FIGAROVOX/TRIBUNE – For Alain Destexhe, researcher at the Gatestone Institute (American conservative think tank), Kamala Harris could call into question certain democratic principles if she were elected, such as freedom of expression or the transparency of the electoral process.
Alain Destexhe is a researcher at the Gatestone Institute, an American conservative think tank, honorary Belgian senator and former president of the International Crisis Group. Latest work published Rwanda 94: the carnage, return to the scene (Éditions Texquis, 2024).
While Democrats constantly present themselves as defenders of democracy, their political project aims on the contrary, according to Republicans and many personalities including Elon Musk, to undermine the foundations of the American democratic system.
At a time when, with the exception of a vital threat to the freedom of expression guaranteed by the First Amendment to their Constitution. Under the pretext of protecting minorities or the right of individuals “not to be offended”, critical comments on sensitive subjects such as immigration or gender identity, for example, could tomorrow be legally prohibited in the event of victory of Kamala Harris.
As Mark Zuckerberg recognized and as the Twitter Files revealed, during the Covid pandemic, the censorship that reigned on social networks was notably due to pressure from federal agencies in flagrant violation of the First Amendment of the Constitution. This precedent has not only demonstrated the weak resistance of a majority of the population to the suppression of fundamental freedoms, but also the capacity of those in power to marginalize any dissident speech. Donald Trump and his supporters also accuse Democrats of aiming to secure lasting political dominance by playing on electoral rules and mass immigration.
Despite their self-proclaimed discourse as champions of democracy, the Democrats in reality pose a considerable challenge to the very principles of democracy.
Alain Destexhe
Presidential elections are often decided by a few thousand votes in six or seven key states, the famous “swing states”. However, more than ten million immigrants entered American territory during Joe Biden’s mandate. Many illegally across the southern border, but others, also very numerous, thanks to a procedure which facilitates legal entry into the territory almost without control and then the dispersal of these migrants by charter flights throughout the territory, especially in swing states. With Democrats wanting to facilitate access to American nationality and immigrants voting more for them, a slight change in demographics, particularly in swing states, would allow the latter to sustainably win all elections at the federal level. For Republicans, this is a deliberate strategy to use immigration for political ends.
This scenario has already occurred in California, a state that was once solidly Republican – Ronald Reagan was from there – but which became a Democratic bastion following the massive arrival of immigrants and an amnesty and regularization operation for illegal immigrants in 1986. Since then, the Democratic Party has reigned supreme, a scenario that Republicans fear, not without reason, to see reproduced on a national scale. A Machiavellian scenario that Donald Trump, JD Vance and Elon Musk continue to denounce. The latter, who is historically a Democratic voter, even asserts that this presidential election could be the last truly competitive one if Donald Trump does not become president.
Another key aspect of the debate that heightens suspicion about Democrats’ real intentions concerns voter ID laws. They are in fact opposed to the obligation to present an identity card on the pretext that this measure aims to prevent minorities from voting. In California, the state of Kamala Harris, which often serves as a laboratory for Democratic policies, a recent law even prohibited the presentation of an ID as a means of identification during elections! Republicans see this as a deliberate attempt to maintain a system vulnerable to fraud, especially since Covid, the majority of Americans vote by mail, sometimes several weeks in advance, which makes voting complex and unreliable. control of voter identity.
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From a Republican perspective, presenting an identity card is essential to guarantee the integrity of the electoral system and prevent fraud. This measure is the rule in almost all democracies in the world. For his part, Donald Trump is proposing simple rules, similar to those in force in France: strict identity verification, paper ballots (easy to recount), and an election taking place in a single day.
Despite their self-proclaimed discourse as champions of democracy, the Democrats in reality pose a considerable challenge to the very principles of democracy. If freedom of expression only applies to certain opinions, if immigration is used to favor one political side and the transparency of elections is compromised, the very foundation of democracy is put at risk. .
