I am a conservative Republican, and I am not voting for Trump because he is a threat to democracy.
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By Fred Byus, Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy, (Ret.)
Democracy is not a competition where one idea wins and one loses. It is an environment of governance where a collective decision that we can live with is seen as the best solution.
I had the good fortune to serve in the United States Navy for 31 years and was under oath every day to protect and defend the Constitution. That task was never protecting a piece of paper. It has always protected you, your rights, and the foundations of our government. The rights I was protecting are enumerated and are non-negotiable. Bicameral legislatures, independent courts, a limited executive, state’s rights, and mechanisms like separation of power, due process, rule of law, and checks and balances are vital to our constitutional democracy.
As I often do, you may think our democracy is not working very well. You may think that there are all these problems like immigration, jobs, gun control, and abortion that the government is not fixing very quickly. You may feel that our government is too big or too intrusive. Those who are veterans may feel as I have that previous governments called on you to fight in endless wars for no good reasons. I know the frustration. I have the same memories. But I remind myself that democracy is about much more than just “the government”. Democracy is me and you, my voice and your voice together.
Our democracy is an experiment in which we can govern ourselves and direct our government to keep kings, priests, parties, and bureaucrats from directing us except when and where we agree. Getting you and me to agree to allow the government to have the authority to direct all of us is and should be hard and deliberate. Our democracy proposes that everyone’s beliefs, ideologies, philosophies, and viewpoints are worthy of expression and of voice. In return, our democracy demands that we allow others their voice.
Democracy is painful, slow, and frustrating. Democracies take wrong turns and need regular correction. If your goal is an efficient and imperially effective government, you may want something other than democracy. But if your goal is to protect the rights of individuals to govern themselves go with democracy. I want a democracy that protects my inalienable rights because I want a voice in saying what is really needed and when it is needed. I want to be able to say when the government is headed in the wrong direction. Democracy is not a competition where one idea wins and one loses. It is an environment of governance where a collective decision that we can live with is seen as the best solution.
In our democracy, decisions are not the work of just one man. They are the result of the people diligently making their voices heard on all sides to move all the pieces into place needed to reach a decision that we can tolerate. We should be wary of anyone who promises quick solutions or quick answers.
The hardest to see is that our democracy must rest on the character, integrity, and honesty of the people, you and me, and of our elected officials. Sometimes, too often, we elect scoundrels. But in our hearts, we know our democracy is best assured when we elect people who tell us the truth as they know it, take responsibility for their actions and inactions, are kind and empathetic, and care for us more than themselves. In life, we know we are better off when our character and the character of our group, company, and family are good. It is the same with our democracy. Washington, Jefferson, and Adams believed in the Constitution because they first believed in and trusted the character of the others in the room and the character of the people all together.
As I consider this election in 2024, at all levels, character, decency, and the defense of our Constitution must be paramount. We may disagree on politics, on policy, on ideas. I disagree with the left and those who would entangle us in conflicts for the wrong reasons. But a scoundrel can break our democracy. I do not need a court to make a ruling that a candidate has broken the law for me to know that that person does not possess good character. A person with a record of shady actions and lies is not fit for office. And his lack of good character is not excused by the failures of previous leaders.
I may not agree with a candidate or his party or his party’s platform. But if they have sound character, I know voting for them will secure democracy. We will have another day to make things right.
Rear Admiral Byus was a naval nuclear engineer who commanded Nuclear-Powered Submarines. He was the former Commander of US Naval Forces Korea, the Commander of Navy Region Korea, and the Chief of Staff of the U.S. Seventh Fleet.
