Dreams of Democracy: Denied, Deferred, or Delivered

It's 2022 and we're warring once again; here at home and abroad. The fight for democracy continues.

On February 24th, Russia invaded Ukraine. And on the 25th, Biden nominated judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court. Since then, we've discovered that Putin is committing war crimes and lying to the Russian people and the world. And, if you've been paying attention, we got to witness the GOP push culture war nonsense during the confirmation hearings of the most qualified candidate ever. These days it feels like Democracy is dissolving across the globe.

I've been a registered Democrat since I started voting because it was the option that best suited me, especially when it came to the primaries. But even back then I could see that neither party truly represented me. At the time, I was disappointed with Bill Clinton's abuse of power and sexual misconduct with an intern and uninspired by Al Gore.

I was in college at the time and I'd begun experiencing the problems that come with status quo politics. So, when I learned about the Green Party and what they stood for, I voted for Ralph Nader with the hope of making inroads on having a viable third party option. I knew Nader wasn't going to win, but I thought I was being principled and voting for who most represented my vision. But when George Bush ended up in the WH instead of Gore, whom I expected would win, I learned about the limits and devastating consequences of voting for a candidate on principle alone.

As this NPR article recounts, "Although Gore had won the popular vote by roughly a half-million ballots, the all-important Electoral College count from the other 49 states (and District of Columbia) was so close that whoever won Florida would be the overall winner." The whole thing was definitely a nightmare that has haunted me ever since and pushed me to vow that I would never again vote third party. The whole mess that followed taught me that US elections had a major issue that it needed to contend with and, as I saw it, it put the validity and effectiveness of the electoral college in question.

Needless to say, "the hanging chad" mess shook my confidence mostly because Gore had won the popular vote with a sizeable margin and still lost the presidency. The majority of the American people had made clear who they wanted, but the systems we had/have in place didn't/doesn't necessarily support such an outcome.

Still, I've voted in every national election since 2000 and most primary and statewide elections as well. I didn't allow that experience to keep me from doing my part as a citizen. I'm a naturalized American, which means that I'm an immigrant who gained citizenship and the right to vote; so, I do not take that right and privilege for granted.

In fact, my sister and I even became poll workers for the 2020 election because we wanted to support the voting process any way we could. I got to see first hand the role that poll workers play in our democracy and I, like each of my poll worker colleagues, took it very seriously. So, the anti-democratic efforts prior to the 2020 election and the sh*t show that would follow were a huge blow to our collective belief in our representative democracy.

We never imagined that nearly two years later, people would still be holding on to the "stolen election" lies that the former guy and his cronies continue to push to this day in spite of all the proof against it. In spite of the legal judgements to dismiss 60+ cases claiming election fraud that were put forth by the former administration. But, hey, that's exactly where we are.

It makes me sad to see the US democracy in decline. As someone who comes from a country with an unstable and corrupt government, I've always been grateful to live in a nation that wasn't like what I'd seen growing up. I thought we were better and we are, but we're not; you know what I mean? We can see all the games and dealings of our political class. Their scandals and in-your-face disregard for the law are sickening. But to speak on it feels traitorous because according to some, when someone like me criticizes our government it is considered unAmerican when the truth is that, like others, I critique it because I LOVE IT. My family and I are here for a reason and a corrupt government isn't it.

Experts who study democracies and how they come to be, how they shift and change, and how some die, are the ones we should be listening to, but we don't. This is a time in history when we don't believe in experts; higher education and those who pursue academics are under attack.

We refuse to believe that we, like past democracies, may be going through something that we should watch out for and attempt to course-correct. Instead, we have folx who are so anti-change, that they refuse to see what's right in front of them. Or, we have others who, in an attempt to hold on to their own power and maintain the associated wealth and privilege afforded to them, will go along with conspiracy theories that they know aren't true. That's the GOP for you these days; peddling lies and engaging in culture wars to rouse the anger of their base.

But, they're not the only ones at fault, of course. I'm a disillusioned and depressed Democrat watching the only party I can vote for squander every opportunity to do better. Biden's promises have fallen short because he's still trying to play by the old rules that don't hold up anymore. It's infuriating, but I don't have a choice right now than to vote for the party that, at least, has a few members who actually believe in doing better for the American people and not as tied to corporations. Unfortunately, enough are that we can't seem to get very far.

I meditate sometimes and try my best to calm my nerves and not hold grudges for the Dems past failures, but it gets harder every year, especially because I see them taking my vote for granted as well as the votes of countless other people. Our young voters, especially, feel utterly bamboozled and I totally get why. I pray they don't jump ship, but I see how many will and do simply because they lose faith in the grown-ups who make promises and don't follow through.

That's why, as an adult, I feel like it's on me to do my part to go beyond the blue-red divide in my circles. It's on me to help build bridges across lines of difference in my everyday life because we need to talk about how to rectify this crap and get back in the fight. Our democracy is at stake and it's on us to make it right.

If we don't vote and we allow what the Senate did this year to the Voting Rights Act to stand and we let more states pass restrictive voting laws, then we give, the people, are giving up our part in this democratic experiment. If we allow ourselves to continue to be lied to and stay passive and disengaged from politics then we opt out of the only role we get to play as citizens of these United States.

Our democracy is ours to deliver; and if we don't believe it's on us, then our dreams of experiencing a true democracy will continue to be denied and deferred. That's why, as hard as it is to stay positive and believe, we gotta do it if we want to one day succeed.

Read or listen: Is the US a Flawed Democracy?