Trump embodies the spirit of democracy more than any President since Andrew Jackson.

When I say Trump embodies the spirit of democracy more than any President since Andrew Jackson, I don't mean that he had greater vote totals or something. His win barely was, and was far from a Reagan landslide.

But I also don't mean it as a compliment.

Some people might still hold some positive connotations with the word democracy. But if I close my eyes and say the first things that come to my mind? Collectivism over individualism, cultural concerns crowding out policy concerns, demagoguery, discord, emotion crowding out rationality, hero worship, lies, majorities oppressing minorities, mob violence, populism, short term over long term focus, simplistic solutions advocated in simple language, skepticism in the powerless of the powerful with an assumption that their power was unearned and is used unfairly for malicious intent, sloganeering, strength seen as a virtue rather than a tool used in pursuit of it, hyper-tribalism, vagueness...

There's, like... Legal and constitutional arguments for and against. Maybe even moral ones. But removal from the ballot of a presumed major party candidate for the world's highest elected office is absolutely undemocratic, and the precedent is giving me, someone who doesn't even like democracy (as a base concept that takes precedence over other important considerations), or Trump himself (or the modern GOP), more than a bit of pause.

This one is much more expansive than an age or birth requirement, though. It essentially can apply to literally anyone if no due process is required.

Like... Someone's age and place of birth is easily verifiable. You can quantify it. Whether or not Trump aided and abbetted an insurrection, however? Half the country doesn't believe an insurrection occurred or was attempted on Jan 6 (by anyone or any organization of note), much less there being agreement that Trump personally was involved in such a thing.

It's not cut and dried like an age requirement at all.