In the wee hours of this morning, Republican Sen. Mike Lee shared some thoughts on the idea of democracy:
Democracy isn’t the objective; liberty, peace, and prospefity are. We want the human condition to flourish. Rank democracy can thwart that.
— Mike Lee (@SenMikeLee) October 8, 2020
Seems like a reasonable take to us.
This should be the least controversial tweet of all time. https://t.co/eOEL6bkDbG
— David Harsanyi (@davidharsanyi) October 8, 2020
It definitely shouldn’t be controversial … but libs are losing it anyway.
Remember this. https://t.co/nSKDjkKrSd
— Ben Collins (@oneunderscore__) October 8, 2020
and there it is https://t.co/uR8rIil3Qt
— Anne Applebaum (@anneapplebaum) October 8, 2020
There what is? The acknowledgment that pure democracy can actually be bad for liberty, peace, and prosperity?
Remember Putin's implicit promise to Russians: Support me, ignore my corruption, ignore my faked elections, and I will make you prosperous.
And now look – Russians aren't even prosperous. Yet Putin is still in charge.— Anne Applebaum (@anneapplebaum) October 8, 2020
“Democracy isn’t the objective”?
This from a sitting member of the democratically elected US Senate https://t.co/7CEG1eX8OX
— Kasie Hunt (@kasie) October 8, 2020
As Mike Lee makes the case against democracy on Twitter, Trump goes on television to demand the arrest of his political adversaries.
— Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias) October 8, 2020
Republican Senator blurts out that he hates democracy https://t.co/DA0SRCfYVT
— Jonathan Chait (@jonathanchait) October 8, 2020
This is seriously disturbing. Democracy is one reason why we’re free. https://t.co/oRIpWV7LgZ
— Renato Mariotti (@renato_mariotti) October 8, 2020
Is "rank democracy" what you call democracy when you're losing?? https://t.co/UxzaCEVXA8
— Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) October 8, 2020
“democracy isn’t the objective” tells a lot about the Republican Party’s view of 21st century America https://t.co/UmUxwGwJEe
— John Harwood (@JohnJHarwood) October 8, 2020
Lee will defend this with some "actually the founders…" drivel, but what he really means is that whenever deeply unpopular GOP policy preferences and deeply unpopular GOP procedural gamesmanship conflict with democratic principles, Republicans should do what they want. https://t.co/qAFfDqzFoa
— Susan Hennessey (@Susan_Hennessey) October 8, 2020
Your @SenateGOP, ladies and gentleman. Completely coopted by Trumpism. https://t.co/8ZJUIxjSz0
— Daniel Goldman (@danielsgoldman) October 8, 2020
You're a Republican Senator, so of course you hate democracy https://t.co/8mxDUHA6PS
— Ian Boudreau (@iboudreau) October 8, 2020
The very fact of being a Republican in the Senate is anti-democratic
— Ian Boudreau (@iboudreau) October 8, 2020
Utah has as many Senate votes as New York does, it's an insane institution
— Ian Boudreau (@iboudreau) October 8, 2020
Democracy is the objective. It is the only way to bring liberty, peace, and prosperity to all people.
But some people are thwarting democracy, concerned only about securing liberty, peace, and prosperity for themselves. https://t.co/U6XFp9m0OJ
— Ibram X. Kendi (@DrIbram) October 8, 2020
Republicans are now LITERALLY the anti-democracy party. https://t.co/5iM0CI7YUL
— Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta (@malcolmkenyatta) October 8, 2020
I assume that @SenMikeLee speaks for the entire @GOP and White House when he says "Democracy isn't the objective."
If like me you feel Democracy is the objective, VOTE AS EARLY AS YOU CAN!!!
DEMOCRACY IS ON THE LINE!!! https://t.co/kVK6UhBZEa
— Fred Guttenberg (@fred_guttenberg) October 8, 2020
This statement is a violation of his oath to the Constitution of the United States. This man should be removed from office. https://t.co/GhagcNk7be
— Hari Sevugan (@HariSevugan) October 8, 2020
I don’t know what “prospefity” is, but here’s a Republican member of the Senate admitting he views democracy itself as a threat to humanity. https://t.co/VO2hnXT4eb
— Mondaire Jones (@MondaireJones) October 8, 2020
Counterpoint: democracy is the objective, both as something good in itself and because it contributes to other forms of human flourishing. Authoritarianism doesn't contribute to liberty, peace, prosperity etc. https://t.co/yj8jzbSy94
— Jeet Heer (@HeerJeet) October 8, 2020
It sounds like you're planning to suppress some democratic aspects of our government. Which ones, exactly?
— GrahamHarman (@DrZamalek) October 8, 2020
Mike Lee just gave away the game. Republicans know they don’t represent the majority and are completely fine using anti-democratic power grabs to deliver their regressive vision. https://t.co/rQ2uaTzXuQ
— Adam Best (@adamcbest) October 8, 2020
He just…tweeted it out. Every despot in the world has promised liberty, peace, and prosperity. The problem is that without democracy, you can't get rid of them when they don't actually deliver. And then you're stuck with a dictator who provides none of the above. https://t.co/veWQFulRdI
— Brian Klaas (@brianklaas) October 8, 2020
Hating democracy. The engine behind the voter suppression you see happening everywhere the GOP can do it.
Mike Lee just said their loud part louder. https://t.co/PBJzb7bHpU
— Steve Marmel (@Marmel) October 8, 2020
I can't decide what's best about this tweet, the fact that Mike Lee dropped any pretense that Republicans believe in democracy or that his articulation of the assumption that he naturally belongs to the elite ruling class contains a typo. https://t.co/6RGfUUynFO
— Adam Jentleson ? (@AJentleson) October 8, 2020
The Republican Party is a fascist movement and fascist movements believe democracy is a disease that prevents the better, more capable members of society from enacting their “deeper truths.”
They’re literally attacking the idea of free and fair elections. pic.twitter.com/Amf2Io09SZ
— Jared Yates Sexton (@JYSexton) October 8, 2020
Sitting US Senator Mike Lee says you will accept trump's fascism and the *prospefity* that comes with it, and just forget about that stupid ole democracy, it weren't no good for you no hows. https://t.co/jNZw08jPAL
— BrooklynDad_Defiant! (@mmpadellan) October 8, 2020
This tweet sums up where the GOP is. They don't want representative democracy. They want to dig a moat to protect a small unrepresentative body of rulers from the people. https://t.co/Xwa8d7L561
— Ezra Levin (@ezralevin) October 8, 2020
They’re telling you they want to destroy democracy. Are you listening? https://t.co/Z0q40bnkHN
— Adam Parkhomenko (@AdamParkhomenko) October 8, 2020
US Senator @SenMikeLee going full fascista, leaving no mystery where the Republicans are going: brutal white minoritarian rule, enforced by violence. pic.twitter.com/E8VyMQ7EzT
— Bill Corbett (@BillCorbett) October 8, 2020
Don't come at me with the very tired "we're not a democracy we're a republic" talking point. It's dumb as hell and a bad faith argument.@SenMikeLee is an open fascist now anyway. He and the GOP don't care about any system or value except their own power and money. Know this.
— Bill Corbett (@BillCorbett) October 8, 2020
But it’s not just a “talking point,” Bill. It’s actually how it works.
Fun to watch Democrats attack an idea as 'norm busting' from @SenMikeLee that Madison, before he was President, wrote in…1787.https://t.co/EVZ1XEWoAP
— Pradheep J. Shanker (@Neoavatara) October 8, 2020
The ignorance is staggering. https://t.co/cvh9WKMc7u
— Pradheep J. Shanker (@Neoavatara) October 8, 2020
May the dunking on this completely correct tweet remind us all that the most pressing issue before us is giving families options to get out of anti-American public schools that don’t teach them anything positive or useful about their own country. https://t.co/rm9hIdUACY
— Inez Stepman ⚪️?⚪️ (@InezFeltscher) October 8, 2020
I'm so glad I had civics in high school and can understand how tired and silly this argument is ? https://t.co/hVJlu6S9xd
— Persnickety (@Dawnsfire) October 8, 2020
I mean, this is why the 'norm busting' argument from Dems has been so disingenuous.
Its not that they are against norm busting, per se.
They are against norm busting by anyone other than Democrats.
— Pradheep J. Shanker (@Neoavatara) October 8, 2020
All this shows is how disingenuous these people are.
Either that…or they are ignorant. Its one or the other. You guys can decide which. https://t.co/SAeMbOnKTc
— Pradheep J. Shanker (@Neoavatara) October 8, 2020
Again, disingenuous or ignorant. You pick. https://t.co/4xtAeudyLL
— Pradheep J. Shanker (@Neoavatara) October 8, 2020
The replies to this are from a mob of people who are either really dumb or lazy AF.
Yes, the tyranny of the majority can destroy liberty, peace, and prosperity. https://t.co/MYH80f0YFb
— ₿ Michelle Ray ₿ (@RagnarsMate) October 8, 2020
And by the way:
Virtually everyone who is going to dunk on this has a long list of Supreme Court cases they think rightly thwarted the popular will. https://t.co/Vw10vUzkYM
— Megan McArdle (@asymmetricinfo) October 8, 2020
Oh, we have no doubt.
Editor’s note: This post has been updated with additional tweets.
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