This should be a disqualification of his candidacy. If you’re openly saying that you’re going to end democracy, you shouldn’t get to participate in the democratic process. Granted, it’ll just make the next person not say it out loud, but still, democracy should only be for people who want to participate.
Democracy is as much a matter of the political culture as it is a matter of the political rules.
In a society with a democratic culture, saying you want to end democracy already is a de facto disqualification - only a handful of people in a democracy would vote for such a candidate. The problem the US has is that 40% or so of the electorate appear to be culturally hostile to democracy. They will vote fascist regardless, they view elections as only having value to the extent that they’re a mechanism to elect their candidates and enact their policies, and they can’t fathom the legitimacy of any election that results in their side losing.
This should be a disqualification of his candidacy. If you’re openly saying that you’re going to end democracy, you shouldn’t get to participate in the democratic process. Granted, it’ll just make the next person not say it out loud, but still, democracy should only be for people who want to participate.
Democracy is as much a matter of the political culture as it is a matter of the political rules.
In a society with a democratic culture, saying you want to end democracy already is a de facto disqualification - only a handful of people in a democracy would vote for such a candidate. The problem the US has is that 40% or so of the electorate appear to be culturally hostile to democracy. They will vote fascist regardless, they view elections as only having value to the extent that they’re a mechanism to elect their candidates and enact their policies, and they can’t fathom the legitimacy of any election that results in their side losing.
So should attempting to overthrow the government with an attempted coup, but here we are…