Holding our center
Our center is where our values reside. We will not be lured into cynicism by misleading headlines and skewed narratives.
If you pay attention to the news, you’ve probably heard a lot of chatter about dissension among the Democrats on the major infrastructure legislation proposed by the administration. And you might be thinking, there they go again… squandering their opportunities to govern by fighting internally.
You might be correct. At the same time, though, the coverage tends to obscure a more frightening narrative. The other party, the one that should be providing collaboration as well as checks and balances, is sitting this out. They are focused instead on redistricting (gerrymandering), restricting voter access, and skewing state voting audit processes, in a rush just in case the Democrats figure out a way to pass the Freedom to Vote Act. And running out the clock on infrastructure and government financing is a way to keep folks distracted from these efforts.
Pay attention to the terminology used. Referring to the Democrats who do not support the full human infrastructure support package as “moderate” - really? Is that a moderate position, or is it a reactionary one? Referring to those who support this same package as “left of center” - really? The entire proposal itself is pretty centrist, if you measure by popular support. By the way, the majority of Americans also support the Freedom to Vote Act, as they did the For the People Act. (See sources after the photo.)
In a week when we recognize the awful toll of the COVID 19 pandemic in our country, nearing the threshold of 700,000 deaths, implementing real change might feel futile. We might be tempted to give into cynicism about “the system.” We might even be tempted to welcome “strong” leadership to just “get it done.” These are the conditions authoritarians exploit. Democracy is often nonlinear and frustrating. One of our major parties is now led by people who hope we give up on it.
We will not. We will not be lured into cynicism by misleading headlines and skewed narratives. We will continue to hold onto and enact our values.
This is a commitment we cannot afford to let go.
As always, I am grateful for your company on this challenging journey.
Support for the Freedom to Vote Act: https://www.dataforprogress.org/blog/2021/9/24/a-supermajority-of-voters-support-the-freedom-to-vote-act
Support for the large infrastructure bill:
https://news.gallup.com/opinion/polling-matters/353582/public-opinion-trillion-senate-budget-plan.aspx