When the founders of this country designed the American Republic, something we're grateful for obviously, not everyone was impressed by it at the time. Much of Europe scoffed at the idea, not just because they were monarchists, though many of them were free-thinking people of the time.
Contemporary liberals were worried it wouldn't work. They didn't think it would. They thought that democracy was an inherently weak system. At some point, they believed, unscrupulous politicians would come to power, change the rules in their favor and establish a one-party state. What began as government by the people inevitably would become tyranny. That's what they said at the time. It has not happened.
For more than two centuries, this country has relied on our institutions -- our brilliantly designed and remarkably durable institutions -- to survive as an intact democracy. And we have, through a Civil War, two World Wars, the Great Depression, 9/11 and more. All of those events put great stress on our system. None of them broke it.
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Then came 2016. Donald Trump's election has convinced many on the left that our institutions no longer work. They must be torched and replaced by a system that will prevent Trump and anyone like Trump from ever being elected again. That's their goal, and they're starting with the judiciary.
Would the public still have trust in the court once it becomes an arm of the Democratic Party? Well the feeling among Democrats is "Who cares what they think?" How people feel is not a concern for the Democratic Party right now. They want their power back now and forever, and that's why we're hearing calls to abolish the Electoral College.
At least four leading Democratic presidential candidates have suggested packing the Supreme Court of the United States -- enlarging its size, adding more Democratic appointees, making it explicitly political. A tool of elected officials, rather than an independent branch of government. Elizabeth Warren explains that changing the court is a form of revenge for the crime of having a Republican president. "First, they steal a Supreme Court seat, then they turn around and change the rules on filibuster on a Supreme Court seat," she has said. "And so when it swings back around to us, what are we going to do? My answer on that is -- all the options are on the table."
Well, apparently Cory Booker got the same talking point. The left is not in charge of everything at the moment, therefore, the Supreme Court is illegitimate. He says he wants to "explore a lot of options" and wants a "national conversation" on term limits for Supreme Court justices, maybe give every president the ability to choose three justices.
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Keep in mind that for a century and a half, the court has been limited to nine justices and by the way, it has worked just fine. Some of the court's decisions have been wise, others have been misguided, some have been appalling. But Americans still generally trust that the court is a real institution. It's on the level. And that trust in the court and other institutions keeps this country stable.
Would the public still have trust in the court once it becomes an arm of the Democratic Party? Well the feeling among Democrats is "Who cares what they think?" How people feel is not a concern for the Democratic Party right now. They want their power back now and forever, and that's why we're hearing calls to abolish the Electoral College.
State by state, Democrats have already been working to circumvent electors and award the presidency to the winner of the national popular vote. Democratic presidential candidates strongly approve.
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Still, the fact is the Electoral College does not favor one party or another -- and hasn't in history. In 2012, for example, it favored the Democrats. If that election had been tied in the popular vote, Barack Obama still would have won. The Electoral College keeps the country from becoming a colony of California, Chicago and New York. It demonstrates that America is a union of equal states, not a collection of provinces that revolve around a few powerful cities. The Electoral College also discourages the rise of factional parties that dominate only a small portion of the country.
We could go on. But the best argument for keeping the Electoral College is pretty simple: For 230 years, it has worked, better than any other country systems in history. But because it didn't help the left win a presidential election two years ago, they want it gone forever, and along with it, any restrictions at all on who can vote -- violent felons, illegal aliens and even children. That's the new Democratic coalition. Whatever it takes.
The Supreme Court, the Electoral College, voting restricted to citizens -- burn it all down. What else stands in the way of the left's quest for power? Well, let's see. How about the Senate? Left-wing intellectuals are already arguing the Senate should be abolished. The border? Well, the left is already telling us it's immoral to defend our border. The First and Second Amendments? They hate those. They are speed bumps on the way to total control. They are relics of a lesson late in time.
Our newly packed Supreme Court could get rid of them -- and maybe they will. But keep in mind that once your institutions have disappeared, it's nearly impossible to rebuild them.
Adapted from Tucker Carlson's monologue from "Tucker Carlson Tonight" on March 19, 2019.
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