THE FOUR HORSEMEN OF DEMOCRACY’S APOCALYPSE

 

As I begin this commentary, there is an insurrection-taking place at the United States Capital. A riot has ensued following a speech by President Trump. He has urged his armed and surly supporters gathered in front of the White House to take matters into their own hands. The doors of the Capitol have been breached as tear gas fills the building. Guns have been drawn and blood has been spilled. The important, constitutionally mandated, deliberations of Congress to certify Joe Biden as our next president have been interrupted by violence. 

Civil order will be reestablished and the Biden inauguration will proceed on January 20, 2021. Nonetheless, American democracy has suffered its most disgraceful attack, both figuratively and literally, since the Civil War.

At this point, it is not helpful to simply express anger against Trump, a very troubled individual or even to place all blame on the self-serving sycophants who surround him, including some Republican members of Congress.  To condemn Trump and his supporters and then turn the page is to ignore the problem. The broader question is how did the beacon of light shining on American democracy come to such a dark moment?

Among the hundreds of books written to explain the recent turn toward illiberal and nativist tendencies in American politics, one stands out in offering an explanation. The authors, Suzanne Mettler and Robert Lieberman, indirectly predicted these shocking events of January 6, 2021, in their excellent analysis Four Threats: The Recurring Crisis of American Democracy.  They make the strong case that only by understanding the four threats and taking measures to address them will democracy be restored to its proper balance.

The authors label political polarization, conflict over who belongs in the political community, high and growing economic inequality and excessive executive power as what I will call “the four horseman of the democracy apocalypse.” They determined it is the confluence of these factors, rather than the disruptive Trump presidency alone, that has brought on our present crisis.  Moreover, the pandemic and the economic fallout it has precipitated deepened all four of the threats to democracy.

Horseman one: Political Polarization.  The authors give us the observation that in the 1950s polled Americans did not care whether their child married a member of the opposing political party.  In 2016 a majority of parents expressed a preference for a partisan son or daughter-in law.  As polarization gets worse, the “other” party becomes an existential threat to perceived core values. Violations of voting rights, civil rights and civil liberties become acceptable to preserve the “right” version of society.  As we have seen this day (January 6, 2021), the ultimate political polarization becomes the willingness to ignore democratic processes and stage a coup to upset an unpopular election.

Horseman two: Conflict Over Who Belongs in the Political Community.  This threat has always been present in some form in our pluralistic nation with deep divisions along lines of race, gender religion and ethnicity.  What is different in recent years has been the willingness of Republicans and the President to openly inflame these differences as a political strategy to unite a political coalition. On the left there has developed a counter mobilization of citizens who see no hope of compromise or consensus building.

The result is a divided political society where actors on both sides become convinced that to pursue their goals, the preservation of civility and democracy is not possible.  This is most evident among Trump supporters where citizens trust their insular communities that are the same and familiar and distrust diversity.

Horseman three:  High and Growing Economic Inequality.  The authors point out that “among the wealthy democracies in the world today, the United States is the most economically unequal.”  Since the 1970s the middle class has lost opportunities and wage growth.  Conversely, the well-off have experienced exploding income and wealth.  To the detriment of democracy, the wealthy have organized politically and, thanks to the Supreme Court, poured billions into political campaigns and causes to protect their interests.

Horseman four:  Excessive Executive Power.  This final threat has been developing over the course of the last 50 years only to be exploited to its fullest during the Trump presidency. At every turn, prior presidents have taken steps to expand their executive power relative to Congress and the courts. Trump was able to worsen this trend by using the vast power of the executive branch to attack his enemies, ignore the rule of law, roll back regulations and drive a deeper wedge into partisan America.  Moreover, Congress has failed to act as a proper check and balance on the powers of the presidency.

A careful review of American history led the authors to conclude that the United States has never faced all four threats at the same time.  They conclude that while our democracy has always been fragile, we have never faced a test of this magnitude.  They are optimistic that while deep structural changes to our democracy are difficult when all four threats are present, nothing stands in the way of our political leaders and citizens from making a concerted effort to preserve and restore democracy.

It is my view that the destabilizing events of January 6, 2021 may be the catalyst to return the ship of state to a positive course.  We may not get another wake-up call before it is too late.

WASHINGTON COUNTY AT THE CROSSROADS

Commissioner Nick Sherman recently published an op-ed explanation on the decision by the two Republican commissioners to purchase the Crossroads Center building for ten million dollars. In my view, his commentary was fraught with inaccuracies and omissions that requires a response. This review will discuss what I beleive Sherman either failed to discuss or outright got wrong.

First, for Commissioner Sherman to support a large real estate purchase when other options were available, while at the same time claiming, “we are not growing government”, is contradictory political babble. You cannot hold on to a Republican conservative ideology of “small government is better” while spending 10 million dollars on an alternative building to house county offices. Not even Donald Trump would try to pass this specious argument off as credible on his supporters.

Second, private and public entities across the country are attempting to downsize office leases and real estate purchase obligations until the pandemic has passed. No one knows what the new normal for commercial government office space in a post pandemic world will be.  Many workers may continue to work from home. This is a credible model for county employees who conduct business out of the office or who do not interact with the public.

Third, the timing of this large real estate expenditure (which will also involve additional costs for new carpeting, drapes and office furniture) was bad government.  The right move was to favor taxpayers in need over a new building. For example, rather than berate Governor Wolf for making difficult public health decisions that affect restaurants, Washington’s Republican majority could have provided financial aid to these establishments. In addition, by removing the Crossroads Center from the tax rolls, the Republican commissioners are reducing the City of Washington’s ability to collect revenue as it struggles to stay afloat during the pandemic. 

Fourth, while Sherman points out that Crossroads Center is in a convenient location, he does not discuss how the Republican commissioners arrived at the ten million dollar purchase price.  The only recent comparable real estate transaction I can recall was the sale of the Washington Trust Building in 2012. This complex of office space, retail establishments and a parking garage, directly across the street from the courthouse, sold for well under one million dollars. I find it incredulous that Crossroads Center can have a market value over ten times greater than the Trust Building.

Fifth, Sherman’s statement “the previous administration was delinquent in addressing structural damage and crumbling infrastructure” is not correct.  Several years ago, then Commissioner Harlan Shober, was tasked by his fellow commissioners with preparing a detailed analysis of Washington County’s space requirements and the cost of needed repairs to the Courthouse Square building. 

Commissioner Shober, utilizing his knowledge as a contractor, conducted an in-depth survey and presented several detailed proposals, including the purchase of the Crossroads Center. Shober determined that the leakage in the garage of Courthouse Square could be remedied at a reasonable cost.  Unlike the Republican commissioners, he never advocated that the existing building be torn down. He did recommend purchasing or renting Crossroads Center at a reasonable market value price and moving the cramped Children & Youth Services space in order to free up resources in Courthouse Square. Shober determined that 50% of Crossroads Center was leased at that time which would help offset the ongoing maintenance costs if the building were purchased.

Republican Commissioner Irey Vaughan was not willing to “make a difficult decision” before her election and took no action to approve either needed repairs or the accumulation of additional office space.  When the election was over and with Shober on his way out, Irey Vaughan, as chairperson of the Board of Commissioners, renewed her interest in Shober’s work product. This was followed by an expensive consulting report, which led to the purchase of Crossroads Center.  Clearly, the previous administration knew there was a problem and took steps to seek solutions at a lower cost to taxpayers.  Commissioner Sherman is simply the new cog in the wheel, not the white knight bringing “immediate attention” to the county’s resource requirements, as suggested in his op-ed.

Sixth, the enormous cost differences in repairing Courthouse Square, as determined by the Shober study and the later consulting firm are not adequately explained by Commissioner Sherman. Prior to tearing down a functional building, these cost discrepancies should have been clarified for county taxpayers. In addition, what is the cost to tear down Courthouse Square? How will the hole in the ground be re-purposed?

Lastly, Commissioner Sherman states “with the increased space the Crossroads Center affords, we will be able to accommodate and keep all current tenants.”  I have learned on good authority that there is 95,000 square feet of space in Courthouse square. With Crossroads Center half leased, give or take 72,000 square feet is available.  It would appear that tenants must be evicted in order to accommodate the move once Courthouse Square is torn down. With no ongoing private leases, the cost savings envisioned by Shober will disappear.

Ultimately, voters will perform their own analysis whether the purchase of Crossroads Center was prudent in the middle of a pandemic.   The “crossroad” for Washington County is not the increase in office space as suggested by Sherman, but rather the elimination of partisan hubris and misleading narratives from the public dialogue.