I think you have misinterpreted what I mean when I say "Democracy is only viable if we the people say it is so".

Democracy does not depend on whether people believe an election was stolen or what the polls say about what they believe, but rather maintain a belief in an orderly transfer of power. An example of how we have devolved and in particular why the SC is not the arbiter of Democracy, in the 2000 election the SC was an interloper in the Democratic process. They can not declare winners. Only the voters can make that decision. Allow the ballots be counted. Likewise any intervention by the SC now would only exacerbate an already degrading belief in Democracy.

What I have noticed in the last 20 years is a palpable erosion of rational thought by conservatives. The say they are patriots but hate the Constitution. Because I live n the South I suspect there is a legacy of anti-federalism sentiment still alive and well. Buried beneath the facade states rights, I believe there is a broad current of delusional thinking unhinged from a healthy cynicism of the federal government. This pervasive delusion has a stranglehold on the Republican(read as MAGA Party). Part and parcel is an increasing belief there is a legitimate argument for the violent overthrow of government.

A small number of people saw the possibility in 2020 of what this delusional thinking would encompass. We saw it with our own eyes on Jan 6. We heard it in the shadows, and now it is heard in public, and that is only people talking. Now we have seen and are now seeing states rebuffing court orders. The courts have no mechanism to enforce their orders, other than a belief in Democracy.

Polling does not reflect nor measure the groundswell of delusional thinking, which is only getting worse. Their delusions are exacerbated by media which feeds them half truths or no facts at all. These people feel disenfranchised because they believe the federal government is not only corrupt, but has abandoned their core belief system. Deep within the soul of these people is the selfish belief based in bigotry, the federal government is giving their hard earned money to people who do not deserve it, the non-whites, or because they are poor.

These folks were here before Trump and will remain long after Trump becomes a footnote in history. How many people doe it take to overthrow Democracy in our country? It won't be 9 black robed individuals. It could very well be a small number in the halls of Congress, in state legislatures, and election boards which topple the pillars of Democracy. Imagine replacing the current chairman of the Joint Chiefs with Gen Flynn, and similar replacements in other key positions. Democracy may end with a whimper, not a bang.

ignorance is the enemy
without equality there is no liberty
America can survive bad policy, but not destruction of our Democratic institutions