Winston Churchill said the best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.
More than two centuries ago, the French diplomat Joseph de Maistre said, “Every nation gets the government it deserves.” Nowhere is that more accurate than in a democracy.
I have given those quotes a lot of thought over the past year. From a deteriorating planet to a disrupted international order to dangerous and violent ideologies, we are surrounded by no shortage of serious challenges. From within, however, we face two real threats to a healthy democracy: first, the uninformed or disengaged voter, and second, a breakdown in the separation of power between independent branches of government. In a democracy, true power lies in the hands of the people — but only if we fulfill our responsibilities of citizenship, for only we can hold our representatives accountable.
Over the life of our great country, progress has been made only when ordinary citizens fought for change over a sustained period of time. From ending slavery to winning suffrage. From Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts to the Affordable Care Act. From upholding a woman’s right to choose to legalizing same-sex marriage. Each of these efforts, and so many more, bent the long arc of the moral universe toward justice. Each of these battles was messy — some were even bloody. And all of them started not in the halls of government, but in the homes…
