Civic Forum - Democracy Renovation 2022
Sunday, Nov 20, 2022 1:00 PM-3:30 PM
In a speech President Biden made in early Nov, he noted, “The remarkable thing about American democracy is this: Just enough of us, on just enough occasions, have chosen not to dismantle democracy but to preserve democracy.”
Over the last 16 years, according to Freedom House, a nonprofit that researches and promotes global democracy, more nations have moved away from democratic principles than strengthened their embrace of them. The list includes the United States. What’s new is that this trend is happening in modern, prosperous, liberal democracies.
Since the end of the Cold War, Stephen Levitzky and Daniel Ziblatt, authors of How Democracies Die, point out, most democracies that have perished have done so not at the end of a gun, but at the ballot box.
Today, democracies do not die in darkness, but under TV klieg lights and on social media. A main culprit, they suggest, is “extreme partisan polarization.” Especially if the divide is along ethnic lines.
The authors offer a useful set of warning signs of a would-be elected autocrat: a weak commitment to democratic laws, the denial of opponents’ legitimacy, the condoning of violence and the willingness to suspend civil liberties. Former President Trump, the authors say, checks all these boxes.
Another telltale sign is something else we saw during the Trump presidency: the erosion of democratic norms. Constitutional checks and balances offer little protection if we fail to observe them. Levitsky and Ziblatt write that “Norms of toleration and restraint served as the soft guardrails of American democracy.” Today, those guardrails have been battered.
The use of the F-word (fascism!) in American politics was once rare, reserved for extremist organizations like the Ku Klux Klan and the John Birch Society. It has now been normalized, with even President Biden describing the Republican “MAGA philosophy” as “semi-fascism.” Fascist rhetoric is designed to divide citizens into two distinct classes: the sons and daughters of the soil, who are the true citizens of the nation, and the “other” — the foreign, the rabble, the lawless. In short, it’s a challenging time for democracy, in the United States and around the world.
Enter Partners In Democracy (PiD.) The mission of Partners In Democracy is both simple and profound: Democracy Renovation. PiD is pursuing democracy renovation to deliver a system where everyone is included and has real power to shape our shared future, where our institutions are resilient in the face of extremism, where our representatives are responsive, accountable to us, and deliver on the big issues in people’s lives. This is how we get justice by means of democracy.
PID wants to establish a clear 360° standard for a healthy 21st century democracy.
A 360° Democracy means the Right to Vote, the Right to Run and the Right to See and Shape. During this forum we will focus on the Right to See and Shape which is not limited to but includes the following:
Government bodies are transparent about their decision-making processes and actively seek means to communicate with the public
Media coverage of politics and the policy-making process are robust and informative; state and local news are desirable career paths.
Elections are scheduled and structured to allow voters the maximum ability to give mandates to their representatives
Voters can see meaningful policy changes as a result of their electoral choices
Members of the public have a plethora of choices to engage in the political process
Civics education is robust and instills habits of political participation
As young people who are building leadership in your communities, what do these rights mean to you? How can you make sure that you, your fellow students, and the people you serve can build 360° Democracy together - both in our political structures and in your communities themselves? Brittany Buford from Partners in Democracy led us in an exhilarating exploration!