“Democracy Dies in Darkness.”
This saying can be found at the top of every printed edition of The Washington Post, and while it may seem like a bold statement, it couldn’t be more accurate.
The Post adopted the slogan as its motto in February 2017 shortly after President Donald Trump was sworn into office after winning the 2016 election. It marked the first time the publication had a “motto” or “slogan” in its over 140 year-long history, and at the time, the move was seen as unprecedented.
The phrase (which allegedly was coined by legendary journalist Bob Woodward) has become a self-fulfilling prophecy in today’s American political world. Politicians have continued to attack the rights of Americans — from the ability to have access to reproductive healthcare to targeting queer and trans youth through public policy.
Both parties — Republicans and Democrats alike — are guilty of pandering to their bases, willing to ignore facts or risk legal ramifications just to “protect their best interests.” Democracy goes beyond surface-level two-party politics — it’s the life force of this nation, and if we continue to go down the path of division and hate, democracy is as good as dead.
The History of the Two Party System
So why, exactly, do we have a two party system?
The Constitution has no mention of political parties at all, and believe it or not, it was done intentionally. Most of the founding fathers agreed having a party-based political system would be a detriment to the life of the United States — Alexander Hamilton called parties the “most fatal disease” among popular governments, and even George Washington warned of the impact parties could have.
But in the early days of American politics, there were two “camps:” Federalists, led by Hamilton; and Anti-Federalists (or Democratic-Republicans) headed up by Thomas Jefferson. The main issue these two factions disagreed on was the federal government’s role in relation to its power over the states’ governments, with Jefferson famously believing in a “laissez-faire” or hands-off style of governing and Hamilton standing for a more institutionalized, structured federal government.
Fast forward to the election of 1824 when John Quincy Adams won the presidency despite receiving fewer votes in the popular election than Andrew Jackson (sound familiar?). As a result of the loss, Jackson’s supporters created a new political party based on Jefferson’s philosophy, calling themselves the Democratic Party. Those who opposed the Democratic platform became known as the Whig Party, in which they typically preferred a more centralized government. However, the Whigs collapsed in the 1850s and from it, the anti-slavery Republican Party was born.
The Republican and Democratic parties have since remained the two major political parties in the United States, though both have gone through different shifts in their beliefs over the years. Today’s Democrats mirror the Federalists while today’s Republicans tend to lean toward what the Anti-Federalists claimed to believe in, a complete reversal of the parties’ original stances.
Democrats v. Republicans: who stands for democracy?
The ideological shift between the two parties has become even more evident in recent decades, especially after the turn of the century. Some experts cite the election of Barack Obama as the beginning of a more divisive time in American politics.
Obama often spoke of bipartisanship and its importance for maintaining democracy, but it was evident he would become a divisive figure for some Americans. Supporters would argue Obama was the best president in the history of the United States. Oppositionists would say he was the beginning of the end of American ideals as a whole.
According to a poll conducted by Gallup after Obama left office, “56 percent of Americans said they had trust and confidence in their fellow citizens when it comes to making decisions in our democratic process. In 2009, 73 percent had such trust and confidence.”
That lack of trust during the Obama administration — specifically from white, middle class Americans — led to an election that forever changed the trajectory of the United States and the Republican Party.
Donald J. Trump made his way down the infamous golden escalator in Trump Tower in New York City on June 16, 2015, where he announced his campaign for president. A year and a half later, he secured 270 electoral college votes and was named the president elect, despite not winning the popular vote.
Trump’s administration was riddled with scandal after scandal, including (but not limited to) separating migrant children and placing them in cage-like camps, banning trans folks from enlisting in the military, not one but two impeachments and encouraging his supporters to “stand up” against what Trump called a “stolen election,” ultimately resulting in the January 6 Insurrection.
Many have called Trump’s politics “authoritarian” and “a threat to democracy,” including current President Joe Biden, who defeated Trump in 2020’s election.
“Instead of playing politics with the issue, instead of telling members of Congress to block this legislation, join me or I’ll join you in telling the Congress to pass this bipartisan border security bill,” Biden said earlier this month during his State of the Union address. “We can do it together … So instead of playing politics with the issue, why don’t we just get together and get it done? Unless you remember who the heck you work for. We work for the American people, not the Democratic Party [or] the Republican Party.”
Looking at 2024
Almost four years ago, Biden and Trump went head-to-head to win the seat in the Oval Office, and this election is set to be a rematch, but this time, the stakes are higher than ever.
Though Trump left office in 2020, his legacy continues to plague the lives of the everyday American. He was able to nominate and swear-in three U.S. Supreme Court justices, giving the court a conservative majority for the first time in decades. Because of that, Roe v. Wade — a landmark court case which guaranteed the right for people to have a choice regarding abortions — was overturned, marking the first time in American history the Supreme Court gave and then took away a constitutional right.
The former president also emboldened those with bigoted views, specifically regarding the LGBTQ+ community. There’s been a wave of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation across the country from Republican politicians, including in North Carolina where the Republican-led General Assembly has passed a multiple anti-gay laws, including our own version of Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
It’s become clear the Republican Party has strayed from focusing on saving democracy and has become completely loyal to the ideas of one somewhat successful businessman (although that itself is questionable). Proof of this can be found in the official National Republican Party’s platform from 2020, where it explicitly states where their allegiances lie.
“The RNC, had the Platform Committee been able to convene in 2020, would have
undoubtedly unanimously agreed to reassert the Party’s strong support for President Donald
Trump and his Administration,” it states. “The 2020 Republican National Convention calls on the media to engage in accurate and unbiased reporting, especially as it relates to the strong support of the RNC for President Trump and his Administration; and any motion to amend the 2016 Platform or to adopt a new platform, including any motion to suspend the procedures that will allow doing so, will be ruled out of order.”
Democracy is defined to be “a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives,” according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary. It’s clear the Republican Party is shifting its ideology once again, but this time, it’s heading toward a world where one man’s ideas are the law of the land. America needs to shine a light on this clear shift and show the rest of the world we’re better than a party who attacks its own people. Otherwise, democracy will die in darkness.