William Marvel: Hysteria, Inc.

Everyone seems to think the upcoming election will decide the fate of democracy. I do wonder whether we'll survive the back-to-back administrations of the two worst presidents in our history, and worry about the habit of denying the results of elections — which Republicans appear to have learned from their Democratic mentors. Razor-thin majorities still reflect democracy, however; no one saw a threat to the process when Barack Obama and Joe Biden won election with 51 percent of the vote, or when Jack Kennedy won with 49.7 percent.

Democracy nevertheless does face challenges, including from the large proportion of people who don't vote. The Democrats' ranked-choice-voting scam also jeopardizes the very legitimacy of democracy. Equally troubling are celebrity candidates and career politicians who lack competence, prudence, and a willingness to lose an election by sticking to their principles — which describes the current president, his predecessor, and nearly everyone who ran against them.