Politics

America Is Expeditiously Becoming Politically Obtuse.

You cannot rectify a receding democracy without a greater sense of political responsibility on the part of citizens and political leaders.

John Trumbull, “General George Washington Resigning His Commission,” 1826 Architect of the Capitol.

Bad political outcomes are a result of inappropriate individual behaviors, inordinate structural processes, and misinformed/uninformed citizens. Sometimes it is difficult to assess the attributiveness of the factors or the degree of political responsibility assigned to them with regard to the outcome. Some elements are certainly more worthy of censure than the others. Citizens and political leaders of democratic societies differentiate themselves from authoritarian societies by bearing more responsibilities and not just by exercising more rights.

We, the people, are also accountable for the behavior of our leaders other than they themselves for setting these violent and undemocratic events into motion, given that we have democratically elected them. Is it time we shoulder some responsibility to elect responsible leaders who can respond with horror when their President acts unrighteously? Failing to embrace this role not only constitutes a betrayal of our commitment to our fellow citizens but also terrorizes democracy by undermining the efficiency of the entire…