A Threat to Democracy

By: Chris Johnson

During the 2016 election and the resulting Trump presidency, one phrase was seemingly never missing from the headlines. It appeared above article after article, op-ed after op-ed; piece after piece mentioned the looming “threat to democracy.”  The Washington Post changed its masthead to the melodramatic “Democracy Dies in Darkness.” If you’re like me, you may have scratched your head. How can a democratically elected president represent a threat to democracy? To quote the Princess Bride: “You keep using that word; I do not think it means what you think it means.”

In the aftermath of the 2020 election, Time magazine published a lengthy article detailing how various heads of institutions, like Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and­­ Democrat strategist Mike Podhoretz carried out their plan to “secure the election.” After Elon Musk bought Twitter and allowed independent journalists to comb the emails of the company’s censorship office’s former tenants, the “Twitter files” revealed emails with government operatives which were purposefully manipulating topics of discussion, including the story of President Biden’s son’s laptop containing scurrilous, compromising photos and emails, right before the election. Government agencies were working to keep voters uninformed about information relevant to their decision.

Surely, it’s examples like this which represent the real threat to “democracy.”

Yet, Democrat influencers like Dash Dobrofsky on X declare, “If Biden loses, Democracy in America is over. Therefore, every vote against Biden is a vote against Democracy.”

In a recent interview with Tucker Carlson, an independent researcher, former State Department employee, and an expert on what he calls “the Blob” explained the disconnect in this question: if the people want Trump as president, how would it be a threat to democracy for them to elect him? Here’s what Mike Benz says: “We need to redefine ‘democracy’ from being about the will of the voters to being about the sanctity of democratic institutions.” In other words, Democracy is no longer rule according to the will of the people, it’s the organizations that shape the will of the people.

Benz continues, “And who are the democratic institutions? It’s the military, it’s NATO, it’s the IMF (international Monetary Fund) and the world bank, it’s the mainstream media, it’s the NGOs (non-government organizations) – and of course these NGOs are largely State Department funded – it’s essentially all of the elite establishments that were under threat from the rise of domestic populism that declared their own consensus to be the new definition of democracy.”

That “consensus building architecture” is what Benz calls the “Blob,” the faceless, headless, nameless conglomeration of bureaucracies, public and private, which negotiates within itself the acceptable narrative which drives popular opinion.

So, anything which threatens the “Blob’s” influence over the voters is a “threat to Democracy.” In tomorrow’s email, my colleague, Lisa Van Houten, will report on a sudden crackdown in the media on the concept of “Christian Nationalism.” This reaction to voters’ sentiments being shaped by the Bible and the church rather than the news or entertainment media, state education, government agencies, universities, and social media moderated by government agents is exactly what we’re talking about.

One recent sortie against the concept of “Christian Nationalism” illustrates the “Blob” perfectly. A few years ago, Calvin University professor Kristin Kobes Du Mez published her book, entitled Jesus and John Wayne, apparently decrying the influence of cowboy-loving conservatism contaminating Christian political influence. As a result of the popularity of her book among those who wanted their own liberal political instincts affirmed, the university professor was asked to be a part of legendary actor and director Rob Reiner’s documentary entitled “God and Country” alongside other fringe Christian celebrities wanting their ears scratched by Hollywood, like Veggie Tales Creator Phil Vischer.

Let me turn to Andrew T. Walker’s write up of what he learned from the film, published for WORLD Opinions: “Do you oppose abortion? If so, that’s a marker of Christian nationalism.

Do you oppose LGBTQ ideology? If so, that’s a marker of Christian nationalism.

Do you oppose critical race theory? If so, that’s a marker of Christian nationalism.

Do you oppose feminism? If so, that’s a marker of Christian nationalism.

At one point, innuendo suggests that worldview formation is a marker of Christian nationalism.”

Meanwhile, this movie was released just weeks after several instances of pro-life advocates being arrested and charged for violating the FACE Act by allegedly blocking a walkway to an abortion clinic two and half years prior. In tomorrow’s email, you’ll be surprised to read the principle that unites all Christian Nationalists.

Here we can see the media, educational institutions, and government agencies playing off each other to feed this narrative of “Christian Nationalism,” which is actually just normal Christianity, being a “threat to democracy.”

I would encourage you to check out Mike Benz’ interview with Tucker Carlson here, or dig into more of his work on his X profile here, or his website here. The Tucker interview introduces the “Blob’s” influence in Russia-gate, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, election integrity, and much more.

The big takeaway for me was this, when you hear the Left referring to a “threat to democracy” or using such language, in stead of “democracy” you should hear “influence machine,” or in Benz’ words, “consensus building architecture.” That’s what’s being threatened – not the will of the people, but the institutions which shape and direct that will for their own benefit.

And they’re right to fear. That’s exactly the kind of oppression that Christ’s kingdom is a threat to, not with violence, but through power of His Word.

“For the LORD loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed; the offspring of the wicked will perish.

The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever.” Psalm 37:28-29

 

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