Victor Davis Hanson
American Greatness
The 2023-2024 campaign season is not just the strangest on record, it’s also arguably the most anti-democratic.
Ostensibly, the Democratic Party has claimed over the last decade that Donald Trump posed a continued and existential threat to the republic.
That allegation subsequently justified a variety of anti-democratic means to neuter his first two presidential candidacies, his presidency, and now his third and final run for the White House.
A near decade ago, we witnessed the 2015-2016 Hillary Clinton/Democratic National Committee/FBI-assisted effort to plant the false accusation of Trump-Russian collusion to warp the 2016 election.
That gambit centered around the fraudulent Steele dossier and nearly fatally crippled the Trump 2016 campaign. That hoax would later sidetrack 22 months of his presidency before being proven a fantasy.
On the eve of the 2020 election, the left next birthed the Russian laptop disinformation campaign.
That hoax also warped a presidential debate with false charges that Hunter Biden’s own incriminating laptop was once again the work of Russians seeking to conspire with Trump.
Those unusual efforts continued during the Biden administration.
For the first time in election history, the allies of one campaign sought to persuade some 16 states to try to remove a major party’s likely nominee from their primary and general election ballots.
The plan was to smother a Trump third presidential bid in its infancy, and thus once again not allow the people to accept or reject his candidacy.
Nearly simultaneously, four federal, state, and local prosecutors filed dozens of felony charges against Trump.
They all shared some strange similarities.
These indictments would likely not have been filed, had Trump not run for office. Nor would any of them have proceeded had Trump not been a controversial conservative Republican seeking reelection.
Almost all the charges had not been filed against any other prior candidate and rarely a private citizen.
Some of them could just as easily have been lodged against Joe Biden and his son.
Some indictments and convictions may still achieve their objectives of bankrupting, jailing, or keeping Trump inert during the final weeks of the campaign.
One of the Georgia prosecutors had undisclosed meetings with the Biden White House counsel.
President Biden himself, on the eve of the federal prosecutor Jack Smith’s indictment, all but declared his campaign rival Trump guilty.
Biden’s own chief of the White House had also met privately and secretly with Smith.
In an unprecedented fashion, Smith rushed his prosecution to ensure it synchronized with the 2024 campaign.
Similar federal charges could just as easily have led to the indictment of President Joe Biden—if the special counsel in that case had not claimed that he could not convince a jury to convict a culpable but cognitively challenged Biden.
Another Biden prosecutor mysteriously left his top position at the Justice Department to join the Alvin Bragg Manhattan prosecutorial staff.
Nonetheless, Trump had survived collusion, disinformation, de-balloting, lawfare, and a subsequent assassination attempt to surge far ahead of Biden in the June presidential polls.
Biden’s poll collapse prompted Democratic donors and high-ranking politicos to force a stress-test presidential debate before either candidate was even nominated at their respective conventions.
When Biden imploded in the debate, a supposedly once-fit president was suddenly declared impaired. And a previously uninspiring Vice President Kamala Harris was abruptly transmogrified into a superb replacement candidate.
Biden was forced to resign his candidacy to save his last five months in office from a Democrat threatened removal via the 25th Amendment.
The primary votes of nearly 15 million voters were abruptly nullified.
Harris who had neither won a primary nor a single delegate through an election was suddenly coronated as the new Biden-replacement candidate—and without an open convention contest or vote.
The donor-politico class further decided that, like a challenged Biden in 2024, Harris could not be allowed to hold press conferences. She would do few if any live interviews, unscripted town halls or any other venue given fears her visible liabilities might endanger her candidacy.
So, the Party that had proclaimed democracy dies in darkness now favors the shadows as the preferable means to obtain and retain power—whether by ignoring primary voters, open conventions, or transparent venues with the voters.
Add up the last decade’s purchased collusion caper, unprecedented two impeachments, orchestrated disinformation hoax, efforts to de-ballot Trump, warping of the legal system to jail him and destroy his candidacy, forced removal of an unpopular but unwilling President Biden from the Democrat ticket, virtual anointing of Harris by fiat in his place, and the current collusion with a compliant media to avoid public scrutiny and cross-examination of Harris.
And the conclusion?
Have those who lectured us about democracy in danger now decided to save it by destroying it?
so what has to happen , short of revolution>?
Noncompliance. Disengagement from the corruption of the Federal Government. “Disrecognition” of authority. Declaration of illegitimacy. No further tax remittances.
Tyranny and corruption have no purchase without compliance. This has to be done at the popular level and preferably with at least SOME participation from low and medium level authorities. But certainly by all of the disenfranchised.
Just as mass rejection of corporate propaganda has caused some corporations to pull back on their ideological promotion, the force of the masses is strong and convincing.
But if people ambivalently continue to comply, you can be assured we will continue down the same trajectory we have been on for years, the end point being kneeling in front of anonymous death pits. You can draw a straight line connecting the dots to where all this leads. Decide now what your line in the sand is so you don’t have to be “surprised” when they come for you. Because that time is coming.
As you’ve stated often in your writing, there are educated (perhaps indoctrinated) operatives steering one of the country’s major political parties. They are the “public guardians” who know best and therefore (need to) adulterate or circumvent the democratic process. The people otherwise don’t know what’s good for them. I hope I’m wrong on this count, but it sadly seems that way – as you’ve been writing.
Each time I post one of your articles to my FB page, I add “More Pearls of Wisdom from my favorite writer & speaker. Professor Victor Davis Hanson is truly an American Treasure.” Because,, I truly believe it.
Seems to me, the 8-year quest to destroy Trump is what is destroying our Democratic Republic.
Put out the light, and then put out the light.
-Othello
Brilliant as always VDH
Here’s how tyrants seize power legally. Hitler had vowed in court, in September 1930, to destroy democracy through the democratic process. The judge asked, “So, only through constitutional means?” Hitler replied crisply, “Jawohl.” That’s why the cultural communists in the US today can be found in the US government, congress and the White House. They will destroy the democratic processes that underpin our republic from within using constitutional means. Obama taught Constitutional law at the U. of Chicago before he was elected to the senate. Let that sink in for a minute. The use of the constitution to destroy a democratic country is what he knows how to do and is doing. Apparently teaching US Constitutional law bred plenty of contempt.
Your the new source of information for me and family.
Not much else to say…except turn out the vote in November.
How clear it seems to me that the multiple facts are and easily retrievable regarding the attack on our democracy and Constitutional Republic. I think without much effort, just following Donald Trump’s political career over time makes fact gathering easy. I am perplexed how out of touch one must be not to know what has been happening since 2016. The Obama administrative state, Hilary Clinton candidacy and then Biden administration have attacked their political opponent like a despotic third world banana republic dictator would do. All done by using techniques and our FBI, CIA, US Attorney general and corrupt courts and prosecutors to destroy an opposition candidate. True, the democrats are dark and a real danger to our democracy. This is projection and reaction/formation for sure. I must be very naive since it continues to be puzzling to me how supposedly rational, thoughtful and patriotic Democrats don’t challenge their colleagues but group together and support such despotism as they destroy their own unique republican form of government and successful captialistic economic system.
Of course they’re trying to destroy democracy.
Everything you mentioned, ”straight down the line” are just the basic things that every American should be aware of. The abstract lying contained in everyone of the Democrats lectures is only part of the reason they are not.
How can we expect Americans to know about the Border Whipping Hoax- I am just going to use that one example, I can list hundreds like it – if they are not aware of the basics, the essentials, all contain in your column.
As I have said many times, it all comes down to the dereliction of the American media, on every level, to vigilantly report the news fairly, ”guarding” Americans against abject falsehoods and deceptive practices by any branch of the American Government.
If you listen or read, MSNBC, CNN, ABC, CBS, PBS, NPR, The New York Times, Washington Post, LA Times, Goggle, Facebook(Meta), you are “unaware of the Essential Basics” VDH has arranged very orderly in his column today.
Victor (may I @ 91),
Your piece today gives me my second reason to vote Republican come November 5th. It is nothing more than a party coup to retain power. Now they are making-out like they have saved democracy.
My first, if not foremost consideration for Trump is in foreign relations. I listened to your pod again on deterrance, reminding me that the French and English failed to foster that necessity in the 1930’s, which led to WWII. I believe Trump will succeed in restoring necessary deterances to the “war cries” generated in the media.
I trust, you do, also. That’s #1 with me.
I’ve never voted for Trump. I think he is a blow-hard. But, he is – at least – our blowhard in America!
Theron Few
Raleigh NC
VDH’ succinct, accurate, & telling analysis… as always!
“Only a virtuous people are capable of Freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters.”
Benjamin Franklin
If reading Harris’ tax polices today does not scare the crap out of you, as we pitch headlong toward becoming a 3rd World country if she is elected, then you are either an economic and/or an historical illiterate, or a Marxist.
Says it all!
Bravo Mr. Hanson. A perfect column, as always.
Well said, VDH, as usual. It is truly sad that so many citizens are enamored of Kamala Harris and willing to vote for her. She has a record of “do-nothing” in the Senate and as VP, she has not earned one vote from an awake citizen, not does she deserve even one vote…….
Elections have consequences and stolen elections have catastrophic consequences
If we can understand the how and the why of “The Trials of Trump” , then we can now understand the state of minds of the Athenians at the “Trial of Socrates”!
The good news is that the democrats need to take these measures because evidently, the majority of Americans do not support their policies.
If only the news media reported what is happening, then democrats would lose more elections.
But the world system is against conservatives, and it takes much more effort to find the truth.
Thank you for your article,
I want to suggest that all of the current events in the democratic party were planned and set into motion in 2019 or earlier. Kamala Harris is and never was popular, has never demonstrated the slightest quality of critical thinking.
Her early times in politics demonstrate she is a yes girl, she will say or do as she is told with undying loyalty to the communist apparatus.
All this makes me believe that the vote in November will not decide the outcome, and that she is the heir apparent. If I am right it will mean the end of the United States as we know it. All of the people’s documents and declaration of independence and rights will be abrogated, and we will be slaves in our own country.
Peace and blessings to you
Yours truly
Hugh Mcdanel
Destroying the “democracy” has been the goal since the Obama administration – by Fundamentally Transforming our country.
Right on point.
“And the conclusion?…” They aren’t finished. If they win, they will continue the destruction from top to bottom — political, economic, social, cultural. As Al Jolson used to say before his old films and records were cancelled, “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet!”
Uncle Deng had it right 34 years ago, allow people to live a life of consumption, luxury and leisure and they will be more than happy for their government to decide what constitutes democracy. Only a Black Swan in October can get the Republicans back in control – pretty much a miracle.
And the conclusion?
Have those who lectured us about democracy in danger now decided to save it by destroying it?
Don’t be naïve. The Democratic Party is just doing what is always their primary objective, to achieve or retain power.
Don’t be naïve. To achieve or retain power is also the primary objective of the republican party. This is a systemic problem that is brought on by the system created by the United States Constitution. Fortunately, our founding fathers recognized that as time went on the constitution would need changing, and they provided two ways of changing the constitution by passing Amendments to the United States Constitution. See jimcwelsh.com