A group of scholars have issued a Statement of Concern about the danger that American Democracy currently faces, largely due to the anti-democratic posture that the Republican Party has adopted, and the steps that the Republicans are taking to restrict access to the ballot box and to obtain control over the electoral machinery in many States.
It is a fine statement. I urge you to read it in full.
It opens as follows:
We, the undersigned, are scholars of democracy who have watched the recent deterioration of U.S. elections and liberal democracy with growing alarm. Specifically, we have watched with deep concern as Republican-led state legislatures across the country have in recent months proposed or implemented what we consider radical changes to core electoral procedures in response to unproven and intentionally destructive allegations of a stolen election. Collectively, these initiatives are transforming several states into political systems that no longer meet the minimum conditions for free and fair elections. Hence, our entire democracy is now at risk.
It closes with:
A new voting rights law (such as that proposed in the John Lewis Voting Rights Act) is essential but alone is not enough. True electoral integrity demands a comprehensive set of national standards that ensure the sanctity and independence of election administration, guarantee that all voters can freely exercise their right to vote, prevent partisan gerrymandering from giving dominant parties in the states an unfair advantage in the process of drawing congressional districts, and regulate ethics and money in politics.
It is always far better for major democracy reforms to be bipartisan, to give change the broadest possible legitimacy. However, in the current hyper-polarized political context such broad bipartisan support is sadly lacking. Elected Republican leaders have had numerous opportunities to repudiate Trump and his “Stop the Steal” crusade, which led to the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6. Each time, they have sidestepped the truth and enabled the lie to spread.
We urge members of Congress to do whatever is necessary—including suspending the filibuster—in order to pass national voting and election administration standards that both guarantee the vote to all Americans equally, and prevent state legislatures from manipulating the rules in order to manufacture the result they want. Our democracy is fundamentally at stake. History will judge what we do at this moment.
All well and good: spread it far and wide.
My only problem with this very fine work is its anemic and generic title: Statement of Concern. The title should have been much, much stronger, much punchier.
Perhaps something like: The Present Mortal Danger to Our Democracy.
Or: We Are Breaking The Glass and Pulling The Fire Alarm.
Please feel free to offer your own suggestions.
Tuesday, Jun 1, 2021 · 8:45:33 PM +00:00
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Rashaverak
Update: A friend has raised the possibility that the signers are deliberately playing the understatement card out of concern that they might face personal danger if the title were more alarmist and if that riled up one or more armed True Believers. I had not considered that possibility.