When people ask my political affiliation, I say, with feet firmly planted, “Pro-Democracy and pro-government.” I adhere to Abraham Lincoln’s definition of government: “of the people, by the people, and for the people.” I also ascribe to his definition of Democracy: “Whether from the mouth of a king who seeks to bestride the people of his own nation, and live by the fruit of their labor, or from one race of men as an apology for enslaving another race, it is the same tyrannical principle. … As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of Democracy. Whatever differs from this, to the extent of the difference, is no Democracy.”
Lincoln knew where he stood. He was clear-headed when it came to what’s important.
It’s important to know where we stand with less than a year till the election that will decide the fate of our Democracy. But a lot of people are dancing around what’s important, not clear-headed at all. This is no time for the electorate to be fragmented.
The Trump Cult, of course, is anti-Democracy and anti-government, proven by their words and deeds. Their creed is: “We win. This expresses our idea of democracy.” They comprise the bulk of what I call the Libertarian Right, which will eventually become the Libertarian Party. The Republican Party is effectively dead. A center-right party may someday replace it. If only it could be the Party of Lincoln. Some are Never Trumpers but still anti-government and slaves to their brand, so they cannot bring themselves to put their country before their brand and vote for a Democrat even when the future of Democracy itself is at stake. This is no time for brand loyalty.
The next group I call the Muddled Middle, represented by the “No Labels Movement,” which is, ironically, a label. Labels are inexact but necessary. This group may eventually evolve into something called the “Bipartisan Party.” They want voters to pledge allegiance to a dreamy ideal of polite, consensus politics, even though one of the two major parties has turned into a radical personality cult, rendering consensus impossible. This is no time for dreamy ideals.
On the left, the so-called “Progressives” (misnamed, in my opinion) are what I call “Impatient Liberals,” as I call Liberals “Pragmatic Progressives.” The current “Progressive Wing of the Democratic Party” is eager to see this country make progress on so many fronts. Their impatience is understandable. I feel it too. But before we can move forward as a nation on any front, we have to defeat the forces that are intent on, and quite capable of, pulling us backward. Progressives are pro-Democracy but many have lost faith in government. Sometimes they resemble the “Libertarian Left” and may eventually secede from the Democratic Party, merging with the Greens to form a new party. But this is no time for defections.
Those who choose not to vote at all remain a sizable portion of the electorate. They are either indifferent or disillusioned about “the whole system” or completely cynical about politics or just can’t make up their minds. But this is no time to be part of the problem instead of the solution.
That leaves the Democratic Party, representing the center left and independents. Democrats are now the primary hope for saving our Democracy. The party isn’t perfect by any stretch, but they believe government can be a force for good (proven by deeds and words) and therefore remain the only political entity qualified to govern in the way Lincoln envisioned governing. It is their daunting task to pull this fractured electorate into a unified coalition that will defeat Trump, as it did in 2020.
And defeating Trump is the number one issue in the 2024 election. He must be stopped in order to fulfill Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address prophecy that “government of the people, by the people, and for the people shall not perish from the Earth.”
So emotionality must be put aside — brand loyalties, alternative candidate wish lists, unrealistic ideals, animosities, ageism about an older but very effective president, impatience, and cynical indifference all need to be replaced by a united front opposing the anti-Democratic, anti-government opposition.
Feelings get us nowhere. We need to use our heads instead. As Carlos Lozada, co-host of the Matter of Opinion podcast put it in a recent New York Times op-ed piece, “Joe Biden versus Donald Trump is not the choice America wants. But it is the choice we need to face. … Because a country approaching its 250th birthday does not have the luxury of calling itself an experiment forever; this is the moment to assess the results of that experiment. Because Jan. 6 was not the final offensive by those who would overrun the will of voters. Because a lone Trump victory in 2016 could conceivably be remembered as an aberration if it were followed by two consecutive defeats, but a Trump restoration in 2024 would confirm America’s slide toward authoritarian rule and would render Biden’s lone term an interregnum, a blip in history’s turn. We must choose again because the fever did not break; instead, it threatens to break us.”
It’s time to get real about what’s important.