“Democracy is no more immune to political cancers than humans are to pathological cancers. Yet there lies a great difference. Political cancers are the result of polarization, greed, corruption, racism. misinformation, economic inequality, lust for power, and Executive overreach. John Johnson 09/11/25
By John Johnson II
America’s democracy is sick. It suffers from political cancers that eat away at its strength, spread through its institutions, and weaken its ability to survive. Regrettably, these cancers are generated from within by political idealogues wanting a government based on authoritarianism, retribution, and conservative principles. Democrats prefer a government founded on people sovereignty, human rights, free/fair elections, and leaders’ accountability. If untreated, these cancers will destroy the nation from within.
America’s voters should not be naïve about the failing health of democracy. The Heritage Foundation and other conservative groups-initiated plans to develop Project plan2025 in 2022. Consequently, this project is the genesis of the political cancers now threatening democracy.
The first cancer is polarization. Americans no longer debate ideas—they wage war against one another. Neighbors see enemies instead of citizens. Congress has become a battlefield where compromise is seen as betrayal. Paralysis follows, leaving urgent problems unsolved.
The second cancer is the undermining of elections. Gerrymandered districts, voting restrictions, and false claims of fraud cut into trust. The assault on the Capitol showed the world that even the peaceful transfer of power—once sacred—can be shattered by lies. When ballots lose legitimacy, democracy loses meaning and America ceases to be a “republic.”.
Next comes the erosion of norms. Truth is optional. Laws are bent or ignored. Leaders shrug at subpoenas and mock courts. What once shocked now barely stirs outrage. Every broken norm is another thread ripped from democracy’s fabric. Sadly. the new norms appear as mutants of even more dangerous forms of cancer.
Disinformation fuels the spread. Foreign powers exploit America’s divisions, while domestic actors weaponize lies for power. Millions live in alternate realities, unable to agree on basic facts. The thought that misinformation would become as deadly for democracy as it is for people is mind boggling. A democracy built on fiction cannot endure and nor can a divided Country.
Then there is minority rule. Structural imbalances mean leaders can govern without majority support. Anger grows as millions feel their voices do not matter. That anger feeds division and distrust.
Worse still is supreme incompetence. A nation poisoned by division cannot survive leaders who are reckless or unfit. Incompetence magnifies every cancer—delaying solutions, weakening institutions, and deepening crises. From botched responses to pandemics, to gridlock during economic pain, failure of leadership leaves America exposed. When the ship is sinking, an incompetent captain guarantees disaster. We can never forget the tragedy of the Titanic. Its fate resulted from the incompetent stewardship of Captain Edward Smith. Unfortunately, he believed the myth that the Titanic was unsinkable.
Yet incompetence often thrives because it is protected. The Supreme Court itself has become a coconspirator, enabling the spread of these cancers. By shielding failed leaders from accountability, weakening voting protections, and allowing unchecked abuse of power, the Court has too often placed partisanship above principle. In doing so, it concedes its own moral authority, trading the long-term survival of democracy for short-term political gain.
But the Court is not untouchable. Though justices are appointed for life, the Constitution makes clear they serve only during “good behavior.” Since “bad behavior” is left undefined, it is Congress that holds the power of interpretation and removal. This truth must be shouted: SCOTUS is not beyond accountability. It is not above the law.
The lesson is dismal: democracy will not die from one fatal blow. It will die from many cancers ignored, untreated, or worsened by incompetent hands and a distorted mind. The cure requires urgency: competence over stubbornness, and competence over chaos. Without it, our democracy will collapse just as did the Roman, Russian, and German empires.
YOU BE THE JUDGE!
