We Say We Believe in Democracy

 I have been a student and/or teacher of American Government since 1968 and had anyone told me as recently as 2016 that we would have seen our democracy come so close to falling apart in 2021 I would have laughed and said we are smarter than that, we are stronger than that, our belief system is better than that.  I would have been wrong.  As it turns out, we say we believe in democracy but only if the results of democracy are to our liking.  Otherwise, getting what we want, enforcing our beliefs on others, and maintaining power and wealth is now more important to many, many Americans than democracy, and I am heart-sick about it.  Imagine a Christian blinded on the road to DC by the god RA who wants to know why the Christian has persecuted him.  That gut-wrench when one realizes that what they most believe, most love, most support is wrong.  That’s where I am.

So I begin by asking, do you believe in democracy?  Do you believe that a government should serve the people, not vice versa?  Do you believe elected officials are public servants, not tyrants?  Do you believe that all people are created equal?  Do you believe that we are a nation of law and not a nation of personality cult and power and money?  Do you believe that the right to vote is the most precious right in a democracy because without it there is no democracy?  Do you believe that the government should never promote one religion over another or any religion over non-religion?  Do you believe that the way forward is always based on the expansion of human rights and reliance on science and logic rather than belief?  Do you believe that citizens have the right to protest, have the right to seek to resolve their grievances?  Do you believe that a free press is absolutely essential for free people to know what is going on in their government?  Do you believe that we must both protect the rights of the minority while avoiding the tyranny of the majority?  Do you believe that we are a liberal secular government made different from all other governments because of the beliefs outlined above?  Do you believe that when the people speak, whether we win or lose, like it or not, we support the outcome because that is the essence of democracy:  trusting the will of the people?

As I write this I see the horrible scenes from Afghanistan as the Taliban not only eliminate their secular government, the Taliban eliminates people who support a secular government.  The Taliban are a religious cult, totally convinced they are enacting the will of their particulate supreme being.  Anyone who disagrees with that belief is wrong.  Worse, anyone who disagrees is subject to a death sentence.  Women should not be educated.  Women must dress a certain way in public and serve men in certain ways.  Women may not work.  Women may not leave home without a male escort.  People are not created equal.  Taliban mullahs have dictatorial power over everyone.  It is scary as hell. 

When they were last in power in 2001 there were public executions of infidels and violators of their religious code.  That group of cultist fanatics is back in power.  The god of the Taliban does not believe in civil rights, protecting minority views, or equality and equity.  The history of this chaos, this regression in government, begins long ago, but most recently with Bush’s post 9/11 intervention there, then Obama’s ongoing support and increased presence of American troops, then Trump’s claim to have negotiated a US withdrawal, then Biden’s effort to honor that negotiation and withdraw only to learn the Taliban lied and did not keep any of the promises they made to Trump.  Tragic from the get-go.

And yet it appears to me that evangelical Christians and Catholics and the Taliban have much in common.  They all believe that the best government is a theocracy wherein the beliefs of the religious are supported by the government.  Evangelicals even argue that the US was founded as a Christian nation when nothing could be further from the truth.  All these groups want to see religious icons supported by the government whether it is monuments displaying the Ten Commandments or flying the crescent and star flag over public buildings.  All three groups strongly oppose women’s rights, especially freedom of choice.  All three groups assume their god has ordained certain elements that must be included in their governments such as religious holidays, worship on certain days and certain hours, clothing to be worn (or not worn) by women, attacking anyone who does not support their particular religious beliefs, religious institutions free from taxation, resentment to the notion of separation between church and state, and assuming that some god is on their side and sanctifies even the most atrocious acts.  None of the members of these groups appear able to intellectually perceive that there are other belief systems.  Each firmly believes they hold a universal truth and that their god is the one true god.  Discussion using logic, science, or political theory is impossible with them as they believe they are right so there is no point in discussion unless it is to convert the heathen or infidel.

Each election or coup that places one of these believers in power is a step away from the essence of democracy.  And yet, what shall we do when the people speak and select candidates and programs that are fundamentally religious?  Shall we honor the notion that the people rule when they make what many would call stupid decisions?  Or shall we assume that such decisions made by popular vote are erroneous and must be corrected? 

We have a litany of conflicts over such issues from the Iron Curtain in post-World War II in Europe, Korea, Viet Nam, Iraq, Afghanistan and a host of African and Central American nations.  What shall we do when the people speak and make the wrong choice as supporters of democracy see it?

In most of the cases above the selection of leadership was not made based on democracy.  The decisions were made based on brute force and/or military intervention.  Should we even negotiate with armed forces rather than governments?  The Taliban is not a government.  It is an armed religious group.

Clear signs that the cultists want control is to claim any election whereby they were defeated was a fraudulent election and then take steps to reduce the number of eligible voters in future elections.  Those who support democracy prefer to see every eligible person vote and place safeguards to ensure the validity of the election process.  We had accomplished the second of these tasks prior to the 2020 election.

A general rule of thumb, which means this is a complicated issue and a simple solution is likely the wrong one, is to look at each systemic change in government and ask, “Are people attempting to gain entrance into the country, or are they attempting to escape?”  One could also ask, “Who decided to change the form of government?  Was it the voters?”  Each answer will yield insight into what I think should be the American response.

I get it that we cannot and should not police the world.  If we believe in the self-determination of peoples and the ultimate goal of promoting democracy worldwide then we should back off where it appears the people have made a choice.  On the other hand, if those who support people making the choice and an armed intervention forestalls that process we should seriously consider intervening in some way.  Likewise, if human rights are being crushed.

People are fleeing Afghanistan.  Not a good sign.  No one elected a Taliban government.  Not a good sign.  However, we have inadvertently flushed the Taliban out of the hills and caves and into Kabul.  Now might be a good time to say to them, “Establish a government that allows elections and human rights, or we are coming back in to do so.”  And should the people elect the Taliban, we will leave.  Evangelicals, cultists, jihadists, and other anti-democratic regimes and organizations do not merit our support.

If the right-wing fringe gains a majority in this country and votes in leadership that opposes democracy, human rights, suffrage, immigration, etc., then we may very well become a nation where people choose to flee rather than enter.  It is then that our true belief in democracy will be tested.  Will we vote?  Will we allow and promote maximum voter participation?  Will we abide by the outcome and verify then ignore cries of fraud in the process?  We will see.

Democracy is at risk both here and abroad.  Scary for me because I believe in democracy.