Extinguishing the World’s Oldest Democratic Project

Under the presidency of Donald Trump, America’s most venerable institutions have been compromised or attacked and its values questioned. The assertion seems risible: the United States, the world’s lone superpower, the most powerful military in the world, the world’s oldest democracy with multi-layered, carefully developed institutions purposely designed to nurture and protect its democracy? Who could even think the possibility? It’s absurd.

But let’s consider. Let’s look at those institutions, starting with the largest and purportedly soundest, the American public. Someone intending to undermine America’s democracy would first have to convince Americans to elect him or her. How does anyone accomplish such a massive feat? Well, not all Americans need convincing because not all Americans vote. In 2016, about 56% of the voting age population actually cast a ballot. The US ranks in the bottom quartile of Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development democracies for voter participation.

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