“Dissatisfaction With Democracy”: China Celebrates The Midterm Elections As Evidence That Democracy Is Dying In The West

Authored by Jonathan Turley,

Winston Churchill once famously observed that “No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government, except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.” His observation came to mind this week after China’s state-run Global Times wrote an article in the wake of the U.S. midterms that celebrated the imminent death of democracy, noting that “the ‘myth’ of Western-style democracy is losing its appeal, even in the West.” It appears that Americans are ready to embrace the simplicity and tranquility of Mao-like single-party rule. After all, Hasan Piker already has the Mao jacket to go with the rise in support for socialism and the nationalization of industries.

China is not the only country taking a victory lap. Iran, which previously encouraged voters for the Democrats in opposition to the Administration, declared that Americans supported its position on the war. It is like the Legion of Doom throwing victory celebrations for America.

The Global Times took particular comfort in the growing dissatisfaction of Western citizens with their systems:

A poll released by the Pew Research Center this year shows that public satisfaction with how democracy works in their own countries is declining dramatically. Dissatisfaction rate stands at 69 percent in France, 68 percent in Spain, 62 percent in Italy, 47 percent in Poland and 69 percent in the US. In fact, sustained tracking by several other prominent Western polling organizations, including Ipsos and Gallup, points to the same trend: Dissatisfaction with the functioning of democracy in Western countries is evolving from isolated discontent into a widespread public sentiment.

The Chinese communists heralded such polling, showing a “dissatisfaction with democracy” due to “the failure of existing democratic institutions to respond effectively to public demands and meet societal needs.” This includes the alleged realization that “institutional corruption has increasingly permeated political processes, further exposing the inherent flaws of Western democratic systems.”

The editorial is obviously meant to show Chinese citizens that they are much better off under authoritarian rule and to deflect recent corruption scandals in China resulting in high-profile arrests and terminations. Instead, it seeks to focus its citizens on “what has gone wrong with democracy.”

The communists are heartened by a rising level of support for socialism and communism in the West. A new poll by The Economist/YouGov is consistent with other polls showing rising support among Democrats for socialism. More Democrats (38%) prefer socialism to capitalism (25%). Other polls show 60% have a favorable view of socialism, while only 32% have a favorable view of capitalism.

However, most Americans, outside of the Democratic Party, do not support socialism. Yet, the Democratic Socialist Party has found that, while it never resonated with voters directly, it has been able to exercise oversized influence within the Democratic Party.

Moreover, a recent survey found roughly six in 10 (59%) Democrats polled said they would feel “very positive” or “somewhat positive” if the US military removed Trump and seized control of the American government.

The survey also found the same overwhelming support for socialism in the new Democratic Party. What is surprising is the support for public ownership of industries. That includes almost half (46%) supporting public ownership and operation of grocery stores. Almost 40 percent support public ownership and operation of restaurants. (39%).

As I wrote in Rage and the Republic, this Republic’s success was a mix of Enlightenment and free-market principles. It was the combination of economic and political liberty that produced the most successful republic in history. This is the 250th anniversary not just of our Revolution but of the release of Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations.

The founders knew that true individual liberty could not be achieved without economic freedom. Smith’s idea of the “invisible hand” offered a model of individual economic freedom where the individual tastes and choices of citizens drove whole economies. I believe the key to our surviving and thriving in the 21st Century will be preserving what I call a “liberty-enhancing economy.”

The rise of the Democratic Socialist Party has fueled the trend away from capitalism with calls “to dismantle the capitalist state.” Many of the rising candidates have spent years working the anti-capitalist movement. For example, Senate Democrat nominee James Talarico appeared intent on bringing a touch of Trotsky to Texas. In a video from a climate forum, Talarico is shown declaring capitalism an “oppressive system” linked with white supremacy and that it must be “dismantled” to achieve a better world. It is reminiscent of Leon Trotsky, who denounced the “fundamental evil of the capitalist system” and called on citizens to free themselves from its oppression.

As a state representative, Talarico addressed the 2020 climate conference with an attack on capitalism:

“I’m so thankful that you asked this question and also thankful that young activists have really drawn the link between climate change and White supremacy and capitalism in our country … And I think only ending the ways that all three of those oppressive systems work together are we gonna be able to begin the process of dismantling them.“

Talarico’s views closely parallel socialist and communist talking points online. Democratic Socialists of America has challenged people to “Imagine the end of capitalism.” Those words in the Democratic Socialists of America manifesto offer Americans a world without landlords, debt, mandatory work hours, and “food, education, energy, medicine, and transportation… are common goods and utilities.”

The DSA is premised on the same stated objective as Talarico, declaring that there has to be “a revolutionary transformation to replace the capitalist social order based on exploitation and oppression.”

Other candidates have sought to pander to this radical mob. Recently, California Gov. Gavin Newsom thrilled the mob by declaring that “nostalgia is not working,” adding that “capitalism as we know it doesn’t work either.” He also recently said that the DSA is the future of the Democratic Party. He ominously added later that the DSA was the future of the party and that “incremental” changes to our system would no longer be tolerated.

The praise from these quarters reaffirms the view of Leninists that American liberals were their “useful idiots.”

The fact is that most Americans do not embrace socialism or communism. This result parallels midterm losses experienced by Reagan, Obama, Clinton, and other presidents. It is not the Marxist mandate that the DSA or these countries had hoped for. The fact that this was another massive shift in American politics is a testament to democracy, not a sign of its death. Americans exercised their franchise as voters and their voices were heard and will be heeded.

However, that will not necessarily produce the changes that China or Iran are hoping for. The Democrats are still short of the votes needed to overcome vetoes. The new division of power will guarantee gridlock for two years. It is going to get messy, but democracy is messy. What may look like chaos in a country like China, without any democratic elements, is what democracy looks like for a free people.

Jonathan Turley is the best-selling author of “Rage and the Republic: The Unfinished Story of the American Revolution.”