Despite what you may commonly hear, the US was not intended to be a democracy. James Madison crafted the Constitution specifically to defend against “mob rule” through direct democracy. And we should be thankful for that. As Marvin Simkin wrote in the Los Angeles Times in 1992, “Democracy is not freedom. Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to eat for lunch. Freedom comes from the recognition of certain rights which may not be taken, not even by a 99% vote.”
1. It fuels growth of government.
Do you know how libertarians always have to worry about how they phrase their desires to shrink government and return to our founding principles? It is because of this very problem. Most Americans don’t want to hear about how you’re going to cut the budget and eliminate services to which they’ve become accustomed. It is for this reason that Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security have become the “third rail” of politics, even though they take up a ginormous part of the budget. Even think about partially modifying popular (and unsustainable) social programs, and you will soon see yourself in an attack ad pushing a grandmother off a cliff.
2. It just becomes one giant popularity contest.
Most people don’t want to hear about the tax plan you spent years perfecting or how you plan to bring peace in the Middle East. They want to know if you’re someone with whom they can envision themselves having a beer. Or maybe someone who they think can spell “potato(e).” They might even want to know if you regularly wear an American flag lapel pin. Perhaps the best leaders might not always necessarily be the “coolest” people.
3. It favors populist sentiment over nuanced solutions.
Want to hear a candidate discuss the complex reasoning behind why the minimum wage disparately impacts low-skilled, minority and younger workers? How about instead if we just get #RaiseTheWage trending on Twitter? More often than not, government issues are not simply solved with answers that contain only a few words. However, if one wishes to win a campaign, that is exactly what kinds of policy positions must be proposed. This thinking was a central tenet of the successful 2008 Obama campaign: the reasons he presented as to why he should be President were able to be summed up in 4 words: “Change” and “Yes We Can.”
4. It encourages divisiveness.
Of all the studies and statistics, the easiest way to predict who someone is going to vote for is to ask them their political affiliation. Simply put, Republicans vote R, and Democrats vote D. As has been repeatedly stated over the years, divisiveness over political labels seems to be at an all-time high due to this interpretation of politics as some kind of “team sport.” Politicians and private citizens alike cling to their party’s platform, decry their opposition and defend every action that someone “of their kind” takes. Meanwhile, those in Washington unite to grow government at our expense.
5. There are no rewards for knowledge.
You spent the last six months closely researching the issues and coming to a final conclusion in regards to the election. You receive one vote. Meanwhile, someone else decided that they will vote for the first person that appears alphabetically on the ballot. They also receive one vote. All people should be treated equally under the law. However, this should not necessarily make us rush to the conclusion that all opinions should be treated equally as well. We certainly don’t do this in the private sphere, so why would we not use the same judgment when selecting our leaders?
6. It lends itself to corporatism.
In order to win a modern election, a large amount of money is usually a necessity. Therefore, politicians must go to millionaires and billionaires to beg for such funds. While these wealthy individuals have every right to participate in the political process, it seems too often that these politicians become beholden to these same special interests once they are elected. Eventually, this leads to corporatism and the elite using the power of the government to do their bidding.
7. It breeds corruption.
There is one simple way to continue to get re-elected in the House or Senate: by bringing home the bacon. Earmarks have become the norm in Washington, as politicians are willing to make concessions in order to maintain popular projects in their states. One of the most infamous examples is an airport in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, built with funds appropriated by former Congressman John Murtha. The airport received more than $150 million in federal funding, despite serving less than 30 people a day. The result? Murtha, who assumed his Congressional seat in 1974, was re-elected over and over again to the House until his death in 2010.
8. It is not friendly to minority rights and opinions.
There are numerous cases throughout American history of majorities imposing their wills through the force of government. Japanese-Americans were placed in prison camps, Jim Crow laws treated black Americans as second-class citizens and gay Americans are prevented from marrying their partners, all due to a general consensus among the citizenry that such action is just. Some wrongly seem to suggest that certain rights are only for those groups which we favor. This is a much easier case to make when those involved are radical and hateful groups. However, the Constitution and the principles of republicanism are designed to protect those ideas and individuals which may be unpopular at any given time.
9. There is a lack of accountability.
“You didn’t vote? Well then I guess you can’t complain!” We’ve all heard this refrain over and over. But does that really make any sense? Why should we expect our natural rights to be continued only if we participate? Meanwhile, as the state grows ever larger, we are given few options as to how fix any situations. Don’t like what’s going on? Vote for the other party! That is, unless, you think the other party might be worse. Then, just hold your nose and keep the current person. And anyways, who is there to even blame when things are going poorly? It just depends upon who you’re listening to.
10. Leaders are driven purely by a desire for votes.
Do you think that President Obama chose to legalize millions of undocumented immigrants because it was the right thing to do, or was it because demographics suggest that this would be politically expedient for his political party? In the same vein, the President is now suggesting mandating voting, not long after his party’s base did not turn out in the 2014 elections, and Congressional Democrats took a beating. Lastly, across the country (and particularly on college campuses), liberal groups love spending their time registering people to vote. This may seem like a benevolent and harmless act, but it is a carefully calculated strategy. They may also register conservatives and Republicans, but the odds are in their favor that the more people they register, the better it is for the Democratic Party. All of these policies together suggest just one way in which a democratic system can incentivize politicians to view people as numbers, rather than human beings.