Opinion: when Americans go to the polls in November, the choice is not between Harris or Trump but whether they want to live in a republic or not
"They're eating cats and dogs" may not have the same force as "it’s the economy, stupid", but we dismiss Donald Trump at our peril. The former president's hysterical declamation during the recent TV debate against Kamala Harris that illegal immigrants in Springfield feed on cats and dogs is beyond parody.
Trump may have been targeting those voters that believe that the earth is flat, Elvis is still alive and birds are drones operated by the United States government to spy on American citizens. The truth of course is that birds are real, but another truth is that there are many voters who believe anything Trump tells them, so many in fact that they could swing the election in Trump’s favour.
From RTÉ News, Donald Trump makes his claim about Haitian immigrants in Springfield eating cats and dogs
We need to take Trump and the threat he poses very seriously. When Americans vote for their next president, the choice is not between Harris or Trump. In November, they will be deciding whether they want to live in a republic or not because the gradual but relentless demolition of the American republic will be completed if Trump reclaims the White House.
No one should be surprised. This is a chronicle of a death foretold, publicly broadcasted by Trump and his cronies at rallies and televised debates ad nauseam. We may be witnessing the final scenes of a slow-motion implosion that could be the envy of the most seasoned Hollywood screenwriters. This time the nemesis is not Russia, Iran, the Taliban or a foreign terrorist group. Instead, it’s an inside job. Today the biggest threat to the American republic comes from the Republican Party. You couldn't make this up and anyone who says that Americans lack irony is clearly not following American politics.
By the end of November, we will know whether, not for the first time, a republic will cease to exist, at least temporarily, and be replaced by an autocracy. History is repeating itself because it happened already 2,000 years ago in Rome. What is at stake today in the US is the longevity of the republic itself, which forms the basis of democracy as enshrined in the American Declaration of Independence (1776), the Constitution (1787) and the Bill of Rights (1791).
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From RTÉ Radio 1's The Business, inside the money-making world of Trump merchandise
In the 18th century, the founding fathers of this revolutionary new American political model, particularly James Madison and John Adams, drew their inspiration from ancient Rome. In particular, they looked to the writing and speeches of the philosopher and statesman Marcus Tullius Cicero, who lived for the Roman republic and died in 43BC in a valiant effort to defend it.
The end of the Roman republic was followed by a long period of dictators and emperors. The fact that there are stll six towns in the United States named after Cicero is a testament to the long-lasting influence of this ancient Roman on the American political psyche.
One lesson Americans ought to have learned from Cicero (but clearly did not) is that there are always despotic forces plotting to undermine the republic. Of course, the same applies for us in Europe and we should never be complacent about our democracy. Lest we forget, the Roman republic came to an end after 450 years, and our modern democracy is much younger and not less frail. What is taken for granted can easily be lost.
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From RTÉ Radio 1's Nine O'Clock Show, Dr Vittorio Bufacchi on his new book Why Cicero Matters
In arguably his most important work, On Duties, Cicero warns us that the Roman republic is in peril: "many people come to forget all about justice once they start longing for military commands, political offices, or glory" and that "greed is often manifest in such cases". The timelessness of this observation is as powerful today as it was 2,000 years ago when Cicero wrote it. This admonition is not aimed exclusively at rogue politicians and Cicero also points the finger at citizens and voters, because we are ultimately responsible for the faith of the republic.
Cicero captured the essence of the republic in four chosen words: Res Publica Res Populi, "the republic is the people's property". A republic belongs to all of us, and we all have a responsibility to maintain it. This message stuck with Benjamin Franklin who said the American republic is ours "if we can keep it". At the moment, the Republican Party are doing a very poor job of keeping it.
There is no more degenerate kind of state than that in which the richest are supposed to be the best
As citizens of a republic. we have rights, but also duties. We have a duty to seek out the truth and be truthful, and to preserve and uphold the structures of justice. This Republican script was shredded to pieces the day Trump came down that elevator and entered the political ring. Since 2016, post-truth has become the new creed, while a wrecking ball was unleashed against structures of justice on January 6th 2021, with the blessing of the Supreme Court. The outcome of the 2024 US presidential election is still uncertain, as it should be in a democracy, but every vote for Trump is a vote to end the American republic.
Cicero, who also survived a few assassination attempts, would have no time for Trump or his supporters. As he wrote in his text The Republic, "there is no more degenerate kind of state than that in which the richest are supposed to be the best".
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The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent or reflect the views of RTÉ
