To My Australian Friend: A Principled Moment for American Democracy
A brilliant friend from Australia with a Ph.D in economics asked me yesterday, “What is going on with your country?” It was a sincere question that gave rise to sincere thought. I responded that the complexity in the United States is not that we had close state-by-state votes under our Electoral College system. Nor is it that we appear headed again to a federal government with different parties controlling different branches. That is our democracy at work, even if incumbent leadership does not acknowledge it.
I told my friend that many Australians or other foreign colleagues of ours might be stunned that millions would vote to keep the current leader in office despite how he behaves— especially given the stark contrast to the other candidate’s conduct. I mused that there may remain some subconscious alignment on the part of those voters to the messaging about Cyrus of Persia in the Book of Isaiah. Whatever the explanation, there are surely deeper and more endemic issues that explain the voting patterns. The closeness leads to no other conclusion. So, I responded to my friend, we should not focus on the tightness of the vote or who voted for whom.
The more immediately worrisome issue is that the current leader and his words remain the focal point of public discourse. He is actively using his far-ranging platform to spew more falsehoods that undermine our democratic foundations. This is unprecedented and extraordinarily concerning, especially considering the apparent vigor with which many seem to trust what he says without condition despite its meritless nature.
We need to unite in the recognition that desired policy ends cannot justify these means — the efforts we are seeing right now — in a democracy. Perhaps that is stating the obvious, but we must draw a hard line. There are regrettably strong historical analogs to behavior undermining free elections and the impact that one focal point like this person’s words can have on national direction and conscience. In a consistent theme that pervades reactions to the incumbent leader, we need to trust facts not fiction. We have to protect and have faith in our democratic processes. This should be the first principle of an American leader.
Fortunately the other candidate — as evidenced by last night’s truly presidential statement (Friday, November 6) — is seizing the opportunity to remind us of our foundational tenets. It was deeply reassuring to witness a principled leader using a teaching moment to reinforce who we are and who we should always aim to be. All the best to those of you down under. See https://www.cbsnews.com/news/joe-biden-kamala-harris-2020-election-remarks-watch-live-stream-today-2020-11-06/
