Source: The Salt Lake Tribune
During Wednesday’s vice president debate, Kamala Harris accused Mike Pence and the Donald Trump administration of curtailing democratic rights through authoritarian means. In response, Mike Lee, Utah’s senior senator, tweeted, “We’re not a democracy.”
After several hours of backlash, Lee doubled down: “Democracy isn’t the objective,” he further tweeted; “liberty, peace, and prospefity [sic] are. We want the human condition to flourish. Rank democracy can thwart that.”
It has become common in recent years to hear Americans, especially those of a conservative bent, proclaim that America was founded as a “republic,” not a “democracy.” The argument is one based on a superficial understanding of political philosophy and buttressed by a partisan agenda.
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Categories: Good governance, Mormonism