The Surprising Resilience of American Democracy

[babylonsister]

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/01/trump-clarifying/550562/

The Surprising Resilience of American Democracy
The commitment of ordinary citizens to democratic ideals is being tested each day—and its enduring strength is containing the damage of Trump’s presidency.
Eliot A. Cohen 6:00 AM ET Politics


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America’s civil servants, soldiers, diplomats, and intelligence officials, in their overwhelming majority, take seriously their oath to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, “foreign and domestic.” They did not snap-to when the president decided to toss transgender personnel out of the military, they did not begin torturing terrorists, they did not suspend their relentless investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election in support of Donald Trump. He lashed out at most of them—from the FBI to the judges. They gritted their teeth and continued to work in accordance with the law.

In the country writ large, the Democrats seem to have a new infusion of energy from all kinds of people, to include minorities who now have an even livelier appreciation of what the right to vote means, once-Republican leaning women disgusted by the president’s own sexual predations, and young veterans of America’s wars who want to bring into Congress the spirit of service that they exhibited on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan.

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Americans are learning afresh that such propositions are inimical to democracy. “We hold these truths to be self-evident,” the Founders declared: Without the truth as a cardinal value, self-government collapses. And while they had no illusions about human nature, neither did they think that the United States could survive without leaders who displayed the virtues so lacking in the current occupant of the White House. A George Washington or an Abraham Lincoln, a Theodore Roosevelt or a John F. Kennedy could approach greatness only because, despite their individual flaws, they had some noble qualities about them, some inspiring vision to raise the American people, some defining largeness of spirit. There is, by contrast, nothing admirable about Donald Trump. The stock market may flutter upwards for a bit, but no enduring good can come of him.

The way ahead will lie for some in political activism, for others simply in calling out the truth as they understand it. But moral crises require moral solutions, and those are not to be found in the voting booth or the public square, as essential as activity in those domains may be. Rather, it is in the daily affirmation of the principles so clearly expressed in the great documents and speeches of the American past, from the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution to the Gettysburg Address to Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I have a dream,” that a way ahead lies. It is in civic education, and a celebration of all that really is great in the American past, that the answer to the bigotry and hucksterism of the 45th president, and the toadying and lies of his sycophants and courtiers is to be found.

This is a political storm, no doubt. But the United States has weathered much worse. And although the damage that has been done will be lasting, it is also entirely possible that the good that will be done will be equally or more so. Ten or 20 years from now there may be much to look back on with pride as well as with disgust. “The voyage of the best ship is a zigzag line of a hundred tacks,” Emerson once wrote. Above all, the good news is that it rests entirely on the American people what to make of this clarifying moment in history. And there is good reason to think that they will rise—that they are indeed at this moment rising—to the call.

[mstinamotorcity2]

1. I am hoping

it won't take us decades to undo this hot mess.

[babylonsister]

4. I am also.

[hlthe2b]

2. thanks for posting this... seems to be an onslaught of despairing comments today... n/t

[babylonsister]

3. You're welcome and that's why I did.

A little optimism never hurt a soul.

[N_E_1 for Tennis]

5. Im hoping that some changes come to the election process...

Presidential but maybe to all.
Vetting of the candidates...properly and deeply, maybe by some sort of bipartisan committee
Changes to the process of removing a flawed elected president.
Changes to the scope of the presidents “untouchability” in regard to criminal matters.
(If the vetting is done correctly the rest may not be necessary but we thought it was ok till 45 came.)
Banishment of the Electoral College.
Citizens United...gone in a puff of smoke.

Probably more but I’d take that for a start.

[TeapotInATempest]

6. Citizens United

Thanks for including it in your list. As far as I can tell, unless we remove money from our elections we will always be subject to the whims of the super rich. I believe this is an absolute MUST if we want to protect our democratic republic.

[maxsolomon]

7. Its been 1 year.

the effects of the ongoing competence purge at federal agencies, or the stacking of the federal courts with RW ideologues, has barely been felt. they have 3 more year to go, at a minimum.

whistling Dixie.