Are Republicans the only ones abandoning democracy?
The best opinion columns don't aim to win an argument. They inspire fresh thinking.
Judged by that standard, Ross Douthat's latest column in The New York Times is a great one. Taking off from the conventional wisdom contained in a quote from former Obama White House speechwriter Ben Rhodes — that one of America's two major parties "no longer accepts democracy" — Douthat goes on to show how this idea simplifies and distorts a more complex reality.
Turning first to the right, Douthat acknowledges that skepticism about mass democracy has deep roots in several of its constituent factions, including blue-blood defenders of aristocratic privileges, libertarians suspicious of popular majorities infringing individual rights, opponents of ethnically based urban machine politics (including their well-documented historic willingness to engage in election fraud, as at the notorious Tammany Hall), and racist supporters of white privileges.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Yet Douthat notes that the modern right includes pro-democracy strands as well, growing out of Richard Nixon's and Ronald Reagan's landslide victories as much as the ideological conviction that the post-Reaganite defense of traditional morals, capitalist growth, and a strong national defense represents the true sentiments of the American majority.
Viewing former President Donald Trump's effort to overturn the 2020 election against the backdrop of this intricate constellation of views, Douthat asserts that Trump's lies should be understood as "a way to reconcile the two competing tendencies within conservatism, the intellectual right's skepticism of mass democracy and comfort with countermajoritarian institutions with the populist right's small-d democratic self-image."
That's illuminating, reminding us that however delusional the conviction was, Trump justified his coupish moves in the name of democracy, claiming that in reality he really did prevail in the election. Only the ruthlessness and corruption of his opponents, he said, made it seem otherwise.
Having complicated the conservative side of the story, Douthat then turns to progressives, showing how their unconditional defense of democratic norms and ideals sits uneasily with an equally firm conviction that in broad areas of political life credentialed experts ought to be empowered to make decisions, even (or especially) when they countermand majority opinion.
Some will say Douthat goes too easy on the Trumpified Republican Party, excusing its unconstitutional power grab and downplaying the distinctive threat it still poses to the American polity. Such critics have a point, but they miss the real value in Douthat's column, which can be found in its provocative reframing of familiar categories and assumptions.
The column made me think. And that's more than I can say about most examples of opinion journalism these days.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Damon Linker is a senior correspondent at TheWeek.com. He is also a former contributing editor at The New Republic and the author of The Theocons and The Religious Test.
-
6 charming homes for the whimsical
Feature Featuring a 1924 factory-turned-loft in San Francisco and a home with custom murals in Yucca Valley
By The Week Staff Published
-
Big tech's big pivot
Opinion How Silicon Valley's corporate titans learned to love Trump
By Theunis Bates Published
-
Stacy Horn's 6 favorite works that explore the spectrum of evil
Feature The author recommends works by Kazuo Ishiguro, Anthony Doerr, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Will Trump's 'madman' strategy pay off?
Today's Big Question Incoming US president likes to seem unpredictable but, this time round, world leaders could be wise to his playbook
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
As DNC chair race heats up, what's at stake for Democrats?
IN THE SPOTLIGHT Desperate to bounce back after their 2024 drubbing, Democrats look for new leadership at the dawn of a second Trump administration
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Hegseth boosts hopes for confirmation amid grilling
Speed Read The Senate held confirmation hearings for Pete Hegseth, Trump's Defense Secretary nominee
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Jimmy Carter lies in state as 3-day DC farewell begins
Speed Read The 39th president died on Dec. 29 at the age of 100
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Why are (some) Democrats backing DOGE?
Today's Big Question Elon Musk's cost-cutting task force gets bipartisan flavor
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Palestinians and pro-Palestine allies brace for Trump
TALKING POINTS After a year of protests, crackdowns, and 'Uncommitted' electoral activism, Palestinian activists are rethinking their tactics ahead of another Trump administration
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
What would a constitutional convention look like?
In the Spotlight There's no precedent, raising fears of a 'runaway convention'
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Will Jimmy Carter's one-term presidency be viewed more favorably after his death?
Today's Big Question Carter's time in the White House has always played second fiddle to his post-presidency accomplishments
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published