Americans are worried about democracy. You wouldn't know it from the GOP debate.

by Zachary Roth, Georgia Recorder [This article first appeared in the Georgia Recorder, republished with permission] August 24, 2023 There’s a growing feeling, among both experts and ordinary Americans, that our democracy isn’t functioning well — and even that it’s under threat. “American democracy is cracking,” the Washington Post reported August 18. “I’m terrified,” one democracy expert told the paper. “I think we are in bad shape, and I don’t know a way out.” Forty-nine percent of respondents to a recent Associated Press poll said U.S. democracy isn’t working well, and 56% said the Republican party is doing a bad job of upholding democracy. For the Democratic party, the figure was 47%. And just 16% of respondents to a 2022 CNN poll said they were very confident that U.S. election results reflected the will of the people. But viewers of Wednesday night’s GOP primary presidential debate on Fox News wouldn’t have guessed any of this. Though the network’s on-screen banner and backdrop read “Fox News Democracy 24,” the eight candidates onstage weren’t asked about elections, voting, or democracy throughout the two-hour production. Former President Donald Trump, the front runner, refused to participate and opted for a separate online interview with fired Fox News host Tucker Carlson. The debate
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