Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D.N.H.) was forced to delete a social media post over the weekend after she misquoted Benjamin Franklin to promote her story about January 6th.
On the third anniversary of the Capitol riot, Shaheen urged followers to remember She claimed that “rebels” were “putting our democracy at risk.” And she tried to quote Franklin.
“'If we can preserve democracy,' Ben Franklin said,” continued Shaheen. “January 6, 2021 was a stark reminder of how fragile our democracy is. To prevent history from repeating itself, we will never forget the actions that led to that day. That is the responsibility of each of us.”
But the problem is that Benjamin Franklin didn't say, “If only we could preserve democracy.”
After the Constitutional Convention adjourned in September 1787, a woman named Elizabeth Willing Powell asked Franklin what kind of government the Founding Fathers had established.
“So, Doctor, what do we have, a republic or a monarchy?” Mr. Powell asked.
Franklin replied, “If we can preserve the republic.”
Quote recorded by james mchenrya delegate to the Constitutional Convention from Maryland.
The form of government established by the Founding Fathers is a type of democracy, but the difference between our constitutional republic and a pure democracy is not important.
Jay Kost, who studies American history and government, said: explain:
Our system is republican in that our founders understood that the people are the only legitimate sovereigns of government. However, it is not fully democratic, it is a means of government fearing the abuse of its powers by the people and aimed at preventing temporary, thoughtless, and ill-advised outbursts of public opinion from becoming politically dominant. designed.
…
This is a republican government. This is because no self-appointed sovereign or hereditary sovereign can hope to maintain power against the permanent opposition of the people. Everything ultimately flows from the people. However, the key word in this sentence is “eventually.” The people govern, but often not directly. Although the system is republican, it is not fully democratic.
Shaheen She has since deleted her social media postsHowever, she did not admit her embarrassing and grave mistake.
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