Tyranny of the Minority: Why American Democracy Reached the Breaking Point

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2023

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Introduction

Chapters 1-2

Chapters 3-4

Chapters 5-6

Chapters 7-8

Key Figures

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

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Discussion Questions

Symbols & Motifs

Scylla and Charybdis

In The Odyssey, the Greek poet Homer presented Scylla (a six-headed sea monster) and Charybdis (a whirlpool) as mythical sea monsters who sat on opposite sides of the Strait of Messina between present-day Sicily and Calabria. In Greek mythology, sailors regarded these sea monsters as maritime hazards. They were located close enough to each other that it was almost impossible for sailors to fully avoid them. In Homer’s account, Odysseus was told to pass by Scylla because he would lose fewer men compared to passing by Charybdis. Due to these stories and the actual difficulties of navigating this part of the Mediterranean, Scylla and Charybdis are now associated with the proverbial advice “to choose the lesser of two evils.”

Levitsky and Ziblatt use Scylla and Charybdis to symbolize the dangers of the “tyranny of minority” and “tyranny of majority.” The US Founding Fathers were especially concerned about the latter. As such, they put counter-majoritarian institutions in place to limit the power of the majority. While democracies do need checks on majority rule, the authors argue that the Founding Fathers went too far. These institutions have enabled minority rule by the Republican Party. The authors assert, “by steering the republic so sharply away from the Scylla of majority tyranny, America’s founders left it vulnerable to the Charybdis of minority rule” (11). This symbol illustrates the authors’ argument that reforms to American counter-majoritarian institutions are needed to weave a line between majority power and minority rule.

Sports

Throughout the book, the authors use sports as a motif to help explain some of the most complicated elements of America’s counter-majoritarian institutions. For example, they use the phrase “level playing field” (141) to denote the importance of opposition parties being able to compete in free and fair elections. Elections that do not have level playing fields would not uphold minority rights.

The authors also use a professional soccer match to help demonstrate how counter-majoritarian institutions weaken democracy. In a soccer match, there are rules in place to protect players from dangerous conduct or ensure fair competition. Rules that allowed one team to start with a goal or win by scoring fewer goals would be unfair. In the US, counter-majoritarian institutions are not preserving democracy or guaranteeing competition (i.e., free and fair elections). The minority party in the US (the Republican Party) is able to win elections without winning the popular vote because the rules (or counter-majoritarian institutions) give them an unfair advantage. Like the stacked soccer match, counter-majoritarian institutions make for an unfair political system/game.

Pillars

In Chapter 6, Levitsky and Ziblatt use “pillars” as a metaphor for the faith Americans have in their democracy. However, they argue that what many Americans do not yet realize is that these pillars are not upholding democratic norms and principles, but minority rule.

One pillar the authors discuss is the Electoral College. While many Americans recognize there are challenges associated with this institution, they still accept election results even when the presidential candidate lost the popular vote. The authors argue that the Electoral College does not support democracy. Instead, it enables candidates to overrule majority perspectives.

Another pillar is the US Senate. Americans believe that this legislative body accurately represents the US population, but the authors posit that this is far from the case. Sparsely-populated states have greater representation than populous states. Due to partisan bias, these states help Republicans control the House even when they win fewer shares of votes compared to their Democratic colleagues. These states can also produce enough votes to block legislation through the filibuster, even when the majority of Americans support the legislation.

The Supreme Court represents the third pillar. It is the final arbitrator of the law, ensuring Americans have equal justice under the law. However, this is not the case in practice. The lack of term limits and retirement age combined with the Republican bias in the other pillars means many of the Supreme Court justices and their rulings are out of touch with the majority of the American public.

The final pillar is the electoral system. The electoral system is supposed to ensure that all Americans’ voices are heard equally in elections. Instead, the US electoral system creates artificial majorities and allows parties that lost the popular vote to still win elections in state and congressional legislatures.

These four pillars combined are supposed to protect American democracy. Instead, the authors argue, they are enabling the slow descent into minority rule.