Embrace the Suck
Words of Wisdom From the Front Line of the Fight for Democracy
American Democracy Summit
Last week I attended the American Democracy Summit outside Phoenix Arizona. It’s one of the most influential democracy conferences in the country and I covered the event for WhoWhatWhy.org. This is my report.
You will never have more power than you do right now.
Protected from the burning Arizona sun by the ice cold air conditioning of the Gila River Resorts, America’s elite political class and an array of advocates from the democracy trenches gathered last week to discuss the country’s red-hot authoritarian problem at the annual American Democracy Summit. The conference is organized by RepresentUs, whose core mission is getting money out of US politics.
The problems facing US democracy are well documented by now, and the term “constitutional crisis” may have already jumped the shark.
In the midst of the complete capture of all three branches of government by an increasingly lawless Republican Party, an onslaught of unconstitutional executive orders, and an emerging disregard for judicial oversight, the conversations at the conference were understandably sober, and often intense.
Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes (D) urged attendees to match Republican aggression, encouraging them to verbally pummel officials with their concerns at every single opportunity, from school board meetings to town halls. Panelists emphasized self-care, including protecting one’s mental health and one’s digital privacy. Many speakers focused on nurturing community and cross-organizational collaboration in what are undoubtedly stressful times.
The Third Rail
For the moment, the question of whether US election results are accurate or rigged remains a topic that is discussed solely at conservative conferences. Democratic-leaning explorations of election subversion tend to focus on voter roll purges and the increasingly strict voter ID requirements that are creating an oppressive sticky snare of voter suppression.
When concerns about election fraud are raised in progressive circles, backlash against the Stop the Steal movement seems to elicit didactic sermons about how secure our voting systems are and anxious recitations of the need for a peaceful transfer of power.
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Think for yourself, or others will think for you without thinking of you.
~ Henry David Thoreau
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It's crazy Democrats won't talk about elections being stolen. They see with their eyes how destructive and corrupt this regime is but they can't believe they'd do something like engineer a trifecta for Putin and that's after what happened in 2016 and an Insurrection. It's a sloppy, dangerous mistake they are making.
Could it be that both Republican and Democrat voters have been duped by our parties?, Or perhaps those parties have allowed foreign influence to infect their platforms?
These “parties” are after all private corporations that pander to voters during election season and move on after election season claiming they have the “best interest” of their constituents in mind.
And could it be that even pandering to voters is a bit of a ruse dare I say, because the decision already been made even before votes have been cast?
I mean could it be that enterprising men, claiming to be part of our “parties”, have colluded in such a way as to make enemies out of well meaning citizens,though those citizens do have distinct differences that could be peacefully resolved through spirited, respectful deliberation and debate.
Oh yea, it’s a possibility alright.
And it’s something we were warned about by our founders.
Don’t take my word for it though.
Read George Washington farewell speech and the Federalist papers and replace the word faction with party.
I come baring an olive branch to my fellow citizen.