Today is Bastille Day. Today we honor the aspiration toward liberty, fraternity, and equality.
And it’s also the day after an attempted assassination of a leader who himself has invoked his followers to engage in violence.
And just yesterday not unfew voiced that an American dictator may have been anointed. Other’s have likened the event to the Reichstag fire.
However, to the extent that we have a true and functioning liberal democracy, it has always been ours to lose. And it has always been ours to keep.
Liberal democracies may always have teetered on the edge of being untrue: Vested power tends to distrust distributed power and will try to seize or yoke it. Candidates are bought, ballot boxes are stuffed.
It may also be that liberal democracies often times are only marginally functioning. Democracy is messy. It’s loud, uncouth, sloppy, erratic, surprising, confounding, and feels largely unsatisfactory. By definition, it means that we have to give up some of our self-interest to accommodate the self-interest of another. In a functioning democracy, no one is ever left feeling entirely happy.
But a liberal democracy also holds out the promise that the needs of all will be considered. Liberal democracies are founded in the rule of law and the distribution of power. They are premised in a seeking of shared truth rather than the avowal of lies.
We have a candidate now that promises to do away with all of that. He has repeatedly voiced undemocratic aspirations. He has called for political violence. He has said that he will not accept election results. That he will establish military extra-judicial tribunals to punish his opponents. That he will dismantle our government. And that he will suspend the rule of law.
In a democracy it’s not someone else’s job to stop this. It’s our job. It’s your job. And my job. It’s the job of our friends and community members. It’s the job of people with whom we might disagree.
This is not a choice between a liberal and a conservative, nor between a Republican and a Democrat. We are deciding if our democracy will prevail. And the choice is clear. If we elected my dog, or a turnip for that matter, we would still have a functioning democracy. If through some machinations the Democratic party nominated Republicans Liz Cheney and Adam Kinsinger as the blue ticket, the ship of state would still persist. It would not be sold off or dismantled. We would have governance.
But we are at risk losing that.
For those who perceive Donald J Trump as a strong leader, it’s important to see and understand the ways in which he is profoundly weak.
He is a convicted felon who still faces a number of other charges that have yet to be adjudicated. He knows that the only way to avoid punishment for his crimes is to assume the presidency. Therefore he will do anything for anyone to stay in power. Everything, and absolutely every institution, value, alliance, or policy of our nation is now for sale. He has said as much.
And he has little interest in policy. And no deeply held convictions about anything. He has proven his inability to govern (ask any of hundreds of highly competent lawyers, military officers, analysts, and administrators who worked in his administration).
He is putty, willing to to the bidding of anybody who supports him. Like Chauncey Gardiner, the imbecile in Jerzy Kosinki’s Being There, he is the perfect blank slate: low in information, wisdom or values.
And it is also important to see and understand his strength.
His great ability has been his proven willingness to disregard the law.
He has shown in both business and politics that he will do anything to get what he wants. He will lie. And he will steal. His so called business was in effect a money laundering organization. He learned early on that he can weaponize the legal system against itself. With enough money you can appeal until the end of time and never be tried or sentenced. He has shown that he will not abide by electio.n results and that he will sacrifice the most basic norms of a civil society if it serves his interest
And it is both his weakness, and his proven willingness to disrespect the ballot box and the law, that make him a perfect candidate and explains why a good number of powered and monied interests have recently flocked to him.
He will do whatever people want. And he will refuse to concede in an election. We have never had a candidate as nakedly venal and corrupt as this.
And so the wealthy and powerful (as well as largely white population that feels aggrieved or robbed by the system) have queued up.
You want me to jettison a clean energy future and support planet warming hydrocarbon fuels? Give me a billion dollars.
You want me to put NATO on the chopping block, abandon our European alliances, disavow my intelligence services? Hold onto your kompromat.
For the forty richest families in America (that control 1.6 trillion dollars in wealth)? I will preserve your dynastic wealth forever for the low price of just a sixth hundredth of a percent of your combined assets.
You want me to strip fundamental rights from women or privilege Christianity over all other religions? Turn your faithful out to the ballot box.
You want me to deport and punish people who are not like you? Vote for me.
In a true and functioning liberal democracy, the power to stop this rests only with us. If we want to save our democracy, then we must save it.
It means giving up our own prejudices and rising above the noise of a misspoken word or a terrible debate performance to see clearly the content of a person’s character. It means accepting and fully supporting whatever candidate the opposition party puts forward. It means turning people (all people) out to the polls. And staffing ballot curing hotlines to ensure that every vote is counted. And focusing intensely on those few states that will decide this election.
We must back the candidate and the presidential team, regardless of capacity, experience or specific policy position that believes in and will abide by the rule of law.
It’s that simple.
Resources:
1. Focus for Democracy identifies the most cost effective places to donate funds to protect our democracy. You can JOIN their next call this coming TUES 16 JULY at 5 pm (PDT) / 8 pm (EDT) to learn how political giving can produce the most possible good. Register for Focus for Democracy’s latest recommendations:
bit.ly/F4D16July
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_-bRgjsiyT-OGi0jPg56gQg#/registration
2. Focus Action Network is the sister organization of Focus for Democracy. While Focus for Democracy aims to direct our political contributions for maximum positive effect, Focus Action Network identifies the most effective contributions of time, energy, etc.
For example, DJs at polling sites can dramatically turn out voter turnout from historically low engagement voters. You can volunteer your time remotely to help coordinate and project manage music events at polling sites locally or in other states.
You can learn more at the DJs at the Polls website).
3. Sign up for ballot curing and voter protection initiatives in these swing states: Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Iowa, Ohio, and Florida.
If prospective voters show up and are denied their vote, they can call hotlines and you can help direct their case to teams of lawyers on standby. Or if you are a legal professional you can volunteer remotely in one of the lawyer boiler rooms.
https://electionprotection.wetheaction.org/
(you do not need to be a lawyer)
Snowflakes Edge 