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Washington Post columnist Max Boot was the subject of ridicule for declaring that Republican victories that are widely anticipated in this year's midterms will mark the end of democracy.
In a piece published Monday, Boot dubbed the upcoming midterms a "referendum on democracy" in both the U.S. and Ukraine.
"Those issues are more closely linked than most people realize, because most of the same MAGA candidates who support Donald Trump’s strongman rule at home are either indifferent or hostile to the fate of democracy abroad. J.D. Vance, the GOP nominee for U.S. Senate in Ohio, exemplifies the trend: He has said the 2020 election was 'stolen' and ‘I don’t really care what happens to Ukraine one way or another,’" Boot told readers.
He continued, "That makes it all the more disturbing that Vance and other MAGA candidates are in the lead two weeks before Election Day. Vladimir Putin must have a smug smile on his face as he reads reports of recent political developments in the 'Main Enemy,' as KGB agents of his generation referred to the United States."
Boot cited analysis from the Post that determined "a majority of Republican nominees on the ballot this November for the House, Senate and key statewide offices — 291 in all — have denied or questioned the outcome of the last presidential election," leaving Boot to conclude "this means a majority of the most important GOP candidates reject the fundamental premise of democracy, which is to accept the outcome of an election even if your side loses."
"If these candidates prevail, it will mean that aspiring authoritarians could have a stranglehold on our democracy," Boot warned.
Washington Post columnist Max Boot speaks onstage during The New Yorker Festival 2016. (Anna Webber/Getty Images for The New Yorker)
The columnist offered a grim picture of what would happen if "election deniers" were elected at the state level and to Congress, suggesting they would never certify a Biden reelection victory in 2024, launch "politically motivated investigations" and "forcing a debt default" in order to obstruct the Biden administration and pave the way for former President Trump to return to the White House.
"And if the orange emperor does take power again, you can bet he will try to Orbanize – i.e., euthanize – our democracy," Boot wrote.
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He went on to rail against House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who could be the next speaker if Republicans take back the House, for suggesting the next Congress will no longer be giving Ukraine a "blank check," a move Boot says will embolden Vladimir Putin to expand his reach in Europe.
"If you support democracy in America and Ukraine, you need to vote for Democrats on Nov. 8. But if the current trends hold up, Republicans are likely to take over at least the House and quite possibly the Senate, too, along with many state offices. This is how democracies die, both at home and abroad," Boot ended his column.
Washington Post columnist Max Boot. (Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Boot echoed that sentiment on Twitter, which was derided by critics.
"Voting ‘is how democracies die, both at home and abroad’ is one helluva take," Fox News contributor Joe Concha reacted.
"Elections are how democracies die!" The All-In Podcast host and venture capitalist David Sacks joked.
"'When people participate in democracy, democracy dies,'" Manhattan Institute fellow Christopher Rufo similarly mocked Boot.
"How can we have a democracy if people don't vote the way I demand," Substack writer Jim Treacher parodied the columnist.
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"Stacey Abrams voters are an existential threat to American democracy," National Review staff writer Nate Hochman invoked the prominent election-denying Georgia Democrat.
"democracies die through, uh, free elections," T. Becket Adams of the National Journalism Center wrote, adding, "you people are just so BORING. it's not offensive, controversial, or even mildly thought-provoking. you're just dull, dull, dull."
"'Democracy dies when the party I don't like wins' is actually a profoundly undemocratic sentiment," author Scott Ruesterholz slammed Boot's comments.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
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Even Tesla CEO and incoming Twitter owner Elon Musk mocked Boot's tweet, responding with laughing emojis.
Boot was combative with several of his critics.
"Yes when they bring authoritarians to power who refuse to recognize as legitimate any election that they lose. Why is this hard to understand?" Boot told Sacks.
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He also pushed back against those who invoked election-denying Democrats, telling Rufo, "Hillary Clinton congratulated Trump on his 2016 victory and attended the inauguration. Trump sent his followers to storm Congress to prevent Biden from being certified as the winner. If you can’t see the distinction, we have nothing to discuss."