of the Democratic Party is summed up simply as “We had to destroy democracy to save it.”
The effort shares a common theme: any means necessary are justified to prevent the people from choosing their own president, given the fear that a majority might vote to elect Donald Trump.
Sometimes the anti-democratic paranoia has been outsourced to state and local officials and prosecutors to erase Trump from the primary and likely general election ballots as well.
One unelected official in Maine, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, is a Democrat, an official never elected by the people, and a non-lawyer rendering a legal edict. Yet she has judged Trump guilty of “insurrection.”
And presto, she erased his name from the state’s ballot.
Yet Trump was never charged, much less convicted, of “insurrection.”
The statute Bellows cites is a post-Civil War clause of the 14th Amendment. It was passed over a century and a half ago. It was never intended to be used in an election year by an opposition party to disbar a rival presidential candidate.
In the earlier case of Colorado, the all-Democrat Supreme Court, in a 4-3 vote, took Trump off the ballot.
In sum, just five officials in two states have taken away the rights of some 7 million Americans to vote for the president of their choice.
Note that Trump continues to lead incumbent Joe Biden in the polls.
Sometimes, indictments are preferred to prevent Americans from voting for or against Trump.
Currently, four leftist prosecutors—three state and one federal—have indicted Trump.
They are petitioning courts to accelerate the usually lethargic legal process to ensure Trump is tied up in Atlanta, Miami, New York, and Washington, D.C., courtrooms nonstop during the 2024 election cycle.
Their aim is to keep Trump from campaigning, as he faces four left-wing prosecutors, four liberal judges, and four or five overwhelmingly Democratic jury pools.
Yet all the indictments are increasingly clouded in controversy, if not outright scandal.
Georgia prosecutor Fani Willis campaigned on promises to get Trump. She now faces allegations that she outsourced the prosecution to an unqualified personal injury lawyer—her current stealth boyfriend who was paid handsomely by Willis’s office and traveled on pricey junkets with her.
New York partisan attorney general Letitia James likewise sought office on promises to destroy Trump.
She preposterously claims Trump overvalued his real estate collateral to a bank. Yet it eagerly made the loan, profited from it, and had no complaints given that Trump paid off the principle and interest as required.
Manhattan prosecutor Alvin Bragg is even more desperate. He is now prosecuting Trump for campaign finance violations from nearly a decade ago, claiming a nondisclosure agreement with a purported sexual liaison somehow counts as a campaign violation.
Federal special prosecutor Jack Smith claims Trump should be convicted of improperly removing classified documents after leaving office. In the past, such disagreements over presidential papers were resolved bureaucratically.
Joe Biden, for example, improperly took out classified files after leaving the Senate and vice presidency and stored them in unsecure locations for over a decade.
All of these prosecutors are unapologetic anti-Trump progressives.
Some have communicated with the White House legal eagles, even though Joe Biden is likely to face Trump in the November election.
Some prosecutors are themselves facing controversies, if not scandals. Some wish to synchronize their drawn-out investigations and indictments to hinder the Trump reelection effort.
At other times, the effort to neuter Trump is waged by his rival Biden himself.
He has hammered Trump as an insurrectionist and guilty of a number of egregious crimes against democracy—even as Biden’s own Attorney General has appointed a special counsel to try Trump on just those federal charges concerning the January 6 demonstrations, a dead horse that Biden periodically still beats to death to scare voters.
Biden periodically smears half of America who supported or voted for Trump as “ultra-Maga” extremists and “semi-fascists” who would destroy democracy.
Yet the more Biden and the Left weaponize the judicial system to prevent Trump from running, and the more Biden screams and yells that Trump supporters are anti-American and anti-democratic, the more Trump soars in the polls while Biden sinks.
The left privately knows that its historically unprecedented strangulation of democracy is increasing Trump’s popularity. But like an addict, it cannot quit its Trump fix.
In sum, the Left is creating historic, anti-democratic precedents that will someday boomerang on Democrats should Republicans win the November election and follow the new Democrat model of extra-legal politics.
Democrats are tearing apart the country in a manner not seen since the Civil War era—apparently convinced democracy cannot be trusted and so itself must be sacrificed as the price of destroying Donald Trump.
As always VDH, I could not have said it better. Please please please keep declaring the truth so the lesser among us might understand. When i hear the slightest hint from someone that they avoid even thinking about the horror of the current situation in our country, I say your name loudly and repeatedly so they might look for answers.
Thanks so much for your keen insight Mr. Hanson. So relevant and necessary for such a time as this!
It will interesting to see where, when and how all the “political entropy” initiated by progressive extremists ultimately plays out. Trump’s ridiculous behavior and statements do nothing to ameliorate the status quo. It may be quite some time before we escape the yoke of woke and repair the wreckage Joe Biden leaves behind. Is human nature responsible for this acrimony?
Yes, Lydia, Victor is a voice of reason & common sense, providing systenance for daily living during these unprecedented times.
Kudos for succinct narrative. We can see the left is gaslighting us.
As long as the democrats control the ballot boxes in the cities, no republican will ever get the votes needed to win the election for president.
Dr. Hanson, I am a VDH fan to the bone, thank you not only for your intelligent opinion pieces but also for your wonderful books.
In the interest of accuracy, the Colorado Supreme Court is not “all Democrat,” at least from my initial research. The 4-3 Trump ballot decision included 2 Dems and 2 Inds in the majority and 2 Reps and 1 Ind in dissent.
No matter; SCOTUS will certainly reverse the politically motivated decision.
What I have heard reported is that all 7 Colorado justices were appointed by Democrat Governors.
To quote Stalin; it doesn’t matter who votes, what matters is who counts the votes .
Seems like RICO would apply to these officials who are coordinating their lawfare against Trump across state lines.
I truly enjoy reading your articles & I pass them along on my Facebook page. I generally add a heading, “More Pearls of Wisdom from Professor Hanson. IMO, no writer or speaker in the U.S. can best him in explaining where we are or how we got there. It’s a joy to hear him speak on various news programs. Pick a subject, it matters not the topic, without notes he can give an extemporaneous briefing that clearly shows his mastery of it. I’ve yet to find a time that I disagreed with Professor Hanson.” Butch Owen
DEI isn’t imploding. The ideology of DEI owns every institution in the former Western, now multi cultural world. Western Civilization doesn’t exist anymore. Cancelling Western Civilization was never going to be clean and tidy. I was bound to be messy. Its shocking to me how little resistance we have put up to our own destruction. Some token resistance does not mean defeat for our new masters. All it will take is a nod of the head from Barack Obama and they will burn and loot every city in America again while they rub it in our faces and blame us.
Your last sentence captures the essence of the problems plaguing America. Mayhem will happen again if Trump wins the 2024 election.
And mayhem will happen if they win; they will be free to implement our “mass punishment” by way of an even more open border and instant citizenship for 20 million illegals.
Dear Professor Hanson
Watching a high percentage of Congressional Republicans vote center left, with House Republicans resigning, or fired by their own party ..
With people like O’Connell and Biden clinging to power way past their effective years or dying in office like Feinstein .. with ‘Leftists’ willing to employ guerilla tactics their opposition will not .. with most American’s benefitting from social welfare, either personal or corporate .. with the unchecked power of major corporations coming via ‘Republican’ lead efforts like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McConnell_v._FEC, and decisions like 558 U.S. 310 (2010) .. with zero personally accountability for elected officials, minus Trump of course, who neither party likes ..
By your own observations and conclusions regarding proportionate and disproportionate response standards, and all your studies of warfare, aren’t these efforts a little to little initiated a little too late?
Is it possible that there really are no good guys or bad guys here? That even iconic Republicans like Reagan oversaw questionable projects like Iran/Contra and the Farm Crisis?
Isn’t this really a false choice to average Americans? That most figures in the current process, on both sides, are engaged in propaganda that leads to their own self-enrichment?
Aren’t Trump types just a different kind of corrupt than Biden types? Aren’t most modern Republicans really only red Democrats that initially benefited from government spending and progra
continued (apologies, it should have made the word cutoff ) … ms to gain their wealth, but now simply don’t want to pay taxes back? .. folks like Musk, or the Walton family, etc.?
For most Americans, is this still a fight over constitutionality, or defeating the process of collective corruption and consolidation by elected officials and big business that attack it?
I think Dom that elections are about choices and most voters choose the lesser of two evils. It’s true there are a lot of RINO’s in Washington but recently there is a growing number of “MAGA” Republicans too. We need to vote for more of them.
I think we are living through a re-enactment of the Gilded Age. That time was a time of deep corruption in government, falling real wages, massive immigration, and monopolistic companies. This ended with Teddy Roosevelt and the Sherman antitrust act. Trump is similar to Teddy with his towering personality and ability to connect to ordinary Americans. In any case, change is possible, we just need to vote for it.
WTF does “most modern Republicans” mean? Trump ran as a Republican….was elected as a Republican….served as President as a Republican…..and is running again as a Republican.
Another WTF on this too “…but now simply don’t want to pay taxes back? .. folks like Musk, or the Walton family, etc.?” Too stupid to bother commenting.
Nobody seems to have noticed that Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows has probably violated the separation of powers principle. She was a member of the EXECUTIVE branch of government who purported to adjudicate that Trump had committed the crime of insurrection. But only the JUDICIAL branch of government can adjudicate that someone is guilty of committing a crime.
Once a judge has adjudicated criminal liability and the judgment has become final (i.e., unappealable), that judgment becomes res judicata and the EXECUTIVE branch can then rely on it for the first time.
The separation of powers principle is a federal constitutional principle, so it prevails over any Maine state laws that conflict with it.
Thanks for your input.
Totalitarians always behave in the manner the Obama 3.0 cabal is demonstrating now. Biden has been, is, and will continue to be a dupe, a fool, and a venal tyrant who cares nothing for the nation and heeds only his and the Leftist/Marxist string puller’s wanton pursuit of power. This will not end well, for any of us.
I’m somewhat surprised that you failed to mention, as you often have stated, that Trump has not only never been convicted of insurrection that of the 4 current indictments against him, not one is for insurrection.
I am certain Jack Smith is attempting to indict Trump on the classified documents but not insurrection, even in the myriad 90+ charges that have been mentioned. Of course he may have that indictment in his playbook should the classified document and other charges fail. It is hard to keep track without a scorecard.
Please keep up the fight as more citizens need to be informed about these bogus charges as well as the claims (actually lies) by the current occupant in the Oval office.
Thanks professor for another excellent read.
Great article! I enjoy listening and reading your post on history. Your books about WWII and the Peloponnesian War were very well written.
It seems like we are in the midst of a cultural revolution similar to the 1960″s. Watching the news is like reading George Orwell’s book ‘1984’ or ‘Animal Farm’.
“Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book has been rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street building has been renamed, every date has been altered. And that process is continuing day be day and minute by minute. History has stopped. Nothing exists except the endless present in which the party is always right.” George Orwell.
Thanks for sharing the quote.
I hope ventriloquist Jeff Dunham doesn’t sue you for using an image of his puppet “Walter” in your article.
Should be principal re: “… paid off the principle and interest as required”. Thanks much Victor for your help keeping me sane. (A very longtime follower/reader.)
Mr. Hanson,
Thank you for your thoughtful insight. Democrats’ realization of the “Boomerang Effect” may be the only way to get progressives to release their grip on the controlling ideology they subscribe to. They may be so addicted to it that they may never realize their blind trajectory. The hope is, of course, that we all accept objective reality and work with it; It is the only thing that will save our Democratic Republic!
I suspect that the democrats believe in a ‘one-party democracy’ – that’s why they accuse so many things as ‘anti democracy’
Victor,
You are a hero in the fight for our Constitutional Republic.
Thank you. Cogent and precise seems out of place in our odd, Democrat controlled fascist dystopia but patriots are thankful for your clarion voice.
Is this a tragicomedy?
It’s like Chicken Little: soon, if not already, people will stop believing the “end of democracy” and racism charges levied constantly by the left. Their rants are falling on deaf ears.
Spot on as usual. Someone much smarter than me—like VDH—needs to say what many know but are afraid to say; our government has been seized by common street thugs dressed in Brooks Bros. suits. There needs to be strong and courageous leadership—Trump is great but he needs equally sting and courageous people to dismantle this profoundly corrupt thugocracy. I pray that we can root out the rats defiling our elective process, but I am not confident that it will be done. Please America and its patriots, surprise me.
Exactly correct, Dr. Hanson. They’re all so incredibly dishonest.
The best way to “Destroy Democracy in order to fix it” is to have a Convention of States in the USA. That way, the blue state cities that are bloated with illegal immigrants who wear shirts saying, “Let me in Joe Biden” and their guilt-ridden, autocratic liberal supporters will not continue to seize control the USA government. (After all, we are a representative government, not a government wherein the pseudo-Democratic majority bullies the minorities via oligarchic means.) Let us hope that Trump does not become another Alcibiades who seeks revenge from the USA government from a position outside of the country. Like Trump, Alcibiades was a ‘rock star’ of a country (i.e., ancient Greece) who ruffled the old school’s feathers. Although somewhat of a rogue, Alcibiades may be the most interesting person in ancient history. When Alcibiades finally fell, so did Athens, which modern-day liberals hold as the ‘gold standard’ of Democracy. “Vive le République”!
No matter the political issue of the day, the establishment in Washington loves to expound and deliberate on what they will do. In fact, they want the American people to ponder:
“Gee, what will our semi-detached representatives in Washington decide?” Specifically, what will Congress decide about health care? Taxes? Education? Fiscal responsibility?”
Instead, they should be focusing on the bigger question, which is, “WHO SHOULD DECIDE”?
Should the government decide what to do about your health care, or should you and your doctor decide? Should D.C. bureaucrats decide what to do about education, or should you, your spouse, and your children’s teachers decide? Should nine Supreme Court Justices decide what constitutes a marriage, or should you, your community, and your state decide?
The answers to each of these questions should be obvious. It’s the same answer our Founding Fathers gave when they drafted the Constitution, which is we the people should decide, not some far-off, disconnected government run by out-of-touch partisan elites.
Frankly, the Washington establishment will never limit its own power, especially when they are making billions of dollars wielding their power. We just can’t rely on the politicians who got us into this mess to get us out of it, because they have ‘economic skin in the game’ by continuing the problem.
We need to have a Convention of States. The inmates have been running the asylum much too long and the asylum is broke.
Helpful reminder to let the people govern themselves.
People should quite referring to Leftist as Democrats. The should be called what they are: Communists ,Fascists. Nazi thugs. In addition, a large percentage of the people who vote for them are cut from the same cloth.