The story is told of the conclusion of the Constitutional Convention, when after months of closed door meetings the delegates emerged from Independence Hall and one of the spectators gathered outside asked Benjamin Franklin, “What have you given us?”

“A republic,” Franklin said. “If you can keep it.”

I think of that story now because events of the past four years, especially those leading up to Jan. 6 and thereafter, have made me certain that in their quest for power Andy Harris and his colleagues no longer support the democratic principles that have kept our republic free and independent for the past 230-plus years.

Democracy is a fragile thing. The Founders recognized that. That’s why they built protections into the Constitution to ensure that no one person or political party could usurp the will of the people. They separated government power among three branches. They gave each branch checks and balances over the others. Most importantly, they gave the people the power to choose who would exercise legislative and executive power.

Democratic elections are the heart of our system of government, because if politicians and political parties can manipulate who wins by suppressing or ignoring the will of the voters and resorting to mob rule rather than following the rule of law, then we no longer have a government of “we the people.”

But Andy Harris and his colleagues have forgotten all that – or they just don’t care.

Incited by Donald Trump and his Big Lie, Republican supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 determined to undo the will of the voters and nullify the lawful election of President Biden. They threatened violence against members of Congress and the Vice President of the United States.

The following day Andy Harris was one of a handful of zealots who voted against certifying the results of what numerous courts – including the Supreme Court with Trump’s handpicked justices – and Trump’s own departments of Justice and Homeland Security had concluded was a secure and lawful election.

But they haven’t stopped there.

Harris and his ilk refused to create a nonpartisan, independent commission to investigate what happened on Jan. 6 and what caused it. They don’t want the truth to come out. They don’t want people to know that the leader of their party encouraged his followers to seize control of the government.

They have endorsed laws to make it more difficult for people – especially minorities – to vote. And behind the scenes, their operatives are creating wildly gerrymandered voting districts to dilute votes and stack the deck in favor of more people like them in Congress.

Democracy requires a commitment by the leaders to maintain it. It also requires the confidence of the people that the government itself is democratically chosen and adheres to the rule of law. Andy Harris has neither.

As this Fourth of July approaches and we honor the courage and sacrifices of the patriots who founded our nation, I hope you will join me in fighting to preserve our republic and protect our democratic principles and institutions that are literally and legislatively under attack.

“A republic, if you can keep it,” Ben Franklin challenged us.

We must. Our future as an independent nation depends on it.

All the best,
Dave Harden