This article has energized me more than I’ve felt in months.
The central point: “Democrats are focused on taking back power—but our democracy depends on them keeping it.”
It’s an exciting roadmap. Here’s a thread of some of the most salient points:
washingtonmonthly.com/magazine/july-…
The central point: “Democrats are focused on taking back power—but our democracy depends on them keeping it.”
It’s an exciting roadmap. Here’s a thread of some of the most salient points:
washingtonmonthly.com/magazine/july-…
In creating this article, Paul Glastris spoke with 20 people, as he says “for their ideas, information, and pushback.” Glastris is the editor of Washington Monthly and was formerly Bill Clinton’s speechwriter. @glastris @LarrySabato
“Operationally, the GOP’s governing objectives have devolved to two base goals: transferring wealth upward, and staying in power. Because the former goal is unpopular, achieving the latter increasingly requires the party to rely on anti-democratic means.”
“The election of Donald Trump has pushed the Republican Party even further in this direction, to the point where it is now openly enabling corruption and autocracy.”
“The fact that America now has only one party committed to small-d democracy changes everything. [Democrats] must instead see the purpose of politics as building sustained power for Democrats, period.”
“Republicans are attempting to maintain their long-term power by subverting democracy. The corollary is that Democrats can win long-term power by strengthening it.”
“The overriding aim has to be getting and holding power…until the Republican Party abandons its authoritarian ways or is replaced by a new, small-d democratic party. [This] is only likely to come about if the Republican Party is locked out of power for several cycles in a row.”
Glastis also sketches out a road map of what the Democrats should do if they do flip Congress, or even the House, to strengthen democracy. I’m buzzing just thinking of the possibilities. A couple of those ideas:
“That will give Democrats an opportunity to ... explain the past two decades of wage stagnation. The most important part of that story is the concentration of corporate power.” … “It [also] counters the GOP’s scapegoating of immigrants and foreigners.”
“There is another, even bolder action they can take in the service of expanding democracy: spend the next two years preparing the ground to add two new states to the union, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, in 2021.”
“Demography, however, isn’t destiny. For now, Democrats are going to have to manufacture a majority under difficult conditions, and hold on to it, or America a decade from now might not have a democracy at all.”
I encourage you to read the full article. As for me, I’m printing it out and thumbtacking it to my corkboard by my desk. Any time I get down, I will read this and be re-energized!!
