A couple days ago I posted a comment with this quotation from Robert M. "Fighting Bob" La Follette's autobiography (published in 1912):
We have long rested comfortably in this country upon the assumption that because our form of government was democratic, it was therefore automatically producing democratic results. Now, there is nothing mysteriously potent about the forms and names of democratic institutions that should make them self-operative. Tyranny and oppression are just as possible under democratic forms as under any other. We are slow to realize that democracy is a life; and involves continual struggle. It is only as those of every generation who love democracy resist with all their might the encroachments of its enemies that the ideals of representative government can even be nearly approximated.
The essence of the Progressive movement, as I see it, lies in its purpose to uphold the fundamental principles of representative government. It expresses the hopes and desires of millions of common men and women who are willing to fight for their ideals, to take defeat if necessary, and still go on fighting.
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My (well, Fighting Bob's...) little contribution to the conversation got a positive response, and made it to the list of recommended comments, with a request to take it to the front page. (Which I am trying to do now, in this my very first diary!)
In two months we will hold more than just another election. Most of us, I'm sure, recognize that the results this time will demonstrate whether this generation will "uphold the fundamental principles of representative government" -- or not. Between now and then, many of us will be working long hours, cursing the darkness, reaching the ends of our psychic ropes more than once. Along the way, we can expect all kinds of nasty surprises, some nerve-wracking moments and awkward canvassing conversations, and no doubt a few depressing poll numbers and exhausting days. All of us hard-working candidates, campaign volunteers, and dedicated citizens will need some words to turn to in our darker, more discouraging moments.
I have a lot of friends who work in the conservation arena. Over the years I've noticed how many of them keep this passage from the pen of Edward Abbey posted over their desks, in their barns, inside their notebooks, or scrolling through their screen-savers:
One final paragraph of advice: ... It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you can. While it is still there. So get out there and mess around with your friends, ramble out yonder and explore the forests, encounter the grizz, climb the mountains. Run the rivers, breathe deep of that yet sweet and lucid air, sit quietly for a while and contemplate the precious stillness, that lovely, mysterious and awesome space. Enjoy yourselves, keep your brain in your head and your head firmly attached to your body, the body active and alive, and I promise you this much: I promise you this one sweet victory over our enemies, over those deskbound people with their hearts in a safe deposit box and their eyes hypnotized by desk calculators. I promise you this: you will outlive the bastards. http://www.reference.com/...
My friends tack that up on their bulletin boards so that they have a quick reference and reminder of why they do what they do. I think we will need such reminders often in the next 60-some days. What "words to save a democracy by" do you keep tacked up over your desk? What statements keep your energy up and attitude healthy?
I am timing this diary so that it (I hope) gathers some good words in time for Tuesday morning, when we all go back to work and and head into the fall -- and when this campaign to save our democracy moves into full-throttle, high-intensity mode. I know that I, for one, am going to need 'em!
A good Labor Day to all....