What Does Left Mean by ‘Our Democracy’?

Language often betrays us — revealing our assumptions and undercutting what we think we’re trying to say. “The lady doth protest too much,” Hamlet’s mother quips. Having infiltrated a progressive gathering, an undercover right-wing operative mentions the “Democrat party” and thus ruins his disguise.

Invocations of “our democracy” reveal their own tensions. In a time of escalating political conflict, talk of saving “our democracy” has taken on an increasingly fervent tone. President Biden has insisted that “our democracy is at grave risk.” Shortly before the Biden administration announced its “Disinformation Governance Board,” Barack Obama gave a speech at Stanford titled “Disinformation Is a Threat to Our Democracy.” Column after column marches out, proclaiming the need to save this democracy from populism, nationalism, and other ideological hobgoblins. Bearing the headline “We’re in Danger of Losing Our Democracy,” a recent Max Boot piece called for voters to support Democrats in the midterms.

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Fred Bauer

Fred Bauer is a writer from New England.

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Language often betrays us — revealing our assumptions and undercutting what we think we’re trying to say. “The lady doth protest too much,” Hamlet’s mother quips. Having infiltrated a progressive gathering, an undercover right-wing operative mentions the “Democrat party” and thus ruins his disguise.

Invocations of “our democracy” reveal their own tensions. In a time of escalating political conflict, talk of saving “our democracy” has taken on an increasingly fervent tone. President Biden has insisted that “our democracy is at grave risk.” Shortly before the Biden administration announced its “Disinformation Governance Board,” Barack Obama gave a speech at Stanford titled “Disinformation Is a Threat to Our Democracy.” Column after column marches out, proclaiming the need to save this democracy from populism, nationalism, and other ideological hobgoblins. Bearing the headline “We’re in Danger of Losing Our Democracy,” a recent Max Boot piece called for voters to support Democrats in the midterms.