Alfonse D'Amato

Is American democracy being redefined?

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The Greek philosopher Plato once told us, “Democracy is born from tyranny.” Centuries later, more philosophers and great American thinkers have redefined the American version of democracy.

In a thought-provoking article in New York magazine, author Andrew Sullivan pointed out that Plato was referring to the fact that “tyranny is probably established out of no other regime than democracy.” He goes on to say that when a democracy is “fully ripe,” a tyrant can also seize the moment.

What happens when a tumultuous political environment threatens the very principles of our democracy and independence?

The political environment in America right now is volatile. Out of over 300 million Americans, we have chosen Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton as the two people to compete to be our next president. I cannot tell you the number of people who have told me that they feel as if they are choosing between the lesser of two evils. My friends are questioning America’s future.

On the Republican side we have Trump, a politically inexperienced real estate tycoon known for his vast wealth and brash Hollywood personality.

Then there’s Clinton, a Democrat, a career politician, currently under investigation by a Democratic administration and the FBI for use of a private email server while she was secretary of state. It’s no longer a question as to whether or not Hillary broke the law; Americans now want to know what classified information was being discussed in those emails.

This year’s primaries have made it clear that democracy and American society have evolved to the point that it no longer takes political experience or the support of your party to be successful in politics. The Republican establishment is still lagging behind in its support of Trump. On Capitol Hill, House Speaker Paul Ryan said last week that he wasn’t ready to support Trump, and reiterated that Trump didn’t have the support of his peers in Washington.

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