Scroll down this column to read liberal commentaries on the state, and future, of our democracy by contributors Sharon Lintner, K.E. Bell and Hugh Hansen, and go to The Gray Area for commentary by Jerry Lanson.
In Broad Daylight -- It has been said that democracy dies in darkness, but in America it is dying in broad daylight. Members of the press are being publicly disrespected. Truths are being twisted. Rights are being reversed. The future of democracy is extremely fragile and as things stand now, I think it is quite possible to lose democracy. -- Sharon Lintner (Contributing Pundit)
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Depends on Midterms -- The question of how confident we should be in our democracy starts with our faith in our fellow man. If we've learned anything from the Trump era it's that about a third of people — and maybe as high as 40 percent — can either fall for a conman or justify the evil this man has done. That leaves two-thirds of us to defend democracy. The problem is all the power is in the hands of those who would destroy it for their own ends. While I think the Democrats will garner about 60 percent of the votes in the midterms, the Republicans' ability to cheat democracy may make up for that 20-percent shortfall. Trump's biggest fear is accountability, so I believe he is willing to pull another January 6th to avoid losing the midterms or seating enough winning Democrats to give them the gavel. Basically, I think democracy, at least democracy in the way Americans believe it should exist, is dead if Republicans can cheat the midterms.
And then there are the Democrats. Should the Dems win in the midterms, I don't have faith that they'll do the right thing, either. The rampant corruption of this regime (the word administration implies too much respect) must be punished, and the Supreme Court must be remade (again, in part to mitigate Republican cheating). If Dems regain power and don't bury this dark era for our country under an avalanche of convictions, ethics standards, voting rights laws (bye-bye, gerrymandering), and anti-corruption legislation, America's democracy won't be worth saving anyway.
It will be up to us at the ballot box and the leaders we elect to set the country on the path that was promised in the Constitution. Let's hope that a vocal majority will be enough to overcome a lawless, immoral, corrupt minority. –K.E. Bell (Contributing Pundit)
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Citizens Must Learn -- When I've thought about and looked toward the future of US democracy lately, I find I have no vision at all. My crystal ball, never crystal-clear, has turned into a brick.
I think I've generally lived in optimism about our country's future. As a teacher, I saw (and helped) people learn things, then saw them adjust their thoughts and actions constructively in response. I mean, that's what it takes, right? For our democracy to succeed, a big chunk of our citizens must learn (whether formally or from experience) and then act accordingly. That has to happen more quickly in today's world than it did in 1926.
The size and durability of the Trumpian base just blows my mind in that regard. It makes it seem perfectly possible to me that the "big chunk" I described is simply not big enough to respond to the challenges we face from big money, new tech, climate change, and foreign relations.
Or, maybe there are a few supremely effective new teachers coming into the political system. Great teachers enable learning I'd never have seen coming in my brick. --Hugh Hansen (Contributing Pundit)
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“Democracy consists of choosing your dictators, after they’ve told you what you think it is you want to hear.” – Alan Coren
Alan Coren (1938-2007) was an English writer, humorist, BBC broadcaster and satirist who had an openly cynical view of the form of government Americans have now held dear for 250 years.
Does Coren have a point?
Whether you agree or disagree with Coren, your opinion is equally valid and salient; even as the current government swings toward authoritarianism, the editorial We at The Hustings has observed a great deal of optimism for the future of our democracy from both right and left, Republicans, Democrats, and independents.
We also are aware of opinions from left and right that said trend toward “authoritarianism” is overblown, undeserved or even necessary in order to help preserve American democracy.
As our nation’s semi-quincentennial rapidly approaches, we humbly seek your civilly stated opinions on this issue.
Send your COMMENTS on the state of our democracy and/or its future to editors@thehustings.news and please indicate whether you lean left or right, regardless of the opinion stated within, in the subject line. –Editors