This essay develops a new theoretical and empirical understanding of the contemporary crisis of American democracy. Between November 3, 2020, and January 7, 2021, President Donald Trump battled to overturn the results of the American presidential election, launching myriad lawsuits and pressuring hundreds of electoral officials. Confronting this antidemocratic assault was a resilient civil sphere that sustained “office,” an institution that, in a democratic society, inspires faith in the Constitution and loyalty to “we the people.” After investigating how this civil institution empowered electoral and legal officials to fight off Trumpian pressures, I focus on Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and US Vice President Mike Pence, examining how they emerged as widely admired icons of civil courage. After Trump’s defeat, the televised hearings of the January 6th Commission created a “civic ritual” in the midst of which Wyoming Congresswoman Liz Cheney became another icon, symbolizing the renewal of a “civil conservatism.” A new, if still precarious, vital center emerged, allowing Democratic prosecutors finally to launch criminal proceedings against Trump. Yet, the Republican Party remains unreconstructed and, for this reason, the future of American democracy is still in doubt.

本文对当代美国民主危机提出了新的理论和实证理解。2020年11月3日至2021年1月7日期间，唐纳德·特朗普总统为推翻美国总统选举结果而奋斗，发起了大量诉讼，并向数百名选举官员施压。面对这种反民主攻击的是一个有弹性的公民领域，它维持了“办公室”，这个机构在民主社会中激发了对宪法的信心和对“我们人民”的忠诚。在调查了这个民事机构如何授权选举和法律官员抵御特朗普的压力之后，我重点关注佐治亚州国务卿布拉德·拉芬斯佩格和美国副总统迈克·彭斯，研究他们如何成为广受赞誉的公民勇气的偶像。特朗普落选后，1 月 6 日委员会的电视听证会创造了一种“公民仪式”，怀俄明州女议员利兹·切尼在其中成为另一个偶像，象征着“公民保守主义”的复兴。一个新的、尽管仍然不稳定的重要中心出现了，使民主党检察官最终能够对特朗普启动刑事诉讼。然而，共和党仍未重建，因此美国民主的未来仍然存在疑问。