Flawed as it is, our democracy worth saving

August 16, 2022

Having had many years of conversations with both Republicans and Democrats, it’s clear that the increasingly inaccurate generalizations and labeling that I’ve heard, in the past five years especially, has succeeded in demonizing people who think differently and only encourages tribalism. However, in my personal conversations, I’ve found that most people of both parties have a lot of common ground; they actually agree on more than on what they disagree.

And most basically want the same things as described in our Constitution as “unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”.

To secure that common ground, our constitution designed our representative based democratic political system. And the constitution was written in a way that allowed for open discussion and compromise then and later. However, this requires mature adults who will listen to both sides. And it requires open debates of our leaders on the Senate and House floors, with facts and opinions presented on one platform.

Instead what I see today are people listening to biased and often discredited sources that fan the flames of fear, hate and even violence towards each other, and a distrust in our political system. It’s become a lucrative business. These sources are accountable only to those who give them financial support based on how many listeners they can generate. And once hooked emotionally, people are so easily used as pawns to spread misinformation and discontent.

It happened in Germany in the 1930s and this is the biggest threat to our own Democratic Republic because it destroys the premise of that which protects our common ground: the ability to have open and respectful dialogue entrusted in our political system.

As flawed as it is, that system is worth preserving, if for nothing else than to preserve the freedoms hard won through that democratic process.

Years ago I heard it said that if you hear something that elicits emotion, step back and do credible research before believing it. Truth lies in more than one side of a story. So lets step back a bit, show each other respect as mature adults and truly listen to each other. We also need to hold our leaders accountable for presenting facts and their perspectives on the legislative floors or in debates, to be openly challenged on one platform, instead of believing unchallenged “facts” whispered here and there.

Without knowing the truth of issues and considering all sides of those issues, we as a country have no chance of preserving our democratic process and the freedoms we cherish.