End of Democracy as we know it?
Did we ever know democracy? How fragile is our democracy facing new challenges that seem to have started with the nomination of Donald J. Trump as president of the United States of America. Most likely long before, but we were just lulled into our liberal la-la land of writing poems and snowflakes activities. Frontline’s documentary ‘Divided States of America’ dates it back to 2008, when Sarah Palin ran as republican vice-president candidate. Tom Daschle (D-S.D.), who served as Senate Majority Leader from 2001 to 2003 and then Minority Leader from 2003 to 2005, talks about that time and Palin in an interview:
The far right has done an enormously successful job in poisoning the well when it comes to feelings toward government, feelings toward collective action, feelings toward public policy generally. The more they can create dysfunction, the more they can stop government from moving along in its traditional path, the happier and the more successful they are. She was one of the first personalities to personify that, to articulate it, to address it in a way that resonated with a large percentage of American voters.
It’s 2017. The first two week of Trump in office felt like a Blitzkrieg on everything we ‘rocking chair liberals’ have gotten to take for granted. A more human first approach to politics. A progressive view on issues like health care, women’s reproductive rights, the LGBTQ community, black lives matter movement and a clear separation of state and church, just to name a few.
Part of me doesn’t want to paint things as black as Adam Gopnik did about our fragile democracy. But of course he makes a very good point.
Democratic civilization has turned out to be even more fragile than we imagined; the resources of civil society have turned out to be even deeper than we knew. The battle between these two shaping forces — between the axman assaulting the old growth and the still firm soil and deep roots that support the tree of liberty — will now shape the future of us all.(Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker 2/2017)
We, as citizens, have the most important duty right now. To stay alert, be active, be involved in local community and things that are close to our hearts. Go protest, sign petitions, join non-profits that need our support more than ever: ACLU, Planned Parenthood, The National Immigration Law Center, The Human Rights Campaign.. And very important in times like this to support public broadcasting national and locally — NPR, WNYC, who are the critical voice to guide through the current chaos.
All human needs are bipartisan and we need to keep our sanity in the post-election stress fest.
