Civil Society During The Trump Years
As the Obama administration winds down and the Trump presidency is now only a few days away, it is apparent that civil society, in the form of non-governmental organizations, advocacy groups, professional association and perhaps most importantly a broad sense among the American people that we are a free people with rights that we will not relinquish easily, will become an increasingly important bulwark against efforts by the Trump administration to rollback democracy. That language may be a strong way to start the New Year, but that is what the president-elect, in so many words, has pledged to do, and there is little reason to think he will move away from that position.
Civil society has long been strong and vibrant and strong in the US. National organizations across the political spectrum, including groups like the ACLU, Planned Parenthood, the NAACP, and yes the NRA and the Chamber of Commerce, have played an important role in our democracy and our political life. Additionally, thousands of organizations at the local level have helped people fight against injustice, learn more about policy questions, mobilize to achieve political goals and help people understand their rights. Without these types of organizations, and the networks of trust and cooperation that they help engender, and indeed from which they spring, American democracy would be a shadow of what has been. This is a foundational reality about our country.
It is also one that will be likely be tested during the next administration. Civil society organizations that are committed to protecting the rights of Americans, particularly women, LGBT people, and racial and religious minorities will be essential to preserving American democracy in the months and years to come. While it is important to recognize the value of these kinds of organizations, and the critical role they must play in the near future, it is also necessary to recognize that they too will encounter obstacles and potentially harassment from the government.
It is not at all difficult to imagine that a president who during his campaign and the transition period has attacked and made threats against the media will take a similar approach to civil society more broadly. A Trump administration that seeks to pass laws limiting the rights of, for example, Muslims, through registries or other forms of discrimination will encounter resistance from organizations like the ACLU. A President Trump would then likely turn to Twitter to insult the leaders of ACLU and the organization itself. This is not a far-fetched scenario given what he recently did to Indiana labor leader Chuck Jones. President Trump could defend those Tweets, change the subject and otherwise deflect responsibility, but his more thuggish supporters could easily take it upon themselves to threaten or harass those ACLU leaders. Events like this have not happened yet, but they are the kinds of things about which we should be particularly aware as the administration settles in. In countries around the world, one of the first components of democratic rollback are efforts by the state to delegitimize and damage important civil society organizations. We must be prepared for that in Trump’s America as well.
Read More: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lincoln-mitchell/civil-society-during-the_b_13929112.html
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Sobering article.
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