A while back I posted a column in which I suggested that the current Republican party should more appropriately adopt the hippopotamus rather than the elephant as their symbol and hence forth be known as ‘hippocrats,’ or ‘hypocrats’, if you prefer, given their ongoing penchant for hypocrisy in virtually everything they do. They claim to be ‘patriots’ and yet their actions are universally working to undermine American democracy.
Just as a reminder, the definition of democracy according to Merriam-Webster is: “a government by the people; especially rule of the majority”, or “a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections.” It seems straightforward, but the Republican party continues to demonstrate they do not believe in democracy in America. That should concern everyone.
In several states where the Republicans control the state legislature, they are working very hard to keep people from having a voice through various actions such as more restrictive voter laws under the guise of election security and making it very difficult for citizens to place issues on the ballot for the entire electorate to vote on. In Mississippi, “a proposal passed Wednesday by the Mississippi House would ban residents from placing abortion initiatives on the statewide ballot. Mississippi has among the toughest abortion restrictions in the country, with the procedure banned except to save the life of the woman or in cases of rape or incest”1 These actions fly in the face of democratic processes but tells us all we need to know about the current Republican party.
The Republicans clearly understand that many of the policies they push are widely unpopular with the general electorate. If that were not the case, they would do everything in their power to expand access to elections and make it easier for citizens to put initiatives on the ballot. The Republicans are universally doing exactly the opposite. One can only conclude they are not supportive of democracy but are more interested in pushing their own, widely unpopular agenda.
The simple fact is we are rapidly approaching a country where the minority rules rather than the majority. A prime example of a country governed by minority rule is South Africa prior to the end of apartheid. The white minority clearly ruled the country even though they were a small percentage of the population. This is the aim of the white, Christian nationalists and MAGA Republicans who seem to have taken over the Republican party.
The Republicans continue to spew rhetoric about the threats the Democrats pose to democracy when, in fact, they are by far one of the biggest threats to democracy this country has ever seen. Not only are they falling in line behind a person who has been found guilty of sexual assault and fraud, has actively tried to overthrow a legitimately elected government, and cozied up to America’s enemies like Vladimar Putin, but they are continuing to abuse the legislative processes to restrict voting and pack the courts.
People should understand that the most lethal land animal in Africa is not the lion, the cheetah, or the hyena, it is the hippopotamus. The hippo is responsible for more deaths in Africa than any other land mammal. It seems somewhat harmless as it bobs along the lake or river bottom innocently eating plants. The fact is, however, it is the biggest threat to humans. Likewise, the Republican party, regardless of its innocent sounding rhetoric, is by far the biggest threat to this country today.
