Ash writes: "Minority rule is by its very nature authoritarian. If power is not truly derived from the people - a majority of the people - then that power is exercised in defiance of the people."
Social unrest in the Trump era is growing. (photo: Twitter/Unknown)
28 September 20
inority rule is by its very nature authoritarian. If power is not truly derived from the people – a majority of the people – then that power is exercised in defiance of the people.
Four times in American history a candidate has won the presidency without a popular majority. In each instance it was a Republican, never a Democrat. In the first 20 years of this young 21st century, twelve of those years have seen the nation led by a president who could not win a majority from the American voters.
The result has been a degree of social division and unrest not seen in the country since the post Civil War era, which was the moment in history when the other two Republican minority presidents captured the White House.
Minority rule is fundamentally antithetic to American core values. The Declaration of Independence was at its foundation a pronouncement of self-determination. The idea that there should be “no taxation without representation” was a defining ideology of the Revolution.
Our perception or interpretation of the intent of the Framers seems to be a never-ending work in progress. Did they really intend that presidents serve without having won the popular election? After their bout with King George III, that would seem unimaginable. Nonetheless, we have found ourselves governed by not one but two presidents without majority support. What could go wrong?
Once the door to minority rule is opened, those who enjoy its power may not want to relinquish it. See current events for more on this. In addition, if the majority is ruled by the minority, this leads to social unrest – as evidenced by developments in Portland, Kenosha, Louisville, and hundreds of other emerging hotspots around the country. Minority rule imposes a lack of social order and naturally fosters social unrest.
There were concerns in 2015 as Donald Trump’s campaign for president began to get rolling that the tone of his rhetoric could, or perhaps was even intended to, lead to civil war. We are not there yet, but we can see that place from here.
Amy Coney Barrett and the frantic rush job to install her as the 2020 presidential election process is in full swing is another deliberate step toward constitutional nullification, minority rule, and social chaos.
The time has come for the minority to feel the full weight of the majority. Simply standing aside as the Constitution is trampled makes those who take no action complicit with those who transgress.
Should a state like Wyoming, with a population of roughly 600,000, stand in full parity in the selection of a Supreme Court Justice as a state like California, whose population stands at 40 million and has the fifth largest economy in the world? Or is the better question how long will California, New York, Illinois, and other states whose major population centers are fundamentally impacted by the imposition of the will of small rural states stand for the intrusion.
When do the major population and economic centers of the US begin to act like it? When do the citizens of those areas begin to demand it? Small, rural minority states can only control large, populous, economically powerful states if the larger states are docile and compliant.
The strength and power of the larger states can be exercised effectively without undue strife, but the process must begin in earnest and with immediacy.
Marc Ash is the founder and former Executive Director of Truthout, and is now founder and Editor of Reader Supported News.
Reader Supported News is the Publication of Origin for this work. Permission to republish is freely granted with credit and a link back to Reader Supported News.
