By middle school, we’re all taught that the word “democracy” combines “demos,” the Greek word for people, with “kratos,” meaning rule.
Rule of the people.
That doesn’t describe the government we live under.
Alabamians say they want Medicaid expansion. They don’t seem keen on the state’s effective abortion ban. If you let Alabama voters decide whether the state should have a lottery, odds are that it would pass, and it wouldn’t be close.
None of those initiatives will pass the Alabama Legislature anytime soon. State government rests on gerrymandered districts that give party extremists a loud voice in elections. It’s also highly centralized, with state lawmakers handling issues that in other states would be city or county matters. It doubles the influence of special interests. Lawmakers fear the judgment of lobbyists more than the verdicts of voters.
Now look over to the federal side.
It seems reasonable to think that most Alabamians don’t want to make food, clothing, or other goods more expensive, as President Donald Trump is doing with his tariffs. Especially when raising the price of imports from Mexico will jack up costs for the state’s automotive industry, a large employer our state leaders allegedly revere (though they seem to despise auto workers getting fresh about pay and overtime).
Or look at farmers. Prices for corn and soybeans, among Alabama’s leading agricultural products, fell 10% after Trump announced his tariffs. And is there a constituency for wiping out healthy food choices for school children?
Then there are the dedicated public servants getting thrown out of work for capricious reasons.
How are our federal representatives handling all this?
Democratic Reps. Terri Sewell and Shomari Figures have gone on record opposing the tariffs. But what about the Republicans who make up 78% of Alabama’s congressional voice?
Rep. Barry Moore likes imports. Specifically, making it easier to import firearms into a state suffering from nation-leading rates of gun violence. But he’s also said he supports tariffs on cars, claiming they will bring jobs back. Which is not how the industry sees this playing out. (Hyundai announced $21 billion in auto manufacturing projects to let Trump think it was a response to his tariffs. In fact, most of that reflects investments made before the trade announcements.)
Rep. Robert Aderholt also supports tariffs. He cheered them as protecting steel and aluminum manufacturing. There were fewer than 1,300 steelworkers in Alabama in 2022. There were nearly 59,000 people working retail sales, who are about to find their jobs a lot more difficult.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville calls Trump, who can’t commit to a single tariff approach, a “master negotiator” and claims tariffs will only bring “a little bit of pain.” Something — he didn’t say what — would be “much much worse” without them.
Sen. Katie Britt calls tariffs a “bargaining chip” with other countries. And if Trump throws Alabama jobs into the pot, she appears to be okay with that.
Rep. Dale Strong is too busy venting about something he heard on NPR to defend the 28,000 men and women in his district at risk of losing their jobs under this administration.
U.S. Reps. Mike Rogers of Saks and Gary Palmer of Hoover haven’t said anything, as far as I can tell. It’s a far cry from 2015, when they were screaming about government overreach after President Barack Obama proposed a plan to cut carbon emissions and let the states figure out how to get there.
In short, our congressional delegation is full of cheerleaders shaking the pom-poms for Team Red as their quarterback leaves the field to set the stands on fire. With you in them.
Alabama leaders neither listen to nor fear the voice of the people. The state has a long history of sending Babbitts and backbenchers to Congress, people less interested in showing leadership than collecting the perks of office and doing what they’re told.
That’s perfect for Trump. Most of our representatives seem happy to be limbs of the president. If that means kicking the state they represent — well, look, that’s what they were told to do. Don’t expect an appendage to talk back.
These tariffs threaten the state economy. And our congressional delegation, for the most part, is vigorously applauding.
That’s not democracy. We need another Greek word to describe this.
Deilos, according to this biblical website, means “cowardly, timid, or fearful.”
A deilocracy. Rule by cowards.
A system that limits voters’ practical choices means that Alabama politics produce sycophants, not leaders. We get officials who don’t fear voters. And representatives who tell you that losing your job and paying more for groceries is worth it because Trump’s will is all that matters.
It would be nice to see more backbone. More advocacy for the people of the state.
But that’s not the system we live in. That’s democracy.
Deilocracy means we have leaders content to turn Alabama into the president’s doormat.
This article was published by Alabama Reflector, which is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
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