The idea of America is under attack. This is how we'll defend it

Arizona – and America – is at a crossroads, and there should be no ambiguity over which turn to take.

I’m not talking about veering to the left or right on the ideological scale. It’s much deeper than that. It’s a turn in defense of the idea of America – a democratic nation where civil society conducts fair elections and the outcomes are respected.

For nearly two years we’ve seen the former president turn political discontent into a nationally coordinated movement aimed at eroding our core beliefs in norms and institutions.

Too many people now believe the 2020 presidential election was stolen. It wasn’t. That lie has sparked doubt and suspicion not just in elections but everything else from the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine to what’s being taught in classrooms to climate change.

Public trust holds our society together

This erosion of public trust isn’t exaggerated. It’s real, and it’s pervasive.

A new NPR/Ipsos poll found that 45% of Republicans believe that fraud changed the results of the 2020 election.  Alarmingly, the same survey showed that 64% of Americans "agree that democracy is in crisis and at risk of failing."

That’s no coincidence. The drumbeat of election deniers and conspiracy theories are taking a toll on the public’s trust. And it’ll only get worse if we let those types of poisonous concoctions go unchecked.

Why is that important? Because we have nothing without trust in the system to elect our representatives who oversee the institutions that hold our society together.

State legislatures across the nation, including Arizona’s, are busy testing their powers on everything from limiting how voters cast their ballots to imposing stricter abortion control should Roe v. Wade be overturned.

Add to that a war on a range of other cultural and social issues and we end up disoriented and losing sight of other equally pressing and substantive matters, like K-12 school funding, water scarcity, inflation and how to best use the state’s huge surplus – to name a few.

We must do our part to restore this trust

There’s no time to waste. All of us must regroup and use the tools and platforms at our disposal in defense of democracy, core values and everyday problems facing Arizona.

To that end, we’re regrouping as an editorial board of The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com.

We’re still the same group of columnists that Arizona readers have come to know. Some of us have been on the frontlines constantly calling out wrongdoing and holding our elected leaders accountable while others have worked behind the scenes.

We want more of our talented writers to take up the pen and help make sense of the news, offer clarity and guidance during these tumultuous times.

But we know we can’t be everywhere, all the time. That means we must prioritize our resources to maximize our defense of democracy, write more about everyday challenges while reflecting the state’s diverse population.

More on that in the coming days and weeks. But we must set out to work – now.

I know you’ve been engaged with us as individual columnists. That’s good. I want to keep it that way.

What we as an editorial board value

All of us will be writing from our own perspectives. At times, though, we will be writing with a collective voice through unsigned editorials. That’s when the role of the editorial board kicks in.

The editorial board consists of seven members – myself, Joanna Allhands, Phil Boas, Greg Burton, Abe Kwok, Greg Moore and Robert Robb. Our political ideologies are as diverse as our cultural and racial backgrounds. Unsigned editorials reflect the consensus of this group.

We have not endorsed political candidates for a while now. That will not change. But we will rigorously discuss the candidates’ stances and how those align with our core values. Whenever possible, we will facilitate debate or highlight key races leading up to the August primary and the general election in November.

Whenever possible, we will facilitate and encourage contrasting views – but we will not facilitate unthruths, let lies go unchecked or amplify conspiracy theories.

I’m thrilled and honored to lead this group of talented and experienced opinion writers. But I’m not kidding myself. The job ahead is hard and will require every ounce of energy we can spare.

Our country demands that of us all.

Get to know us

Here’s a bit about us and how to reach us:

Joanna Allhands

Joanna Allhands oversees our opinions content on the web. She also writes opinions about water and education policy. She’s worked for The Republic since 2004. Allhands is an Indiana native, Purdue fan and cold-weather wimp. More importantly, she’s the mother of an elementary student.

Reach Allhands at joanna.allhands@arizonarepublic.com.

Phil Boas

Phil Boas is an editorial columnist. He served for 10 years as editor of the Editorial pages. Before that, he edited The Republic’s Sunday Viewpoints section and the Community editorial pages. Prior to joining The Republic in 1999, he was metro editor at The East Valley Tribune and a reporter at the Los Angeles Daily News. He is a graduate of Brigham Young University.

Reach Boas at phil.boas@arizonarepublic.com.

Greg Burton

Greg Burton is executive editor of The Arizona Republic, joining the newsroom in 2018 after serving as executive editor of The Desert Sun in Palm Springs, Calif. He has a journalism degree from University of Idaho and among his many accomplishments as a reporter, uncovered secret gifts to the International Olympic Committee before the 2002 Winter Olympics.

Contact him at greg.burton@azcentral.com.

Elvia Díaz

Elvia Díaz is editorial page editor for The Arizona Republic. She has held various reporting and editing positions since joining The Republic in 1999. Most recently, she was a columnist. She was born and raised in Michoacán, México. She and her family settled in northern California, where she began her journalism career as a Spanish-language radio newscaster. She worked for the Statesman Journal in Salem, Ore., and the Albuquerque Journal in New Mexico.

Reach Díaz at elvia.diaz@arizonarepublic.com.

Abe Kwok

Abe Kwok oversees guest and syndicated columns, and writes on occasions on elections and democracy, as well as Phoenix and justice issues. He has covered as a reporter police and courts, Phoenix City Hall, criminal-justice issues and general assignments. He drinks too much caffeine, suffers from bouts of wanderlust and writer's block, and appreciates dissenting voices.

Reach Kwok at akwok@azcentral.com.

Greg Moore

Greg Moore writes about everything from race and politics to sports and culture. He’s worked for The Republic since 2017. In his career, he’s covered everything from East African presidential politics to a heavyweight championship fight ... and says it’s all pretty much the same. There’s nothing more important to him than his four kids. They laugh at all his “dad jokes.”

Reach Moore at gmoore@azcentral.com.

Robert Robb

Robert Robb has been an editorial columnist for The Arizona Republic since 1999. He has been a participant in or close observer of Arizona politics for four decades. He was a founding director of the Goldwater Institute and is a Distinguished Fellow with the Morrison Institute. In 2013 and 2014, he served as a judge for the Pulitzer Prize.

Reach Robb at robert.robb@arizonarepublic.com.

Also part of our opinions team

Not on the editorial board but part of the opinion department are columnists E.J. Montini and Laurie Roberts.

Reach them at laurie.roberts@arizonarepublic.com and ed.montini@arizonarepublic.com.

Elvia Díaz is editorial page editor for The Republic and azcentral. Reach her at 602-444-8606 or elvia.diaz@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on Twitter, @elviadiaz1. 

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Democracy is under attack. This is how we'll defend it