January 6 was a big deal for Democrats as they commemorated the third anniversary of the Capitol riots, insisting it was an "insurrection" and that our very democracy--even though we live in a constitutional republic--is at stake. This was the case not only with several posts from President Joe Biden's multiple X accounts, who had also given a speech the day before about the anniversary, but with a series of posts from Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH). One post stood out in particular, as she was so obsessed with the idea of "democracy," that she even misquoted Benjamin Franklin.
Shaheen began her thread from Saturday morning by claiming "Three years ago, insurrectionists stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to overturn the legitimate 2020 election results," using that buzzword that Democrats love to use. "They assaulted and injured police officers. They threatened the lives of elected officials. They put our democracy in jeopardy," the post went on to mention.
Then, another post misquoted Benjamin Franklin as saying "a democracy, if you can keep it," also claiming "January 6, 2021, was a stark reminder of just how fragile our democracy is," while sending a message indicating that Democrats will keep talking about the events from that day. "It is on each and every one of us to never forget the actions that led to that day so we ensure history does not repeat itself," the post also read.
“A democracy, if you can keep it,” said Ben Franklin.
— Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (@SenatorShaheen) January 6, 2024
January 6, 2021, was a stark reminder of just how fragile our democracy is.
It is on each and every one of us to never forget the actions that led to that day so we ensure history does not repeat itself.
As of early Sunday morning, the post is still up, and there have been no clarifying posts acknowledging the erroneous quote that was posted almost 24 hours ago. There's also a Community Note pointing to the actual quote, which was "a republic, if you can keep it." Franklin uttered those words in response to Elizabeth Willing Powel's question "well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?"
There's also been over 4,200 replies, with many users taking issue with Shaheen misquoting Franklin. The vast majority of reposts are quoted reposts also calling the senator out for such an obvious error.
The mistake is embarrassing all around. If it was a staffer who sent out the post, that person ought to be spoken to, and perhaps should stick to other duties beyond social media posts. If it was Shaheen herself who did so, that's bad too. No wonder Americans give Congress such a low approval rating if sitting U.S. senators can't be expected to brush up on early American history before they send out such posts.
Those posts are only half of Shaheen's thread. "The insurrection was one of America’s darkest days and a stain on our nation’s history," her next post read. "In its aftermath, we must continue finding ways to shore up the security of elections, increase access to the ballot box and protect election workers. I remain committed to fighting for these goals."
A subquent post also discussed the importance of democracy, especially "[a]s we head into a presidential election year," which is likely going to be a rematch from 2020 between former President Donald Trump and current President Biden.
As we head into a presidential election year, these priorities cannot be overlooked. It’s critical to the future of our democracy and the strength of our nation. Democracy is precious and we must all work together to safeguard, protect and strengthen it.
— Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (@SenatorShaheen) January 6, 2024
Democrats have been obsessed with the founders and the concept of democracy. Biden gave his Friday speech in Valley Forge, and referenced George Washington multiple times, in addition to issuing all kinds of warnings against Trump. Biden spoke at length about protecting democracy and how it was a focus of his reelection campaign, as if any of us could possibly forget.
That Democrats, like Biden and Shaheen, would misquote our founders for their own political agenda likely shows us what we need to know about the Democrats' end game, but also why their obsession with January 6 becomes less and less worth taking seriously.