Those 12 words speak volumes about Mitch McConnell’s (and the Republican Party’s) view on governing. Someone might remind the seven-term senator; you can pull strings, you can lay down the law, you can exercise authority and you can control — but in a democracy — that’s not governing.

Yes, Mitch McConnell failed in his attempt to make Obama a one-term president, but he did manage to demonstrate (many times over) that obstructionism works. In addition, he established among the GOP rank and file that not governing, but simply hindering the other side from doing so, is acceptable.

I believe the course heading the 21st century GOP has adopted is wrong and, in fact, dangerous and severely imperils our longevity as a free nation. I would remind the Republican Party how we arrived at this point in our history.

Three major concepts define American government and in order to survive we must ensure they continue to function as intended. First, we enjoy a representative democratic type of government, which is framed in and enforced by the Constitution of the United States so that it serves the will of the people and gives them direct access to their government through the political process. I’m doubtful that a majority of Americans trust even this first component of American government is working as it should. I certainly don’t.

Second, our government is federal, with powers divided between a central government in Washington, D.C., and several local governments; states, cities, towns and other authorities and governing bodies.

Third (and this may be the most difficult feature to accomplish), our government is limited in nature, in that the government does not have ultimate authority over the people, each of us has certain rights which (in theory at least) can’t be taken away. Associated with that limited make up (what many refer to as “power distribution”), we commonly know as the three branches of government: executive, judicial and legislative and kept in place (ostensibly) by a system of checks and balances. Together, these concepts are designed to ensure that the American government lies in the hands of the people (us).

The United States Constitution wasn’t composed haphazardly, willy-nilly, or with thoughtless unconcern. It was crafted by men who labored long and hard to design a document that would stand the test of time and persevere into a future world the framers could not possibly have envisioned.

We’re witnessing how the best laid plans can unravel and go terribly awry. We have a political party that banishes members who stand up for what is right, who endeavor to tell the truth. We’re a divided country, those who accept as inviolate the peaceful transfer of power and those who justify violence when they lose. We live in a country where men and women who do not believe in representative democracy would eagerly overturn the outcome of an election based on fake and fraudulent claims.

Those of us who believe in democracy, who took an oath to defend it, are obligated to push back against those who would destroy it. Former president Trump incited an armed attack on our nation’s Capitol which cost several defenders their lives. He must be indicted for sedition for attempting to overthrow the government of the United States. To do otherwise will have unimaginable and incomprehensible consequences creating an incalculable danger to our Republic.

David L. Snell

Franklin