Written and submitted by Reece Sanford.

Many Americans today refer to our form of government as a “democracy.” This description is not only
wrong but encourages a vision of progress that threatens the voice of our most vulnerable minorities.
The political philosopher Ayn Rand once said, “The smallest minority on earth is the individual.” Pure
democracy traces its roots back to ancient Greece, where citizens voted directly on the laws that
governed them. The majority vote dictated the direction the nation took. Our Founding Fathers were
opposed to the prospects of pure democracy because they understood the threat pure democracy
posed to those in the minority. The American Founders were acutely aware of how democracy
threatened individual freedom. Equipped with historical knowledge, the Founding Fathers created a
republic in the model of ancient Rome. In Rome, laws were made by elected officials who were
constrained by a constitution. Today, many people use the terms “democracy” and “republic”
interchangeably, but this is a mistake. In a democracy, power is held by the population as a whole and
the nation is ruled by the will of the majority. Democracies allow individual rights to be overridden by
the will of the majority. In a republic, power is held by individual citizens, laws are written by their
representatives, and the constitution reigns supreme. This same constitution protects the rights of all
individuals from the will of the majority. The system the American Founders created propelled the U.S.
to become the greatest economic force in history, win two world wars, land on the moon, and defeat
communism. If we want to preserve America’s greatness, we must understand why America’s
government was designed as a republic and preserve it.

Under the republican form of government, there are checks and balances in place to protect the
individual rights of those in the minority. The President is a check on Congress and vice versa. There are
two chambers of Congress elected through different means, allowing Congress to act as a check upon
itself. The Supreme Court exists upholding the Constitution and to act as a check on the President and
Congress. Certain powers are delegated to state governments and local governments to be a further
check on the power of the federal government. This complex system was designed by our Founding
Fathers to ensure that government was inefficient. An inefficient government would move slow and not
be able to change the individual’s way of life in the blink of an eye. A slow moving, balanced government
is necessary for prosperity. Whether you want to start a business or own a home, you must be sure that
the rules of the game will not be changed quickly and haphazardly. Anyone making an investment needs
certainty in the marketplace. The republican form of government ensures of this. This differs from the
mob dictatorship of a pure democracy. In the pure democracies of the world, a parliament can act
unchecked. What they pass is the law. If 51% of that body wants something to happen, it happens. Sir
Winston Churchill once stated, “A democracy is two wolves and a sheep voting on what is for dinner.”
Unlike a republic, a democracy is a threat to the individual rights of those who find themselves in the
minority.

The push and pull between democracy and republicanism is one of the defining political arguments of
our nation’s history. In fact, it is the essence of the two major parties. This goes beyond the ideological
differences of liberals and conservatives. It is important to remember that historically there were
liberals and conservatives in both parties. There were liberal Republicans like Vice President Nelson
Rockefeller. There were conservative Democrats like Georgia’s U.S. Senator Sam Nunn. While ideologies
continue to gravitate back and forth between the parties, a vision for how government should function
has been constant. The Democrats originated with a desire to alter many features created by America’s
Founding Fathers. The Republicans on the other hand have consistently fought for the Republic and the
Constitution designed by our Founding Fathers. While many political discussions today center around
ideological issues such as taxes, gun rights, or climate change, Americans must pay equal attention to
the centuries long tug of war between republicanism and democracy. It is perhaps the biggest political
issue of all.

The Democrats have always wanted a more efficient, fast paced government. They have always wanted
to remove many of the checks that slow down the will of the majority. As noted, these checks were put
in place by our Founding Fathers to protect the individual rights of the minority. The Democrats of today
often bemoan these protections as “minoritarian rule.” They believe if you can get 51% of people to
agree to an idea, it should be enacted without question. They do not see these American institutions as
necessary hurdles to ensure that change comes slowly, but rather as a hindrance to the whims of the
majority. From the dawn of the Democratic Party, they have sought to trample the minority. Many of
the goals of today’s Democrats have been the goals of the Democrats who came before them. The
Democrats might have changed ideologies through the years, but their goal of shifting America from a
republic to a pure democracy has been a constant for centuries.

Today, the Democrats seek to abolish many of the checks and balances created by our Founding Fathers,
so they can push through their liberal agenda. They want to abolish the Electoral College, add Senate
seats by giving Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico statehood, eliminate the Senate filibuster and pack the
Supreme Court with liberal activist judges. If they accomplished all of this, they could pass laws to
support any whim of the majority. One day it might be the Green New Deal. The next it might be
defunding the police. Regardless, transitioning the U.S. from a republic to a democracy would allow the
Democrats to force their agenda upon the 73 million plus Americans who voted for Donald Trump.
Andrew Jackson is seen as the father of the Democratic Party. One of Jackson’s original political goals
was to eliminate the Electoral College and elect the President by popular vote. This continues to be a
goal of Democrats today. Remember, the Democrats think the majority should rule without constraint.

Our Founding Fathers understood the flaws in using a popular vote to determine the outcome of a
nationwide election. The Founders realized that large percentages of the nation’s population would
congregate in major cities and the citizens of these cities would develop kindred values. Candidates
could campaign to these major population centers and win an election without ever visiting small states.
This would effectively leave people in rural America without a voice in determining the nation’s
President. The Founders understood the flaws of the popular vote and gave America the Electoral
College. The Electoral College forces politicians to value places like Ellijay, GA. Without it, New York City,
Chicago, Boston, and Los Angeles would control the path to the White House. This is exactly what the
Democrats want.

The Senate and the powers given to it by the Constitution has constantly provoked the wrath of the
Democrats. Early in America’s founding, there was a debate whether congressional seats should be
evenly allocated across each state or should allocated based on the population of each state. Either way
would give preference to either large states or small states. The Founders elected to compromise and
form two chambers of Congress to balance power equitably. One chamber of Congress, the House of
Representatives, would have seats allocated to the states based on population. This would give more
seats and more power within that chamber to big states. Today, this benefits California and New York.

The other chamber would have two seats given to each state regardless of population. Allocating Senate
seats this way would ensure that people in small, rural states would have an equally relevant voice
within that chamber of Congress. Additionally, certain powers were given to the Senate that the House
does not have. The Senate can remove a President. The Senate confirms every member of the
President’s Cabinet. The Senate confirms Presidential appointees to the Supreme Court. The Senate acts
as the major check upon the President. To the Democrats, the thought that so much power is given to
the Senate where Wyoming has as many Senators as California is infuriating. The Democrats have
proposed to “fix” this by admitting liberal Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico into the nation as full-
fledged states. This would add four more Democrat Senators and ensure liberals control the balance of
power in the Senate. There is nothing new to this desire. In the early 1990s, Democratic President Bill
Clinton expressed his support of statehood for Washington D.C. to keep the Senate in Democratic
hands. The Democrats have further disdain for the Senate because of the Senate filibuster. This is a tool
Senators in the minority use to block legislation. Through the filibuster, the minority party, and the
people they represent, can block radical new laws even if the majority party controls the House, the
Senate, and the Presidency. A filibuster can only be stopped with a super majority vote of 60% of the
Senate. This tactic used by those in the minority to slow the wheels of government is a frustration to the
party who believes the 51% should rule. The Democrats desire to abolish the Senate filibuster so
anytime they have a 51 to 49 majority in the Senate, they can pass whatever laws they desire. The
Senate is truly the chamber of small towns and rural areas. The Founders wanted to ensure states like
Iowa had a seat at the table alongside New York. The Senate sees this vision through.

Finally, the Supreme Court is put into power by a President who is elected through the Electoral College
and a Senate allocating as many seats to Idaho as to California. Given the people who control the
gateways to the Supreme Court, the bench is also seen by the Democrats as an institution of the
minority. While the Founders would say this is a strength, the party of the 51% sees it as a major hurdle
for their progressive agenda. The Democrats have railed against this institution since the days of
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. FDR’s unconstitutional actions were consistently blocked by the
nine members of the Supreme Court. FDR decided he would dilute the votes of the existing justices by
packing the court with new liberal judges loyal to him. The Senate eventually stopped this move, but the
desire to pack the court lives on today. Currently, the Supreme Court has five conservative judges, one
moderate judge, and three liberal judges. The Democrats desire to add at least three liberal judges to
the bench, which would allow the Democrats vision for America to progress without resistance from a
constitution defending court. The Supreme Court is the last line of defense in protecting our
Constitution. With good reason, the Founders wanted to ensure the minority would have a say in
selecting the body appointed to defend the Constitution.

All these Democratic desires have the same intended purpose: dismantle the checks and balances the
Founding Fathers created, so a slim majority can force its agenda upon the rest of us. If the Democrats
successfully led the transition of America from a republic to a pure democracy, they could advance
whatever liberal wish list item they desired. Defunding the police. Medicare for all. Free college. Student
loan forgiveness. Defunding the military. Abortion on demand. Gun confiscation. All of this would be on
the table if the Democrats consolidate power across the House, Senate, and Presidency while neutering
the Supreme Court. If they had this power, it would not matter the size of the minority that opposed
them. All that would matter would be who was in the majority.

Joe Biden earned 78.8 million votes while Donald Trump earned 73.2 million votes. Our Founding
Fathers would say that 73.2 million people voting against a party is clear evidence a consensus was not
reached and the rights of the 73.2 million should be protected. The belief of the Democrats is drastically
different. Since they received 51% of the popular vote, they believe they should have the unfettered
ability to make the rules. How frightening.

Thankfully, there is something you can do to stop the Democrats. As it stands, the Republicans have a
path to controlling the all-important U.S. Senate, and that path runs through Georgia. Currently, the
Republicans will have 50 seats in the 2021 US Senate and the Democrats will have 48. There are two U.S.
Senate runoffs in Georgia in January. If the Democrats win both, there will be a 50-50 tie in the Senate.
Ties are broken by the Vice President, who it appears will be Kamala Harris. Effectively, a 50-50 tie
would give the Senate majority to the Democrats. The Democrats are already projected to have the
House of Representatives and the White House. If they take the Senate, they can begin dismantling the
checks and balances of our republic and transition America to the pure, majoritarian democracy they
desire. Georgians can stop them though. If you vote for David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler in the January 5 th
runoff, the Republicans can keep the Senate. If the Republicans keep the Senate, there will be no tax
hikes, no Green New Deal, and our Republican institutions will be protected. Every candidate to join Joe
Biden’s Cabinet would have to be approved by a Republican Senate, preventing the White House from
going to the far left. The party holding the Senate will determine if the Democrats have the power to
drastically alter this country.

Georgia has been given an opportunity to decide the direction for the rest of the country. The
Democrats probably hate this, but this is exactly what our Founding Fathers would have wanted. Do
your part, vote for David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler and defend the American Republic.

Reece Sanford
Assistant Secretary – Communications, Gilmer County Republican Party
Reece Sanford, CFA served as the Chairman of The Gilmer Trump Campaign. Mr. Sanford is the Assistant
Secretary – Communications of the Gilmer County Republican Party and a native of Ellijay, GA. He holds a
BBA in Finance from The University of Georgia and an MBA from Kennesaw State University. Mr. Sanford
also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation. He is a career community banker currently
working in small business lending. He has served on the boards of several non-profits throughout north
Georgia. He has served as Youth Engagement Director of the Gilmer County Republican Party, holds an
advisory role with a trade association Political Action Committee, and has consulted on multiple political
campaigns. He and his wife, Kerri Ann, enjoy spending their free time exploring north Georgia, running,
traveling, and cheering on the Georgia Bulldogs.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this column are strictly those of the author. They do not necessarily
reflect the views of the Republican Party, its members, any other organization the author may be
associated with, nor his family members.