By John Johnson II
Voters are as essential to our republic as the US Constitution is to our democracy. Yet, VALUES are the underlying elements that determine the existence as well as the sustainability/integrity of our “republic.” One’s values are the basic human beliefs that influence a voter’s reasons for identifying with a particular political party as well as casting their sacred ballot for a particular political candidate. Consequently, it’s voters’ values that interact with Voters’ delusions to determine how they’ll vote and to whom they’ll cast their ballots. (Definitions extrapolated from Google’s Oxford Languages).
A voter is “a person who votes or has a legal right to vote.” Delusions (persecutory) definition is, “a person believing conspiratorial threats against them, obstructed from pursuing long-term goals, and holding false beliefs or judgements about external reality despite incontrovertible evidence to the contrary.
To grasp the interactions between voters’ values and delusions, examine the following vignettes (short narrative/stories) using fictitious characters Ted and Susan:
VIGNETTE I: Ted was born into a Christian family that identified as Democrats with progressive values. Susan was born into an Evangelical family that identified as Republican with ultra conservative values. Both Children as adults remain true to their parents’ religion, political affiliation, and values.
It’s important to note that the Democratic and Republican Party offered distinctly different political platforms. Briefly, Ted’s Democrats proffered race inclusivity, Workers’ rights, equal pay, regulations, social programs, equality for all, pro-choice, higher taxes on the rich, champion reproductive and voter’s rights, and defend the US Constitution.
Susan’s Republicans proffered race exclusivity, reduced taxes for the rich, limited govt. regulations, reduced social programs, extended workers’ rights, free market, pro-life, restricted reproductive and voter’s rights. And defended the US Constitution.
The presidential election for 2024 is fast approaching. Ted and Susan must decide to cast their vote for the Democrat or Republican candidate. Using the actual prospective presidential candidates, Biden, and Trump, what will determine their choice of candidates? Will their choice be based on their values or voters’ delusions?
It’s a given that America is a republic rather than a democracy. It’s a “republic” because its citizens vote to elect their representatives. As a democracy, it merely means that the people allow their elected officials to manage, in accordance with the US Constitution. However, to destroy either of these essential political cornerstones would give rise to the collapse of America’s existence as a “republic.”
America’s voters have opportunities to examine their party’s political platform and listen to each candidate’s verbal orations regarding the application and implementation of their policies. Will their values influence them to vote as a Democrat or Republican? Will America’s voters’ values cause them to favor maintaining a democracy or will their delusions cause them to support dismantling it?
VINGETTE II: Trump has publicly stated the following: 1) he wants to be a dictator for a day, 2) wants immunity against prosecution for any crimes committed, 3) wants to shred the Constitution, 4) wants loyalty to him, 5) thinks women are chattel to be, insulted, grabbed and sexually abused, 6) exploits white supremacists’ racism, 7) thinks SCOTUS is his property, 8) proposes dangerous policies for selfish political gains( shutting down government; keeping boarders open), 9) extols racial exclusivity and 10) Braggs he could shoot someone and not lose voters. Do your values align with Trump?
VIGNETTE III: Biden vows the following: 1) will govern in accordance with his oath to the US Constitution, 2) doesn’t seek any immunity not allowed under the Constitution, 3) respects the rights of all individuals, 4) detest white supremacy ideology, 5) doesn’t attempt to divide races, 6) respects decision of SCOTUS, but recognizes its trend towards staunch conservative positions, 7) uses the veto rather than selfish/detrimental tactics to score political victories, 8) extols racial inclusivity, 9) hasn’t bragged about shooting or assaulting anyone, 10) recognizes he’s not immortal. Do your values align with Biden?
VINGETTE IV: Voters’ delusions constitute a serious threat to democracy when millions tend to believe a distorted view of reality. Trump tried to overthrow the 2020 election but failed. Yet he managed to convince millions that he didn’t lose. For MAGA supporters, their reality is that Trump didn’t lose, despite the Courts concluded that he did lose. They also concluded that the lost wasn’t ’ due to fraudulent voting. Is believing that Trump didn’t lose a delusion or beliefs of a white supremacists?
CONCLUSION: America as a “republic” stands at a juxtaposition. Will voters’, such as Ted, values of and for a democracy influence them to identify with a political party that seeks to defend and protect it? Or will voters’ delusions, such as Susan, allow their values and self-serving concept of reality to embrace the Republican party and vote for their potential presidential candidate, Trump, in the 2024 presidential election?
It’s profoundly beyond insanity that America, the most powerful democratic nation in the world, yet remains one of the most racist. Despite surviving the Revolutionary war of 1812, Civil War of 1861, two World Wars, and countless senseless struggles, hatred, bigotry, racism, and the abdominal ideology of white supremacy still divides our nation. The Republican Party and MAGA supporters seek to dismantle democracy simply because it now threatens white supremacy due to social and legislative forces moving it towards a more perfect union.
YOU BE THE JUDGE!
