A republic, if we can keep it

James McHenry, a Maryland delegate to the Constitutional Convention, on September 18, 1787, wrote: “A lady asked Dr. [Benjamin] Franklin, ‘Well, Doctor, what have we got a republic or a monarchy?’ – ‘A republic,’ replied Franklin, ‘if you can keep it.’” 

On Saturday, June 14, protest rallies were held across the United States in defiance of a president who sees himself as a king. He is gradually shaping the executive office into that of an uncrowned monarchy, spending days and nights spewing promises of false hope based on ‘alternative’ facts he fabricates on the spot and in his disturbed mind. His whimsical, fever-dream fantasies are filled with gilded tanks and armaments bearing the red, white, and blue emblem of the country he believes he has the right to control; an army he views as a substitute for his inadequacies as a man. He is a small-minded yet tall man with small hands who, if left alone to reshape the U.S. in his image, will quickly destroy ‘America’ by molding it to his form — more a mafia Don than president of the United States. As reported by the American Civil Liberties Union, a part of the coalition that organized the demonstrations, more than five million people participated in over 2,100 rallies and peaceful protests nationwide.

Crowds in Miami were estimated to be between 1,000 and 2,000 people in a rally held in Downtown Miami by the Torch of Friendship at Bayside Marketplace. Other rallies took place across South Florida, from Palm Beach to the Keys. The numbers attending in the Miami area were relatively small compared to those in New York, California, and other places across the U.S. But for Miami, where people would rather spend time at the beach while ignoring the realities of today’s politics and the politicians who manipulate them, the crowds were relatively large. 

Allow me to illustrate how quickly opinions about our leaders in key positions can shift. In 2020, Trump received 46% of the presidential vote in Miami-Dade, 35% in Broward, and 43% in Palm Beach. By 2024, Miami-Dade, once a solid Democratic stronghold, had a majority of 56% voting for Donald Trump. In Broward, the count was 41% for Trump, and in Palm Beach, it reached 49%. These were three of the strongest Democratic strongholds in a state that was once considered a swing state and is now solidly Republican. This marked change occurring in less than a decade. 

I would not be surprised, by the way, if in the 2026 congressional races you again see a noticeable change in how people vote. This because voters everywhere, and especially here in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach —where family members of many Latinos and Haitians are being carried away, often to unknown prisons and jails in other parts of the country, and too often deported to prisons and torture chambers like El Salvador’s “mega-prison,” the Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo (CECOT) — are beginning to wake up to Trump’s lies.  

But is it too late?

Right here in Miami, where the gap between the poor and the extremely wealthy has widened dramatically, we tend to look up while ignoring what’s right in front of us. Since the onset of the pandemic in 2020, we’ve witnessed thousands of affluent individuals and their businesses relocate to the area, drawn by the business-friendly environment that has transformed it into an exclusive enclave for the super-rich, often at the expense of the poor. Poverty rates have surged significantly because of this ‘business trumps (pun intended) people philosophy’ that permeates the halls of power.

The results have been staggering and frightening. Many in this city work two and sometimes three jobs, and they’re still having a hard time paying the rent on homes that have become unaffordable, except for the wealthy. We have members of Congress lying to their constituents and voting to repeal the Affordable Care Act (commonly referred to as Obamacare), despite the fact that some of their districts have the largest number of people who are recipients of the help Obamacare offers. All for the handouts (legal and illegal) these politicians receive from the wealthy, who are attempting to reshape business and society in their image. If Marie Antoinette were alive in this epoch, she would be uttering her oblivious, but famous words: “Let them eat cake…”  

We have Cubans, Venezuelans, and Haitians, too many who voted for Trump, now seeing family members and friends being deported and facing horrible circumstances, simply because they are considered coming from what the U.S. president calls “shithole countries” — which, in his sick mind, signifies countries with large Black, brown, and Latino populations.

Examples abound. According to the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), which organizes the quadrennial World Cup and other soccer tournaments, for the 2019-2022 cycle, FIFA reported revenues of $7.6 billion, with a net profit of $1.2 billion and cash reserves exceeding $3.9 billion. Their most recent budget for the 2023-2026 cycle projects total revenue of $11 billion. And yet, by the end of 2026, Miami-Dade County will have allocated nearly $50 million of taxpayers’ money and provided county services for the privilege of hosting seven World Cup matches.

Look, I love the World Cup. It’s a celebration where the world comes together in peace and decides which country is best at playing the Earth’s most popular sport. However, it has also become a perfect example of how money today defies gravity and trickles up to those who need it the least. 

In the process, Miami-Dade has already turned over more than $10 million in cash. Then, a few months ago, as reported by the Miami Herald, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine-Cava recommended that the county spend an additional $10.5 million this year for the 2026 soccer championship. 

“To achieve these savings, several considerations regarding the current level of services provided by departments funded by the General Fund and how they provide those services are being reviewed,” Levine Cava wrote. “As a result, service adjustments may be inevitable.”

In other words, Levine Cava, whom I must admit I once touted as having the potential to become the best mayor Miami’s ever had, is telling us that the FIFA tournament is worth the sacrifice that may not affect the wealthy in Miami, but which surely will hurt the many who need the help and services the county would typically provide. 

I am not necessarily blaming Levine Cava totally for this. However, I always thought she would be tougher on the neoliberals and the MAGA crowd among us, but the system seems to be forcing her to help the rich and ignore the growing numbers of poor… 

Some last thoughts

On Sunday, I took the time to make a few phone calls to friends in Miami who participated in the Saturday ‘No Kings’ protests. “Were there elected officials and government functionaries in the crowds?” The answer was a resounding “No!”

I am convinced that many, especially those in high places in government, still believe that we can defeat this turn to fascism and authoritarianism by outlasting it. 

They should know better… or perhaps they slept through a class on our founding fathers, people like Ben Franklin, for example.

As I see it, and as it is turning out to be, We the People are going to have to take matters into our hands —as the Constitution meant it to be— and right this course we’ve taken. We’ve reached the point where we need more than just votes. This thing may turn physical. As citizens of the United States, are we up to the task?

I’m not sure.