The January/February issue of The Atlantic warns that Donald Trump, in 2024, may bring about a "democratic collapse."  Hillary Clinton, the other day, predicted the end of democracy in 2024 with the re-election of Mr. Trump.  And David Leonhardt, in the Pravda-aping New York Times, offers a preview of "America's Anti-Democratic Movement."

Clearly, the left has started to fire opening salvos of propaganda to mislead the American people into believing that the Republicans — not the Democrats — present the clear and present threat to what Madison, in Federalist No. 57, called the spirit of American freedom.

Writes Leonhardt, quite falsely, "An antidemocratic movement, inspired by former President Donald J. Trump, but much larger than him, is making significant progress."  Consider this baseless allegation as an expansion of the lie that Mr. Trump inspired racism, or Islamophobia, or misogyny.  Simply stated, leftists who are unable to respond with convincing arguments against Trumpian common sense shriek out in terms of irrational, hysterical polemics.

Leonhardt quickly presents the matter of Liz Cheney as his first example of this "antidemocratic movement."  "In the House, Republicans ousted Liz Cheney from a leadership position because she called out Mr. Trump's lies."  This, of course, is the lie.  Cheney was removed, by vote of the House GOP conference (a democratic procedure, mind you), because she voted to impeach a former president whom she denounced as a threat to the Republic — that is to say, she mindlessly parroted an extreme leftist talking point, the kind of point that has become de rigueur propaganda for Democrats.  How long would a Democrat remain in his leadership post after denouncing Nancy Pelosi for the actual threat to democracy she represents by her imperialistic, inquisitorial, unconstitutional methods of governance?

What does Leonhardt regard as threats to democracy?  Measures to ensure that voting will be on the up and up, not tainted by ballot-stuffing, ballot-harvesting, multiple-voting by individuals.  What does Leonhardt consider anti-democracy?  Voter ID laws, would you believe?  Are voter ID laws more intrusive than the new requirement in New York City that to sit down in a restaurant, the patron must show proof of COVID-19 vaccination?  (I was barred from sitting down in Ben's Kosher Restaurant in Manhattan, December 14, because I left my vaccination card at home.)  My local post office substation requires a photo ID to make a financial transaction.  Common sense advises that fraud in voting is more likely than not where proof of identity is not required.

The inanity of Leonhardt's specious argument is evident by this reference to a change in procedure in Pennsylvania: "Republicans are trying to amend the state's Constitution to make the secretary of state an elected position, rather than one that the governor appoints."  Imagine: Leonhardt sees the election of the secretary of state in Pennsylvania as a threat to democracy.

But this makes clear what the leftist hue and cry about threats to democracy is all about.  For Democrats, the vote of the people to return Donald J. Trump to the White House on January 20, 2025 (or any Republican, for that matter) is against democracy because, for Democrats, democracy happens only with the election of...an authoritarian-minded Democrat who gains office by demonizing Republican candidates, to the point of political warfare, not fair competition.

To this, I would add a criticism of Republicans.  Democrats well know that Donald J. Trump is different from the traditional, flexible Republican because he does not crumble in the face of leftist political assault.  Democrats, I submit, are confident that the more they demonize Republicans, the more Republicans will tremble and buckle, letting the left walk all over them — when they do not rush to join the leftist assault in the manner of a Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger.

And so, this is not so much to denounce Democrats for the political charlatans they have become, but to appeal to Republicans to close ranks behind a steadfast, conservatively populist leader like Donald Trump for an obvious reason: to prevent the radical leftists from destroying our democratic institutions.  Republicans — nay, the American people should have learned by now: where the Democrats prevail, free speech, dissent, the essentials of liberty, dies.  And that is what truly informs "America's Anti-Democratic Movement."  If Mr. Leonhardt were an honest reporter, he would have acknowledged that the Republican Party is, today, the true, and only, party of American freedom.

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