Split partisan perceptions of the threat to democracy

Some informed, intelligent, well-meaning people continue to see limited threat to American democracy. But, recent polling indicates that solid majorities of both Democrats and Republicans see a serious threat to American democracy. In my opinion, differences in how the two groups see the threat is also part of the threat. The New York Times writes:

The good news is that deeply divided Americans agree on at least one thing. The bad news is they share the view that their nearly two-and-a-half-century-old democracy is in danger — and disagree drastically about who is threatening it.

In a remarkable consensus, a new Quinnipiac University poll found that 69 percent of Democrats and 69 percent of Republicans say that democracy is “in danger of collapse.” But one side blames former President Donald J. Trump and his “MAGA Republicans” while the other fingers President Biden and the “socialist Democrats.”

There are at least four possibilities with possible variations on all of them, the Dems are the main threat, the Repubs are the main threat, both are roughly equal threats, neither is a major threat (but one or both could be non-trivial but minor threats). 

Some conservatives are truly terrified of things like aggressive liberal intrusions in shaping the content of secular public education and liberal defenses of non-heterosexuality. Some see a deadly threat to Christianity, fearing Christians will be rounded up and put into re-education camps and converted by force into atheism and/or pedophilia. Apparently, most conservatives see a rising liberal tyranny in all of that, even the conservatives who do not believe that the 2020 election was stolen. 

Conservative fears of threats of Democrats and their socialism and liberalism drives most of the rank and file right to support the ex-president and extremist Republican politicians. For most conservatives, whatever Republican Party and dogma threat there actually is to democracy appears to recede into secondary importance, or to near or complete non-existence.

Articulating the liberal threat

Liberals and democrats do not control most rural areas, so the liberal threat there is not going to come to pass. Libs and Dems do control some cities in some red states. But the liberal threat there is not going to come to pass because the legislature and governor can put the kibosh on liberal tyranny in those places. Laws are already being passed in red states to control teaching about race and gender in public schools. Most or nearly all religious schools in America already are bastions of social conservatism, so they are not going to fall to liberal tyranny.

Socialist Democratic tyranny judges do not control the Supreme Court, so that is not a source of major threat to democracy.

Democrats fight against Republican opposition to protect and expand voting rights. So that is not a source of significant threat to democracy, unless one believes that free and fair elections are a threat to democracy, which some conservatives do believe.

Democrats in liberal areas in blue states do have significant leeway over influencing public education, so those areas could be bastions of liberal anti-democratic tyranny. In those areas, at least some conservatives retreat from public education in favor of private schools or home schooling. Others move to conservative areas or red states. Some just chafe at the situation and are fearful of creeping liberal tyranny.

So why is there such a huge divide about who the threat is from? Most democrats and conservatives apparently operate with (i) significantly different definitions or conceptions of democracy and free and fair elections[1], and (ii) different sets of true or false beliefs based on facts or reasoning that may or may not be true or sound. For the former point, the conservative conception of democracy appears to have more power reside in states and their legislatures and less with voters and the federal government. In that vision, partisan cracking and packing gerrymandering tactics aren't flaws in the system. They are the system. With that view, Republican "election integrity" laws are not significantly worrisome to conservatives even if some voters are disenfranchised. Minority rule is what most Republicans appear to support, even if they are unaware of it. 

Partisan differences in perception of facts and reality are also a major factor. That gap probably cannot be bridged. 

But, at least when people say that democracy is not threatened, one can now respond by pointing out that is not majority opinion.

Q: What is probably closest to the truth, the Dems are the main threat, the Repubs are the main threat, both are roughly equal threats, neither is a major threat? Or is the question an oxymoron because the concept of democracy is essentially contested?

Footnote: 

1. The NYT article comments:

“There is a real difference in how the parties define democracy,” said Nicole Hemmer, a historian at Vanderbilt University and author of “Partisans,” a newly published history of the rise of conservative movement figures in the 1990s and their transformation of American politics.

“The Republican Party at the moment subscribes to a much narrower definition, as is evident in their support for everything from voter suppression to extensive gerrymandering to the right of Republican officials to overturn voter preferences in the certification process,” she added. “The Democratic Party favors not only a more inclusive voting system but more robust systems to support majoritarian politics.”