James S. Robbins

Opinion columnist

Mobs swarming the Capitol steps. Protesters clawing at the doors of the Supreme Court. “This is what democracy looks like!” they chant. Yes, it is — which is why we should thank God we live in a republic.

The almost two years since Donald Trump was elected president have seen an upsurge in dramatic public manifestations of discontent from the left-wing “resistance.” Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court confirmation process seemed to kick things into overdrive. Demonstrators took to the streets in numerous cities. Organized protestors disrupted the Senate hearings.

Then, when lurid allegations of sexual assault were leaked after the formal hearings were over, things got even worse. Feminist activists swarmed hallways, loudly confronting Republicans, most notably cornering moderate Arizona Senator Jeff Flake in an elevator. During the Senate floor vote, the proceedings were repeatedly interrupted by women shrieking in the gallery. Pro-Kavanaugh Senators now face unprecedented levels of threats. Colorado Senator Cory Gardner even said his family members’ names and addresses were shared online, and his wife was sent a graphic video of a beheading.

Is mob rule the democracy we want?

What was the point of these theatrics? The outcome wasn’t changed; Brett Kavanaugh is now a Supreme Court justice. There was no political benefit for the Democrats. In fact, as predicted they have faced a backlash. Republicans were energized, and the Democrats lost most of their enthusiasm advantage going into the 2018 midterm elections. Furthermore the scenes of triggered women screaming, chanting, and otherwise acting unhinged did nothing for the image of feminism, unless “crazy” was what they were going for.

Is this the country we want? Our Constitution was a product of the Age of Reason, not the age of rage. The Founders were rightly skeptical of mass democracy, which they saw as synonymous with mob rule. “Democracy never lasts long,” John Adams wrote. “It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.” The bloody chaos of the French Revolution, which broke out the same year the U.S. Constitution came into force, affirmed to the Founders their wisdom in establishing a republican form of government.

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The Constitution was designed to reduce the influence of political passions, with three co-equal branches granted distinct roles, yet with overlapping powers to check and balance each other. The bicameral legislature was meant to enshrine the values of compromise, reasoned debate, sober reflection, and the primacy of process over politics. American government may not have always lived up to this ideal in practice, but at least the model was generally accepted.

Perpetual outrage is the new normal

Today it seems like perpetual outrage is the new norm. Political polarization is at record levels. California Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters openly encouraged radicals to physically confront political opponents in public — this after a series of such incidents, and a year after a leftist gunman opened fire on Republican Members of Congress at a baseball field, severely wounding majority whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana. Right- and left-wing radicals have clashed in the streets, seemingly seeking violence for its own sake. If the past is prologue, we are likely to see more of this dangerous political theater going forward.

The demonstrators, the screamers and disruptors, the street thugs and organized agitators are a symptom of national political dysfunction. Their impact is corrosive and divisive. But they are a useful reminder of why we have a Constitution that recognizes human imperfection and thus seeks to limit the power of government. We can only imagine what would happen if the system broke down completely; if both sides hyper-radicalized; if it became open season on all elected officials, or anyone with the “wrong” political viewpoint; if physical altercations, beatings and bloodshed became commonplace.

That is what democracy really looks like, and it isn’t pretty.

James S. Robbins, a member of USA TODAY's Board of Contributors and author of "Erasing America: Losing Our Future by Destroying Our Past," has taught at the National Defense University and the Marine Corps University and served as a special assistant in the office of the secretary of Defense in the George W. Bush administration. Follow him on Twitter: @James_Robbins