Americans have taken democracy for granted. Now we must save it. | Opinion
America’s broken and polarized political system is preventing even basic, common-sense gun control legislation from ever seeing the light of day.
This strengthens the argument for efforts to reform the Senate filibuster, a mechanism that has long been successfully weaponized to grind the wheels of democratic processes in Congress to a permanent halt. With mass shootings taking place every day in our nation, many of our politicians have forgotten the art of statesmanship, which is someone who does everything for the common good for all the people they represent, that equates into having a high regard for personal integrity.
We all have grown up taking our democracy for granted. Until recently, most of us believed and acted as if our constitutional system was unbreakable, no matter how recklessly our politicians behaved.
Many of us watch with growing unease as our political system threatens to go off the rails: With mounting concerns about the fairness of elections, and, of course, the election of a presidential candidate who had condoned violence at rallies and threatened to lock up his rivals, and who, as president, has begun to subvert the rule of law by defying congressional oversight and corrupting law enforcement agencies to protect his political allies and investigate his opponents
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Most Americans are worried about democracy
In a 2019 survey by Public Agenda, 39% of Americans said they believed our democracy is in a crisis, while another 42% said it faces a serious challenge with only 15% said American democracy is doing well. Democratic backsliding in the United States is no longer a matter of speculative concern.
Democracy is important because it gives people a say in how they are governed. It also allows for discussion and debate on issues, which leads to better policies. Additionally, democracy allows for peaceful change, which is essential for progress.
The United States is facing a historic crisis that fundamentally threatens our democratic system of government. Our nation has entered a treacherous new era in its history, one that threatens the system of self-government that for more than 200 years has defined who we are as a country and as a people.
Saving our democracy will require major changes that go beyond the November 2024 election. The real challenge is to enact programs and institutional reforms that can provide us with a genuinely effective government, one that is capable of dealing with the problems of modernity and defusing the populist threat. The fact is, no matter which party holds the presidency, these are not normal times.
Spencer Wiggins is a community and employee relations consultant, along with being the president and founder of People Services Solutions, LLC and former chairman of the Tennessee Human Rights Commission.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: American democracy: Citizens must fight to save our republic
