Quick take: A paradox of democracy

One of the primary questions of the day is as follows:  How much permanent damage is Donald Trump doing to democracy by refusing to concede, lying about who really won the 2020 election, and continuing to file frivolous lawsuits and engage in other tactics?

The short answer is, a lot.

The somewhat longer answer is:  Donald Trump isn't the one doing the damage.  The dupes who are stupid enough to believe him are the ones doing the damage.

As I keep reminding you, Donald Trump is not just a liar.  He has always been an obvious liar, and anyone who can't see through him is, and has always been stupid.  Yes, Donald Trump has enablers.  Republican elected officials continue to back every craven lie he tells, but the lies are so absurd that anyone who believes him is a fool.

So, Donald Trump is undermining democracy by lying.  Again.  It's a day ending in -y."

OK, so what's "democracy?"  As I often remind people, the term is a multifaceted concept, but however we define it, central to democracy is the notion that we make decisions via elections, with an open franchise.  No, don't give me that childish "democracy" vs. "republic" nonsense.  That's junior high school crap.  At the core of democracy is making decisions via an election, with an open franchise.  Is there more?  Sure.  But let's just focus on this for a moment.

The problem is that people are stupid enough to believe Donald Trump.  The concept of democracy, though, is to empower those very people.  The ones... who are too stupid to see through the most obvious, craven, self-serving, vile lies in American history.  These people.  These... are the people whom you want to empower, I guess.

'Cuz otherwise, it ain't no democracy.

The paradox is that democracy requires empowering people who are too stupid for democracy, the empowerment of whom undermines democracy itself.  Why?  Because democracy depends on the consent of the losers, and those who voted for Trump lost.  If they don't accept that loss because they are stupid enough to believe the lie that they won, democracy crumbles.

The problem isn't Trump.  The problem is that paradox.  Stupidity.  Stupidity will get you every time.

Incidentally, I'm actually making the same point as Mike Lee.  I'm just turning it around on him.

Reference:  William Riker, Liberalism Against Populism.