Democracy and the Republic

Our nation is a hybrid, and has been from the beginning. This is why we have always had, as we still do, Democrats and Republicans. Our United States of America was conceived in 1781, At that time, our leaders convened in Philadelphia to write a Constitution. From that time onward, even until now, we have been double-minded nation. The concepts upon which our Constitution was founded originated about 2700 years ago in ancient Greece. On that Mediterranean peninsula, a civilizing population elected their leaders by voting. They called it Democracy. But also during those ancient times, a philosopher named Plato wrote a document describing a way of governance called the Republic. Much has been written, over two millennia of time, about these foundational principles. But democracy and the republican idea had gotten buried in the ashes of history as Europe was governed and managed for two thousand years by kings and priests. That’s what today is called authoritarianism. Maybe we have outgrown that; maybe we have not. We’ll know soon enough how all plays out. Leap now to the 17th-century, in a period of time called the Enlightenment, and we find a recovery of those two ancient concepts of governance: Democracy and the Republic. When America was being settled and “civilized” by Europeans, 1500-1800 AD, these resurrected ideas were brought forth as a basis of constructing a government that would leave monarchy in the dust of American history, and replace it with a government of We the People.

In 1791, when our patriots and founders began writing our Constitution, our leaders—you’ve heard their names—Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, John Adams, John Hancock, George Washington et al— were struggling between these two ancient foundational concepts, Democratic and Republic. Surely you have noticed that, today, and (as I write this) tomorrow, we are still divided, peacefully, between Democrats and Republicans.

Democrats generally want all the people to be involved in all levels and phases of government. Republicans seem to prefer appointing leadership to people who are well-endowed and have a lot of assets to work with. Democrats seem to prefer keeping governance at the humblest levels of society, so that those who are rich and famous don’t take control of everything. Tomorrow, November 5, 2024—or more likely the day after that—we shall see who wins the latest round of Democrats v. Republicans. And I might as well disclose. . . I am a registered Republican who has already voted for a bunch of Democrats. Whatever happens, I say. . . God bless America, land that I love!

CapitolWord Address

Four years and several episodes ago our People brought forth, within this nation, a new administration, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men and women are created equal. Now we are gathering in a new civil election, testing whether this nation, so conceived in Constitutional Law, can still endure. We are met on a great media field. We are approaching a new election, in which we hope to re-dedicate ourselves to the principles upon which this nation was founded: life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, under the covering of a Constitution that assures all of us equal rights and privileges in the brotherhood and sisterhood of humanity. We stand now, election-ready, to re-affirm that every duly-registered voter in this nation is assured the right to vote and the assurance that their vote will be correctly counted, and to have those voter-affirmed state-majorities correctly tabulated and reflected in their legislative assemblies, with Electoral Votes to be determined by those state legislatures and properly delivered to Congress for tabulation, as our Constituion requires.  Reflecting now upon this history, we remember that four years ago. . .

 American defenders of our Capitol and our Constitution died in defence of our Constitution, our sacred liberty, and the heritage of our American life, individually and collectively. And so, now, we re-assemble to collect our votes and to tabulate them honestly, without deceit and without prejudice, with malice toward none and goodwill for all. Now, for those who, four years ago during the violent assault of our Capitol, had given their last full measure of devotion to our Justice. . . And for those generations of Americans yet to come, we gather to vote and to be assured that our votes and their future votes will be properly and legally tabulated, according to the good will and integrity of duly-appointed local officials.  These principles and hopes we resolve, so that liberty and justice for all shall not perish from the earth. And yet, and yet, in the ill wind that now blows . . . as foxes conspire to spoil the vines of our Liberty, we renew our resolve to work toward electoral integrity and Justice . . . even as dark clouds of obstruction and deceit congregate on the horizon.  And so we ponder the words of Shakespeare's Romeo (interpreted here for our present context , and published in this dramatic moment of impending contention): ". . . for mind misgives some consequence, yet hanging in chads, shall bitterly begin with this election's rebels" Whatever happens, let us re-dedicate ourselves to the preservation of Liberty and Justice for all. Go out and vote, and pay attention to what happens in the wake of our 2024 election. Glass half-Full