Op-Ed: The Threats to Democracy
by Marilyn Moran-Townsend
On April 30, 1789, in the first presidential inaugural address, George Washington said: ‘”The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty, and the destiny of the Republican model of Government are … staked on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people.”
When our first president spoke of the “Republican model of Government,” he wasn’t talking about a political party but rather what it means to be a democracy.
Three quarters of a century later at Gettysburg, President Abraham Lincoln warned that the principles the founders had declared “self-evident” were now at risk. Lincoln urged Americans to resolve “…that government of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”
What are the threats to our democracy today? I put that question to four sources of artificial intelligence for some rational thinking.
ChatGPT explained that the threats include the rise of authoritarianism, disinformation and misinformation campaigns, erosion of civil liberties, and political polarization.
Microsoft CoPilot added election subversion, loss of public confidence, threats to voting rights, violence and intimidation.
Gemini Advanced added gerrymandering, campaign finance, attacks on the media and foreign interference. It warned that it is easier for authoritarian leaders to exploit our division.
I stumped Amazon Alexa with the same question. She responded, “Hmmm, I don’t have an answer for that. By the way, you have a package arriving today.”
Alexa may not have a clue, but we are living under some of these threats.
President Joe Biden issued more than 4,000 pardons and commutations of sentences during his four-year term, the highest number in a single presidential term and in a single day. The list included his son and a number of family members and political colleagues.
Pardons fly in the face of the rule of law, indicating that we are not all equal under the law. Those with powerful connections can commit serious crimes without consequences.
By executive order, President Donald Trump commuted the sentences of 14 people who were deeply involved in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, most convicted of seditious conspiracy; and he granted a full, complete and unconditional pardon to nearly 1,600 others. It raises the question as to what will stand in the way of the next violent attempt to overthrow our democracy.
By executive order on Day One, Trump declared an end to birthright citizenship as defined in the 14th Amendment. Attempting to end our civil liberties is high on the list of threats to our democracy.
Trump fired 17 independent inspectors general, the federal watchdogs who do not answer to the president but to Congress. The threat to democracy is undermining the power of our democratically elected leaders in another branch of government.
A prime threat to democracy is misinformation. A prime target for misinformation is our public schools. By executive order on Jan. 29, entitled “Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling,” Trump aims to promote patriotic education and end “discriminatory equity ideology” by withholding federal funds from schools that don’t conform.
Why is he doing these things? It may well be that Trump is seeing how far he can push the boundaries of the presidency. The question for each of us is, how far will we let him go?
Let me suggest a practical solution. I first learned it as the chair of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce. Whenever the Chamber put together a plan to work with our government on an important issue, we would form a coalition with other people and organizations that had a common goal.
That meant sometimes we would join forces with the teachers’ union to work on shared education initiatives. The teachers’ union wasn’t always a natural friend of the Chamber, but we found we got more done when we worked together.
Similarly, the advocates for affordable and accessible child care weren’t having much success until business leaders who needed child care for their employees formed a coalition; and state Sens. Liz Brown and Ed Charbonneau led the passage of important laws for better child care.
The point is that we have to find new friends – even among our adversaries – to build coalitions and stand up for our democracy. As explained in a great book, “How Democracies Die,” it means we need progressive Democrats working with conservative Republicans; evangelicals working with Muslims and Jews; business leaders working with union leaders.
In practical ways, a broad coalition of business and consumer advocates can stand up to tariffs that hurt both. A broad coalition of business and civil rights leaders can stand up to the federal government when they empty our businesses of people they deem as dangerous illegals.
Eight years ago in January, we started the nonpartisan group AVOW, Advancing Voices Of Women, to prepare women for public service and to engage more women in the public square. I intend to be fully present there and lift my voice for truth and the preservation of democracy.
I believe it will be the power of the people, participating in multiple coalitions, that will save our nation.
Marilyn Moran-Townsend is co-founder of AVOW Advancing Voices of Women and co-founder of CVC Communications.
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