The combination of ignorance and apathy is likely to bring down American democracy. While many people complain about political leadership in the U.S., it must be remembered that those officials were put in those positions through election processes. Further, it was not just the constituents who voted for those individuals, who should be held responsible for their inane choices. Rather, all of those who did not cast a ballot bear a share of the blame. Despite record turnouts for the 2020 election, over 80 million eligible voters did not bother to cast a ballot.
Given the flawed senatorial system and the inherent imbalance created when each state is allocated two senators regardless of the population, the will of the majority is continually abrogated. The extremes are Wyoming, with less than 600,000 people, and California with more than 39 million, yet equal representation in the U.S. Senate. A large percent of the population believes in the concept of majority rule. However, the reality is a distinct minority has ruled the country for decades. In fact, the differential is that there are nearly 40 million fewer people who voted for Republican candidates than for Democratic ones in recent elections.
When it comes to the number of voters that actually influence the election process, that power transfers to a very small percentage of those eligible. According to Unite America, “… though turnout in the 2020 general election shattered records at 67%, a supermajority of Congress had already been elected in the primaries.” As a result, in general elections voters are often left with the choices of the least objectionable candidates.
With a population of under 4.5 million people and 3.34 million registered voters, consider the damage that Kentucky has been able to inflict on the country. First elected in 1985 and now in his seventh term, Senator Mitch McConnell, personally changed the balance of the US Supreme Court. Upon the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, as the Senate majority leader, for more than a year McConnell refused to even hold hearings on President Obama’s nominee, Merrick Garland. Conversely, in 2020 he rushed through the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett in record time. With barely 50 percent of the voters under 34 participating, Kentucky has elected two senators who are considerably out of step with modern American society. The second, of course, is the contrarian, Rand Paul, who has frequently made comments that are likely to destroy American democracy. (The FBI is likely to have planted documents in the search of Mar-A-Lago.) While just over two million Kentuckians voted in the 2020 election, about 1,300,000 did not.
As with the recent Supreme Court decision dismembering Roe vs. Wade, it is common for politicians to state that it is appropriate for such decisions to be closer to the voters who select their representatives. While presented as ratiocinative, the reality is significantly different as the deck is definitely stacked against the public sentiment. Theory and practice are nearly antithetical. There are several underlying issues that are strongly biased towards minority rule. Among the most egregious is incessant gerrymandering, that has also been approved by the courts. Equally devastating is the primary system employed by all states. It is well-established that only a tiny fraction of the eligible population actually cast votes during the preliminary rounds. The system is specifically designed to dilute the power of minority groups. That fosters only highly motivated constituents to participate, and with a tendency to advance candidates with the most extreme views.
It is a common and contrite statement for candidates to say that they “trust in the wisdom of the voters.” To be clear, those politicians are either lying or are so ignorant as to be incompetent to hold office. Given gerrymandering, in the vast majority of districts, the candidates have selected their voters and assume they will follow the prescribed team playbook.
If asked, most Americans would state that honor and integrity are among their most highly held values for their representatives. That is demonstrably false. They can say whatever they want but behavior is believable, and their behavior is atrocious as they frequently condemn honesty and integrity. The classic example is the impending primary election in the state of Wyoming. There, Liz Cheney, daughter of Darth, an architect of the ill-advised invasion of Iraq, is trailing significantly behind the Trump-supported nominee, Harriet Hageman, for her seat in Congress. Though bolstered by a very conservative voting record, many of the Wyoming voters have rejected her because of her stand on honor and integrity in joining the January 6 Select Committee (J6) investigating the insurrection at the US Capitol. In so doing, Cheney risked her political future, but did so based on allegiance to honesty and integrity, which she regarded as a higher calling than political gamesmanship.
It is not just Wyoming voters, but the entire hierarchy of the Republican Party that has actively rejected the values of honesty and integrity. While Liz Cheney previously held the number three position in the Republican Party in Congress, as soon as it became clear that she would search for truth regarding the insurrection, the party majority leader, Kevin McCarthy, removed her and inserted a more compliant supplicant, Elise Stefanik.
The voters who elected Kevin McCarthy deserve special attention. Certainly, they cannot value honesty and integrity. An extravagant self-promoter, McCarthy repeatedly has shown himself as malleable as Jell-O in acquiescing to Trump. He has frequently betrayed his constituents as demonstrated by his incongruence over the J6 insurrection in which he initially identified Trump as a responsible agent, then flew to Mar-A-Lago to kiss the ring and Trump’s ass. Note that parts of his district are involved in some of the most sensitive Defense projects, yet without evidence he castigated the FBI for their execution of a search warrant on August 8, 2022. Some of the classified material recovered was similar to that for which many of his constituents unwaveringly protect on a daily basis. (Think Palmdale) McCarthy chose loyalty to Trump over national security, just as he attempted to block bipartisan investigation of the insurrection. Yes, the voters of the 23rd District of California (Kern & Tulare counties) are responsible for continuing to support this abominable sycophant, who, like Trump, cares only about himself.
Not alone, the Republican National Committee (RNC), has become completely subservient to the whims of the Trump base. Facts and morality be damned, routinely the RNC states positions that are antithetical to the American Constitution, and especially the Rule of Law. The primary importance appears to be fundraising which they often centered on lies and fear mongering. Across the nation, and starting at the top, Republicans have a strong anti-integrity bias. Consider the honest Republicans (nearly an oxymoron) who performed their duties as prescribed by law, and their oath of office, and were censured by the Party. You can start with Liz Cheney losing her position as Chair of the House Republican Committee. Soon followed the censures by Republican organizations in various states, including Speaker of the House of Arizona, Rusty Bowers, for not perjuring himself, Governor Brian Kemp and Brad Raffensperger of Georgia, for following the law. There also were censures of Senators Burr in North Carolina and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana for following the evidence in the second Trump impeachment. For the current Republican Party, honesty and integrity are meaningless. The only acceptable value is absolute fealty to their cult leader.
It would be nearly impossible to list all of the inept Republican Members of Congress who appear to have popular support in their districts. Leading that parade would be Louie Gohmert, sometimes known as “the dumbest man in Congress.” Consider this statement, “If You Let Gays in the Military They’ll Massage Each Other And We’ll Be Too Relaxed to Win Wars.” The small towns in his district seem to be fine supporting this bona fide incompetent. Remember Texans also reelected feckless Ted Cruz who praises Trump even after he heard his wife was ugly. Then there is Governor Abbott (the Uvalde wonder).
Like Texas, the Republicans in Arizona appeared to be in league of their own. The people of the gerrymandered Fourth Congressional district elected Paul Gosar who is so bad that even his family campaigned against him. His vast majority white constituents appear to go along with his ridiculous Twitter statements such as, “We must destroy the FBI.” They have Andy Biggs who asked Trump for a pardon because of the J6 activities. Then there were members who pushed the election recount, bringing the Ninja Turtles (sic), only to learn no fraud existed. The AZ GOP is led by Kelli Ward who has been subpoenaed for that fake elector’s scam. Yes, the Republican voters of Arizona bear responsibility for these widespread travesties.
The list would be extensive. Who in Georgia voted for Margorie Taylor Greene; or Lauren Boebert in Colorado (ask her neighbors about this high school graduate)? The clown, Matt Gaetz, from the Pensacola area comes from a heavily military dominated area who should be disgusted by Trump’s antics (Didn’t want wounded vets in his parade as that is a bad image). Of course, the entire state of Florida is governed by DeSantis with his “Don’t say gay” bill and attacks on math books. Like Texas and Arizona, the cosmopolitan areas are outvoted by well… (fill in the blank). The list could be far longer and there appear to be no lower limits to which the GOP might descend, and as the inane comments expand daily.
The U.S has proven to have a very significant low-achieving, non-cerebral constituency. Yes, there are a number of highly educated people who accomplish amazing things. The problem is the troglodytes outnumber us by a considerable margin, and every one of them has equal voting rights. Most of them detest “elites.” You know, people who are also known as people who know things and can accomplish complex tasks. Further, it appears that Republicans must undergo a moral lobotomy as soon as they decide to run for office.
To understand the depth of the problem, one should review any of the many videos posted by Jordan Klepper, a Daily Show contributor, as Trump supporters display an almost unfathomable level of ignorance. Their gullibility is matched only by their inability to process logic.
Democracy demands constant vigilance and an informed electorate. America has neither. Rather, the base of the Republican Party has all of the attributes of a cult including a strong penchant for willful ignorance. The vast majority of the base, as well as many in their leadership, remain impervious to facts and logic. Honesty and integrity have been forsaken and their defining value is unfailing fealty to Trump. The prognosis for the continuation of this Republic is not good. And yes, displaying both ignorance and apathy, the voters across the nation are complicit and share responsibility for this unfortunate state of affairs.