In 1938, Winston Churchill published a book, While England Slept, which exposed the United Kingdom’s failure to address or prepare for the growth of Germany’s military power. Two years later, a young Jack Kennedy converted a Harvard thesis into a book, Why England Slept. I very much fear that a future historian will write an account of our current time titled While America Slept.
One need not look far these days to find headlines that are alarming or depressing. One that struck me as reflecting those qualities appeared in the New York Times on Tuesday: “Voters See Democracy in Peril, but Saving It Isn’t a Priority.”
The first two paragraphs summarized the results of a recent poll:
Voters overwhelmingly believe American democracy is under threat, but seem remarkably apathetic about that danger, with few calling it the nation’s most pressing problem, according to a New York Times/Siena College poll.
In fact, more than a third of independent voters and a smaller but noteworthy contingent of Democrats said they were open to supporting candidates who reject the legitimacy of the 2020 election, as they assigned greater urgency to their concerns about the economy than to fears about the fate of the country’s political system.
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Seventy-one percent of all voters said democracy was at risk — but just 7 percent identified that as the most important problem facing the country.
A previous blog, “The 2022 Midterms and Preventing a Coup in 2024” showed that the country is awash in Republican candidates who are election deniers and who have made it clear that they intend to do whatever is necessary to see that a Republican President is installed in 2025. The blog noted that the Democratic party had belatedly awakened to this grim threat to democracy and is focusing resources on addressing it. Nevertheless, the Times article and the polling it reports are clear and convincing evidence of how difficult is their task.
Many of us, growing up, learned in school the cherished saying, “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.” While that statement has sometimes been attributed to Thomas Jefferson, I now find that its actual source is uncertain. Whatever the source, however, the truth of the statement is beyond doubt. And today we are confronted with the fact—alarming and depressing—that most Americans seem more concerned with the price of gas and other commodities than the price of liberty. And so, America sleeps on.
There is no doubt that the price of gas brings inconvenience to some and even hardship to others. But on what scale is that inconvenience and hardship to be measured? We watch daily as gallant Ukrainians bleed and die for their liberty. Can we not find some lesson, some inspiration from their example? If they could look up from their battlefields, and the wreckage of their cities and towns, I am certain they would tell us that when democracy is on the ballot, there is no more important issue.
I urge every reader to do what you can to awaken America—before it’s too late.
I don’t pretend to understand how the Republican Party has sunk so low in its love of country. How is it possible that many election deniers and rabble rousers are expected to win seats in our national legislature? Is it that people, so many of us, are gullible and stupid? Or perhaps that many of us, those who know truth from fiction, are “gripped by pessimistic despair”? Whatever the cause, we should not assume that all will be well in the end. Elie Wiesel wrote, “It all happened so fast. The ghetto. The deportation. The sealed cattle car. The fiery altar upon which the history of our people and the future of mankind were meant to be sacrificed.” We must have the moral courage to speak out against lies and injustice. We must let the younger generation know that they matter and their struggle will be rewarded. We know, as Wiesel also wrote, “The opposite of love is not hate; it’s indifference.” Let’s wake up from our slumber and move this country along the path of freedom and justice for all.
Have you noticed that Donald Trump uses the same word to name his propaganda outlet as Joseph Stalin and Putin used and use for their propaganda organs,i.e., “Truth” (social) = “Pravda”, in Russian? Did Trump get permission from Putin to use the copyrighted title?
At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected?
I answer, if it ever reach us, I trust spring up amongst us. It can not come from abroad.
If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be it’s author and finisher. As a nation of free men we must live through all time or die by suicide.
A. Lincoln
1838
“How much longer can our Democracy last as we drift toward Socialism?” In the immortal words of McEnroe “YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS!” In this comment alone, we have the problem manifest. As clear a manifestation as possible of the lazy, blindness of the reflexive far right. Is Trump a drifter to Socialism? Cruz? McConnell? Bannon? Flynn? Sydney Powell? etc., etc., etc. No! No! No! The problem is right wing efforts to deny election results; overturn election results; make voting difficult for the least advantaged. The problem is authoritarianism.
As to the blog itself, it is sadly no wonder that the largest part of the electorate is focused on pocketbook issues. It has always been so. The failure is of leadership. The D’s talk a very good game, but the voters don’t give them room to raise corporate taxes, high income taxes, and wealth taxes. R’s decry domestic spending but are the first to have their hands out when utterly foreseeable disaster strikes in places humans should not be inhabiting. The list goes on and on.
Yes, we are asleep as to democracy. But, as Nat Cohen’s recent surveys show, many voters see the corruption in our system – politicians captured by the wealthy and the privileged few – and, for that reason, believe democracy is failing. They are not wrong in that perspective, even if they are seemingly less focused the threats posed by autocratic forces.
A brilliant clarion call on the message that democracy loving Americans must make primary during the final three weeks before the midterms. It is alarming that it hasn’t been emphasized more already, I pray it’s not too late now. Biden unfortunately is not a very effective messenger in these high tech, high energy days. Recounting the accomplishments of his administration is not dealing with the most pressing concerns of voters. The phrase “While America Slept” is a totally apt analysis and summation. The similar phrase in my mind is, with an excuse to the exceptional musical group of the same name, “Asleep at the Wheel”. Wake Up, America! The polls have become increasingly depressive, don’t let the outcome become a swan song to the democracy we have so valued.
I, too, lament the priorities of today’s body politic. It surpasses my meager ability to understand just how today’s voters can place the price of a gallon of gas or even a recurring inflationary economy over the value of our constitutional freedoms. All know Ben Franklin’s famous “A republic, if you can keep it.” I seriously fear we are on course to lose it and shudder to imagine the kind of society we may soon find ourselves in.
Doug,
This opinion piece dims the importance of all other issues albeit either party , confronting our “ Democracy.
Is there much difference between the action of Germany re Poland, Austria etc. and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
How much longer can China be denied the invasion of Taiwan, Korea?
How much longer can our Democracy last as we drift toward Socialism.?
Rhetoric…Is this the end of the beginning, or the beginning of the end.
Hooray to you for shaking the cobwebs of the non political into the forefront.
I’ve heard of this ‘drift toward Socialism’ before but for the life of me haven’t seen anything to support the claim. Please elaborate.
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