Democracy is on the ballot this fall. Let’s thank those that brought the threat to light and led the early effort to turn the tide. Then let’s get back to work.
State parties, civic organizations, journalists, elected officials and activists are making sure we enter this all-important election season ready for the fight.
As I write this, tens of thousands of our fellow citizens are organizing to end the democracy we love. They do so in the name of democracy itself- a sign of how potent the poisonous rhetoric is on the right. They have nominated candidates to stand for election whose platform is to refuse to obey the results of elections. They have stood up an armed wing to support their efforts- through intimidation and violence. They actively seek to undermine the courts so there is no recourse when they break the law. Their leader, Donald Trump, has hinted that he will pardon anyone who uses violence in support of his return to power- including those convicted for the January 6th insurrection- should he get the chance.
Confronted with this challenge, Americans have not shrunk in fear. Instead, we enter this all-important election season ready for the fight. Speaking for myself, I begin the campaign season with gratitude. Here are some who have helped turn the tide, especially in the last two years:
Civic Organizations. Americans joined together to find new ways to identify the nature of the attack on our democracy, to uncover its funding sources, to testify to the threat. States United Democracy Center and Pen America show the breadth of the effort. One gives legal, research, and communications support to state and local officials defending our elections. The other fights for freedom of expression and thought by challenging book bans and gag rules. There are organizations like these across America where people work every day to ensure our freedom.
Political Activist Organizations. America has always had activist organizations. Recently, new energy and urgency has transformed the landscape. New and old organizations have focused on saving democracy and found novel ways to help concerned citizens get involved in the fight. Good examples include Swing Left and Run for Something. Both help people identify the races that matter and to find build on ramps to participation. In this election cycle, they are even helping people run for election related offices.
State Parties. Across the country, state party organizations are becoming more effective. Nowhere is that clearer than in the upper Midwest where two of the very best, Lavora Barnes and Ben Wikler - respectively heads of the Michigan and Wisconsin Dems -, are giving a master class in political organizing. As a bonus, state organizations are now getting assistance from DNC Chair Jaime Harrison and the Democratic National Committee.
Elected officials. Democracy is not worth saving if it does not work. Yet a nearly equally divided Congress in Washington accomplished an enormous task this year. From climate change to gun safety, from industrial competitiveness to American infrastructure, Congress, often in bipartisan fashion, showed that even under the stress of attack, democracy works. In states across the country, Governors like Michigan’s Gretchen Whitmer are more focused on the business of governing than on politics, and getting things done for people regardless of partisan views. Even more impressive are the thousands of citizens who stand up to the intimidation at school board meetings and local election boards. They are true heroes.
People with relevant expertise. Hard to know what to call this group. They include individuals who have taken the time and effort to help the rest of us understand this moment. They are often experts who have given their knowledge and experience to meet the moment. This group includes people like David Pepper, and Ruth Ben Ghiat. One is a former politician who took to twitter with short videos explaining the dangers of radical gerrymandering. The other is a scholar who took what she learned from the study of Mussolini and other strong men, to launch a newsletter that teaches us how to identify autocratic movements and tactics. They exemplify the large group of Americans who have re-organized their own lives around this fight, and have done brave work to expose and explain the threat we all face.
Journalists. Confronted with unprecedented lies, most traditional journalists initially struggled with MAGA rhetoric. In recent years, many journalists have rethought their profession in ways that allow the best of them to call out the MAGA lies while staying true to the obligations of fairness, balance, and accuracy. There are too many to name. But they include independent journalists who have taken their skills to places like Substack as well as beat reporters at traditional news organizations. Their work continues to be both essential and difficult.
Individual Americans. While the organizing burden has fallen on Democrats, the heroes of this fight also include Republicans, independents, and many who do not describe themselves as political at all. The paradox of our age is that in the midst of the greatest effort to divide us since the Civil War, we are witnessing a great coming together. Individuals who are motivated by civil rights and those who care about reproductive rights. Those who focus on fair elections, and parents who focus on public education. Those who care about job growth and those who focus on foreign affairs. So, while the insurgent effort to undermine our democracy is strong, Americans who love our democracy are uniting and will prove far stronger.
With just 63 days to go in this election cycle, I am deeply thankful to those that brought the threat to light, taught us what to look for, and led the early effort to turn the tide. I am awed by the way Americans everywhere are rising to the challenge. Let us push forward in the next few weeks to break the back of the insurrection so that we can begin the hard work of healing the nation.