New hope for saving our republic

The 2024 presidential election revealed that millions of Americans seemed to have paid little heed to the threat that Donald J. Trump posed to America's democracy, specifically that he would attempt to rebuild America from a constitutional democratic republic to a kingly autocracy.

Following Trump‘s election, many other millions of Americans did pay heed to the threat. They participated in nationwide No Kings Day rallies to protest his presidency wherein the strict guidelines, balance of power, and rule of law crucial to our democratic republic were being breached. Thus far, these protests have had little if any political impact — bringing to mind Benjamin Franklin's terse response to a question about the kind of government wrought by the 1787 Constitutional Convention: “A republic, if you can keep it." Therefore, more than No Kings Day rallies needs be done.

The recently launched bipartisan Astronauts For America organization (astronautsforamerica.org) offers a step in the right direction. It plans to evaluate, score and rate political candidates as well as meet with federal policymakers to share concerns about the troubled state of U.S. Democracy. This organization should be able to provide mechanisms with sufficient credibility and force to counter the threat to our democracy and so help keep our republic safe.

Frank G. Splitt

Mount Prospect