Democracy at the Crossroads
These days, I often find myself reflecting on Christina Taylor Green, a local girl with an interest in politics. If she were alive today, she would be old enough to vote. In fact, she would have reached the right age in time for the 2020 election. What thoughts would have run through her mind as the January 6 Capitol insurrection unfolded four years ago? What would she think of Joe Biden? Of Kamala Harris? Of Donald Trump? Christina is no longer with us, and so those questions must remain unanswered.
Note: The below article appeared as an op ed in the Arizona Daily Star, Jan. 3, 2024.
Nine-year-old Christina Taylor Green could hardly wait to meet her congresswoman. On the morning of Saturday, January 8, 2011, she and others lined up to see Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) at a Congress at Your Corner event at a Safeway store in Tucson, Arizona.
Then something went horribly wrong. A lone gunman opened fire, injuring Giffords and twelve others. Six people died, among them Christina.
Four days later, at a memorial service held for the shooting victims, President Obama spoke.
“Here was a young girl who was just becoming aware of our democracy; just beginning to understand the obligations of citizenship; just starting to glimpse the fact that some day she, too, might play a part in shaping her nation’s future…. She was off to meet her congresswoman, someone she was sure was good and important and might be a role model. She saw all this through the eyes of a child, undimmed by the cynicism or vitriol that we adults all too often just take for granted.
“I want our democracy to be as good as Christina imagined it. I want America to be as good as she imagined it. All of us … should do everything we can to make sure this country lives up to our children’s expectations.”
Post-election, we face the unknown. Our nation has endured a revolutionary war, a civil war, the Great Depression, two world wars, the Watergate scandal, and, four years ago, the storming of our Capitol. Now that the president many blame for that attack is about return to the White House, what will become of our democracy?
Opinions vary. A liberal friend, seeing parallels between modern America and pre-Hitler Germany, believes our democracy is already lost, a casualty of oligarchs who hold the nation in their grip and care nothing for justice, morality, or the democracy we hold dear. A politically centrist friend, noting that our democracy and the institutions serving to protect it have stood the test of time, remains hopeful that our democracy will endure. Conservatives, for their part, are quick to assert that, if our democracy could survive Donald Trump’s first term, surely it can last through a second.
Unlike Christina, this sixty-something writer has managed to achieve longevity. Yet, despite the age difference, I find myself identifying with Christina. Like her, I long for a democracy as good as I’ve always imagined it. As an adult, I pray it will be there for younger generations when life has drawn to a close for my own.
Yet doubts persist. How well can a democracy hold up under a president who, having incited a Capitol insurrection, apparently isn’t going to face any consequences? Can a democracy survive if the highest court in the land rules that a president qualifies for immunity for acts committed while in office? Can we count on presidential appointees and military leaders to uphold the Constitution that protects our democracy when the president places loyalty to him above all else? What happens when the nation’s wealthiest man, a friend of the president, assumes unprecedented powers, behaving as though he were the de facto president despite not having received a single vote? I must admit that, when it comes to grappling with recent developments and their potential impact on our democracy, I have more questions than answers.
As an ordinary citizen, I don’t have an instruction manual I can offer on How to Save a Democracy. At best, I can only share a few insights. If our democracy is ultimately to prevail, its future survival depends not on our institutions, or on power-hungry oligarchs, or even on our elected officials. We, the American people, hold the key to our democracy’s future. If we wish to keep our democracy, it is up to all of us to stand up for it now. The election is over. Now the real work of defending our democracy begins.
“Liberty lies in the hearts of men and women; when it dies there, no Constitution, no law, no court can save it; no Constitution, no law, no court can even do much to help it.”
(Judge Learned Hand)
Sources
Full Obama quote:
“Imagine -- imagine for a moment, here was a young girl who was just becoming aware of our democracy; just beginning to understand the obligations of citizenship; just starting to glimpse the fact that some day she, too, might play a part in shaping her nation’s future. She had been elected to her student council. She saw public service as something exciting and hopeful. She was off to meet her congresswoman, someone she was sure was good and important and might be a role model. She saw all this through the eyes of a child, undimmed by the cynicism or vitriol that we adults all too often just take for granted.
“I want to live up to her expectations. I want our democracy to be as good as Christina imagined it. I want America to be as good as she imagined it. All of us -– we should do everything we can to make sure this country lives up to our children’s expectations.”
The Free Press Votes. In Free Press (bariweiss@substack.com), Oct. 30, 2024.
“We have widely ranging views not just on the candidates but also the stakes of this election. Some think democracy is at stake and are profoundly fearful of Trump without the guardrails of men like H.R. McMaster and Jim Mattis. Others are far more sanguine, making the case that we endured four years of Trump and four years of Biden-Harris, and the republic survived.”
Judge Learned Hand quote:
https://scholarship.law.nd.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1593&context=ndjlepp
How did the Americans capture the attention of the English- they threatened their commercial viability by throwing their tea overaboard. Today, aside from voting "against" Trump, which is what I did by voting for Harris ( I would not have voted for Harris if a "normal fiscally conservative" person was running for President) So problem No. 1 is that we have no effective candidate option or party to stand up against Trumpism.
So back to the Boston Tea Party, the only true way for us as individuals to affects outcomes in our country is via the purse. As they say, you have to hit them where it hurts !
I believe a movement of people making one simple demand- " Donald Trump must be removed from office" OR they will continue NOT to pay Federal income taxes to the United States Treasury.... and that this form of protest or class action can only be settled by
Trump leaving office and then allowing current and back tax payments to resume. We have seen how our legal system works (not)... there must be a hundred reasons why a person believes they should not pay taxes and that is what will support this NO TRUMP NO TAX PAYMENT initiative. Very interested to know what legal constitutional scholars may think of such a "We the People" initiative.
I read and listen daily to all the intellectual nonsense and opinion making going on concerning the democratic and constitutional crises we are faxing. The fact is simply those arguments
dont make a difference when you are up against a person who doesnt respect the law and surrounds himself with a loyalist cult.
Again, aside for the vote, what power do we as Americans have ? We have the power of the purse.... we have the power to bring the current corrupt and illegal acting executive branch to its knees. Just as the Government has the power to bring us to our knees by not balancing the budget or placing us into a state of fear and harm every year over whether we will run out of money and continue to throw us into a debt death spiral.
To call this a rebellion may be too strong... I prefer to call it a gentle and growing persuasive call to action.. 100 people dont pay their taxes they get fined and maybe go to jail. 10 million plus people do this and its game over....
We have the power and it sits right in our pocket books. Would love to get the opinion of constitutional attorneys as it relates to this concept.