Dems Remove Masks in New Poll, Results Not Pretty

The Democratic Party, the party that was created by a Founding Father and former U.S. president, has turned its back on both its founder and America's founding principles, according to a recent survey.

Democratic leaders may want to reexamine who they are, what they stand for, and where they want to take the country.

Last week RealClear Opinion Research (RCOR) released the results of its latest poll and its findings should be a wake-up call to every American.

The subject of the poll was censorship, and the distinction in the answers between Democrats and Republicans was "stunning," according to co-founder and president of RealClearPolitics Tom Bevan.

"Stunning numbers among Dems in RCOR's new poll on free speech and censorship," he said, and listed the following findings:

• 47% of Dems say free speech should be legal 'only under certain circumstances.'

• 34% of Dems say Americans 'have too much freedom.'

• 75% of Dems say government has a responsibility to censor 'hateful' social media posts.

He closed by observing that "Only 31% [of Democrat voters] strongly agree with the statement, 'I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.'"

Conversely, 74% of Republican voters and 61% of independents believe speech should be legal "under any circumstances," and half of Republican voters polled say government has a responsibility to censor 'hateful' social media posts.

More than half of Republican voters — 51% — strongly agreed with the statement, "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it," a quote generally attributed to French writer, historian, and philosopher Voltaire.

The statement is often used to illustrate the guiding principles of free speech — the free exchange of thoughts and ideas coupled with a tolerance for those with opposing views.

But we've wandered from that standard, and in so doing, have turned our backs to the fundamental right of freedom of expression — not just here but in other so-called modern democracies.

Last week former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern addressed the United Nations where she called on the U.N. to engage in censorship on an international scale to "protect free speech."

She might be remembered from her excessive lockdowns and mandates in response to the COVID pandemic — not unlike those imposed by many Democratic U.S. state governors.

Using those who question the concept of man-made climate change as an example, Ardern described free speech as a virtual weapon of war.

Jonathan Turley, law professor at George Washington University, concluded that "She is now the virtual ambassador-at-large for global speech regulation and criminalization."

As it pertains to the freedoms of speech and press, the First Amendment to the Constitution states that "Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press. ..."

James Madison, who wrote the Bill of Rights — the first 10 amendments to the Constitution — originally drafted a more compelling version of the First Amendment, and included its underlying justification:

"The people shall not be deprived or abridged of their right to speak, to write, or to publish their sentiments; and the freedom of the press, as one of the great bulwarks of liberty, shall be inviolable."

Thomas Jefferson — another Founding Father and the third U.S. president — has been credited with founding the Democratic Party.

Like Madison, he valued freedom of expression above all else, and famously said that if he had to choose between "a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter."

Last week's poll illustrates just how far the Democratic Party has descended, to place the iron fist of a centralized, authoritarian government above the fundamental rights of the individual.

It's one more reason we need to keep Democrats as far away from power as possible.

Michael Dorstewitz is a retired lawyer and has been a frequent contributor to Newsmax. He is also a former U.S. Merchant Marine officer and an enthusiastic Second Amendment supporter. Read Michael Dorstewitz's Reports — More Here.