Are elections a necessary component of American citizenship and life? According to Bloomberg opinion editor Tobin Harshaw, not really...
Are elections a necessary component of American citizenship and life? According to Bloomberg opinion editor Tobin Harshaw, not really.
In a recent piece, entitled "2024 Is the Year of Elections and That's a Threat to Democracy," Harshaw tried to argue that elections allowing citizens to vote for a representative government are unnecessary because they do not serve the interests of "democracy." (FACT CHECK: America is a representative republic, not a regular democracy.)
According to Harshaw, the fact that 41 percent of the world's population is having a major election this year – there are over 40 elections scheduled this year for the United States, the United Kingdom and a number of other nations – is not something to celebrate.
"Yay democracy! Right? Not really," Harshaw writes snidely.
In Harshaw's view, too many people these days are voting for "extremist populist parties," usually of the "right-wing variety." This, he claims, is bad for the world and a threat to democracy.
It's all about ousting Trump, of course
It would seem as though the biggest concern on Harshaw's mind as far as elections go is the possibility that Donald Trump might once again win the American election, allowing him to serve a second term.
Harshaw writes that a Trump win would mean that everything is not turning out right, setting a precedent for more such events that threaten his idea of democracy.
The "chances everything turns out alright – somebody other than Trump wins the U.S. presidency; the UK regains its senses [and reverses Brexit]; China is dissuaded from invading its 'rogue province'; the Middle East finds peace; and dictatorships fall left and right," are only about 10 percent, Harshaw argues.
The "liberal world," as he describes it, simply does not have the numbers to succeed in this year's elections. As such, democracy is on the chopping block, according to Harshaw.
"EEK!" the nearly 60-year-old childishly wrote in his article about the situation. "Big Yikes!"
Should Trump win this year, his election is likely to spur other nations and their respective populist parties to see similar victories as ordinary folks all around the world vote for nationalism rather than globalism.
National conservative and populist parties have greatly increased their presence not only in America but also in the European Parliament and the European Union (EU). People everywhere are sick and tired of all the mass migration and illegal invasions taking place particularly in the "white" European world.
The Flemish national presence in the Belgian legislature, for instance, is now so strong that it is possible the country will break apart. There would have been elections in Ukraine this year as well, except for the fact that Volodymyr Zelensky suspended them due to war with Russia.
Taiwan also has elections this year. A victory there for the Democratic Progressive Party stands to increase the chances of a Chinese invasion, which means more war is on the horizon.
Harshaw worries that 2024 "is almost a mirror image of 2016," meaning this is another year where a "black swan" type of political upset appears likely, not just in the U.S. but all around the world.
"The long-shot unthinkables from eight years ago are now the firm favorites, or even just the accepted status quo," wrote John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge about the matter.
President Biden also chimed in about all this in a recent speech at Valley Forge, stating strangely that "democracy is on the ballot" this year.