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The phrase threat to democracy has been thrown around a lot lately.

New voting rules in states like Georgia and Texas have been described that way, and also described as Jim Crow 2.0. People supporting the new rules have been compared to the likes of virulent segregationists George Wallace, Lester Maddox and Bull Connor.

Not long after all of that hyperbole and specious claims of racism, Georgia voters turned out in record numbers, and compared to the 2018 midterms the vote count was up by about 168%. So much for claims of voter suppression. The showing was a comeuppance for Major League Baseball, other corporate virtue signalers, and federal attempts to nationalize voting rules.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams now has an uphill battle. A good starting point might be to finally concede her previous election defeat as caused by something other than voter suppression. That stuff is just Donald Trump 2.0.

There are, however, real threats to our democracy to which we should be paying attention, and January 6 was one of them. One of our nations most longstanding traditions is the voluntary and peaceful transfer of power. It is that crucial distinction that separates us from dictatorial regimes of which the world has far too many; 21st century countries with anachronistic governance that belongs in the dustbin of history.

George Washington led by example by relinquishing the Presidency after two terms, even though the two-election limit would not be imposed until the Truman administration with the passage of the 22nd Amendment.

President Donald Trump was not, and is not, willing to concede his obvious defeat in 2020, even stating in the months leading up to that election that the only way he could lose was if there was widespread voter fraud. The fact that he lost confirmed, in his mind, his prediction, and he continued the Stop the Steal rhetoric to the point that he was trying to get election officials to find votes, and pressuring Vice President Mike Pence to violate his oath to the Constitution by refusing to accept the electoral votes from states Trump wanted to contest.

The result was a whipping to a frenzy of conspiracy theorists, true believers and sunshine patriots who descended on the nations capital and rioted. The rest is history. Such a thing must never happen again.

It is hard to believe that anything equal to or worse than that could happen so soon, but it has beginning when the Senate Majority Leader, Chuck Schumer, stood in front of the Supreme Court and, with clenched fist, raised the specter of Justices Gorsuch and Kavanaugh reaping the whirlwind and paying the price for their decisions. Threats to pack the Court emanated from Congressional Democrats, and those threats continue.

Now, with respect to the Roe v. Wade decision, we have demonstrations and pure harassment outside the homes of targeted Supreme Court Justices, including a viable death threat. All of that craziness is a threat to democracy. It threatens the independence of the judiciary, the separation of powers and the balance of power. The Supreme Court must not become a vassal to a Congressional majority.

Do we really want to live in a country where justices, judges, juries, prosecutors and defense attorneys are influenced by whoever can muster the largest and noisiest crowds outside the courthouse? The Biden White House, to its shame, has failed to condemn this grossly inappropriate behavior. Apparently, as long as it isnt violent, its fine with this administration.

President Biden should instead use his bully pulpit to condemn any and all attempts to pressure and intimidate jurists and their families. These are little more than 21st century versions of the lynch mobs of the old west and frontier justice, and the people engaged in this grossly inappropriate behavior have no moral standing above the mob behavior that occurred on January 6. This intimidation represents just as grave a threat to democracy one likely to be repeated if we dont put a stop to it right now.

Joseph Filko has taught economics and American government and lives in Williamsburg. He can be reached at jfilko1944@gmail.com

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Opinion: What is a threat to democracy? - Daily Press