RECENTLY ELECTED REPUBLICANS ARE DAMAGING THE COUNTY

  

The transformation of Washington County from an overwhelmingly Democratic jurisdiction into one where a majority of the voters are registered Republicans has been a swift and total sea change. In the 2021 general election, 10,000 more Republicans cast ballots than in 2017. This gives Republicans a clear majority at the polls and ensures that Washington is as “red” a county as many of its rural neighbors to the east and north. The recent voting trend reverses a period of Democratic majorities and governmental control that predates the 1930s depression.

In the latest elections, Republicans have easily captured the majority on the Board of Commissioners, in addition to the offices of District Attorney, Sheriff and Controller. Beginning this January, all of the Row Offices (Prothonotary, Clerk of Courts, Register of Wills and Recorder of Deeds) will be held by elected Republicans. In recent state and national elections, Democratic candidates have not fared well in Washington County. The effort to elect a bipartisan Government Study Commission went down in flames because certain elected Republican officials fought vigorously against it.

It will take a well-trained team of political scientists to analyze the data and determine the reasons for this abrupt change in voting patterns. Westmoreland County is undergoing a similar transformation; so, we are not alone. It is not clear how many Democrats switched their party affiliation or how many are new voters. I suspect that the nativist appeal of Donald Trump has caused many chronic non-voters to take an interest in local government for the first time. Whatever the reason, elected Republican officials will be in charge of all non-judicial county functions as we begin this new year.

Since the Republican transformation began several years ago, it has become obvious that winning elections is a whole lot easier than governing Washington County.  Early on, rash decisions were made in the Row Offices to replace long-time knowledgeable employees with partisan Republican supporters who had no experience. Without a transition plan to train new employees in how to conduct critical clerical functions, many of the Row Offices made mistakes and could not keep up with their responsibilities, as defined by law.  The problem was exacerbated by the pandemic. This forced the courthouse to close and caused already challenged offices to be short staffed.

Unfortunately, rather than working with other county officials and with the courts to solve problems as they occurred, the newly elected row officers chose to say a lot, while knowing little. The rhetoric was and continues to be full-throated attacks against any elected Democrat still in office and against their nominal political leader, Republican Commissioner Diana Irey Vaughn, who helped get them elected.  Yearly audits designed to correct clerical and accounting deficiencies before they got worse were labeled “personal vendettas by Democrats.” Administrative court orders to cure deficiencies or to turn over records and files were publicly criticized and resisted.

Republican officials made up new rules on the fly in direct contradiction to their statutory authority or chose to ignore administrative orders issued by the President Judge. In short, long-established nonpartisan clerical functions, designed by law to ensure the orderly functioning of the county judicial system, became partisan political battlegrounds. In true Trumpian fashion, these officials attacked the messenger who pointed out deficiencies rather than dig in and resolve the problem for the betterment of the voters who placed them in office.

No one can recall the mundane Row Offices being front-page news until a Democratic Clerk of Courts stole funds from the office and his Republican replacement, (with little to do since several functions were removed from her jurisdiction), began spending her time seeking media attention.  She has filed more appeals from court orders and sued more individuals for a variety of offenses in a matter of weeks than the Clerk of Courts office has undertaken in decades. In the process of avoiding a contempt hearing scheduled against her for ignoring court directives, she has attempted to become the aggrieved and persecuted figure in the eyes of her many social media followers and the evening news. While it is all interesting theater, the embarrassment to the county and disruption to judicial processes has been vast and immeasurable.

The tragic figure in all of this has been Chairman Commissioner, Diana Irey Vaughn. She realizes that the opportunity for her party, now finally in control of county operations, is about accountable leadership and not partisan rhetoric.  Irey Vaughn was a minority Commissioner for many years and knows what good government looks like.  She has no interest in tearing down what works or in supporting witch-hunts into corruption that does not exist. Her responsible position has drawn the ire of the new breed of Republican leadership who want to replace her with one of their own.

The newly elected Republicans should be careful what they wish for. If they replace Irey Vaughn, all of their imagined dragons will be slain. There will be no one else to blame for damaging missteps as Washington County slips into mediocrity or worse. Without knowledgeable officials in key positions, the county’s municipal bond ratings will go down and surplus county funds will disappear. In addition, businesses will lose confidence, and taxes will increase. Living or working in Washington County will become undesirable.

The only good news for county residents is that in time, voting patterns will again begin to change.

 

A FALL TRIP TO THE SOUTHERN LOW COUNTRY

This autumn, we were looking forward to a November trip to Portugal when the ongoing pandemic convinced us to reconsider. Rather than struggle with masks and constant testing while traveling through this beautiful country, we postponed our plans until March of 2023. We had not been away all summer and were eager to travel, but where? Sedona and San Diego were on the list but in the end, my spouse was set on returning to the low country in the Deep South. Savannah, Georgia and Hilton Head, South Carolina became our destination.

Expect the unexpected when flying over the next six months.  The airlines drastically cut back their operations because of COVID. They have struggled to replace staff to meet the growing demand.  We scheduled a 6 A.M. flight to ensure the plane would be on the ground (it was) so that we would make our DC connection to Savannah (we did not).  

Mechanical difficulties delayed our flight and we arrived in DC just as the connecting flight was boarding. Our luggage made it on the plane and we were directed to wait until late the next day to continue our trip. Not to be deterred, we immediately booked a flight to Charleston, two hours from our destination. Upon landing, we found a one-way rental car at an outrageous price and drove to the Savannah airport to pick up our booked rental car and luggage.

For the rest of the week we were treated to beautiful November weather, small crowds and outstanding dinners. The old town in Savannah features many fine Hotels situated in renovated warehouses near the river.  The famous moss draped squares are within walking distance as is the old town walking market, featuring hundreds of small shops.

We spent a fascinating afternoon at the Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum, with exhibits from the great era of Atlantic trade. Of special interest were the descriptions of naval encounters during both the American Revolution and Civil War. A new exhibit presented a multi-media depiction of the middle passage that brought African slaves to the Deep South. The message was clear that the slave trade was a massive crime against humanity.

 Our third day saw us on the road, heading north to Hilton Head. For some reason, this barrier island has developed a reputation as more sophisticated than its more pedestrian neighbor, Myrtle Beach. The only evidence of this was the more exclusive Sea Pines Plantation that charges a toll to enter this exclusive enclave.

The Resort fees and lodging on Sea Pines are more expensive than the rest of Hilton Head. Sea Pines is the home of the beautiful Harbour Town and its iconic lighthouse and golf course. At the end of this portion of the island is the world famous Salty Dog Café where one can lunch overlooking the harbor and buy merchandise of every description.

We booked one of the many resort hotels outside of Sea Pines. The off-season rates were reasonable and the location was only blocks from a well-kept beach. Upon our arrival, we made dinner reservations at several interesting restaurants. Each day started with a light hotel breakfast where we made plans for the day, on either the beach or exploring the island.

Our day trips included a morning at the small out of the way Audubon nature preserve. It provided a pleasant walk around a small lake with numerous songbirds indigenous to the South, serenading us. Our next stop was a picnic lunch at the Costal Discovery Museum that featured a restored family home and outbuildings.  The exhibits described Hilton Head in the laid-back days before a bridge connected the island to the mainland. Surrounding the homestead were miles of hiking trails.

Before departing the island, we took in one of the many boat tours that provide guaranteed encounters with the local bottlenose dolphins. We photographed Harbour Town and the lighthouse on our cruise around the bay. Our final dinner was an early meal at the marina as the sun went down.

The next morning we traveled back to Savannah where we would spend our last day before an evening flight to Pittsburgh. The weather was sunny and warm, the perfect opportunity to tour Old Fort Jackson, a National Historic Landmark only minutes from downtown Savannah. An enthusiastic young woman, garbed as a confederate soldier, gave us a tour of the complex, the oldest brick fortifications on the East Coast. She demonstrated many of the armaments adorning the fort and the smell of gunpowder was heavy in the air.

Our flight back home was uneventful and gave us time to reflect on how nice it would be to live in the Deep South during the fall and winter months. However, upon arrival, the blustery Western Pennsylvania weather felt about right for the upcoming Thanksgiving Holiday.d, water, and living things to gain more environmental awareness. Explore history, culture, 

BE THANKFUL FOR A “GLASS HALF-FULL” THIS HOLIDAY SEASON

As the fall and winter holidays came and went last year, celebrations were few, and the mood was dismal. There was uncertainty about new vaccines and how they would be utilized. 2020 was dominated by the news of how COVID-19 spread across the globe. 2021 focused on ending the pandemic through vaccine distribution.

During this holiday season, vaccinated families are able to plan for safe gatherings unthinkable in 2020. In the White House, sanity has returned to America, and a dystopian attempt to bring down the democratic electoral process was defeated. As a country, we celebrated the first Veterans Day in two decades when we were not engaged in a military conflict.

While the media remains focused on President Biden’s declining poll numbers, the real story on the first year of his administration should be the lack of bizarre tweets and over the moon chaos, so common under the leadership of Donald Trump. We have gone through a year when foreign dignitaries were not insulted, autocrats were not praised, government officials were not fired for expressing their opinions, white supremacists were not encouraged and minorities were not demeaned. Whether one agrees with Biden’s policies or not, it is gratifying to have qualified adults running the government.

The glass is only half-full because of the new challenges of a reopening world economy that has sparked inflation and bottlenecks in the supply chain. As oil prices rise to fuel the reopening economy, gas prices also rise. As large numbers of long delayed container ships leave their Asian ports full of Christmas merchandise, American ports cannot process the large volume in an orderly manner.  The surge in sales for electronic devices during the pandemic created an outsized demand for semiconductors that was further aggravated by Asian factories closed because of COVID. Now a shortage will last well into 2022.

The above challenges of transitioning to a new post COVID economy with both feet in the information age are real, but temporary. Next year will see prices stabilize and bottlenecks resolved.  Moreover, the Democrat’s new infrastructure legislation has provisions to build domestic semiconductor plants to end reliance on foreign supplies.

The pandemic continues to be a glass-draining event. Despite President Biden’s aggressive offensive against the pandemic, following the advice of his public health officials at every turn, COVID-19 has proven to be a persistent adversary.  As of November 27, 2021, 454 million doses of vaccine were administered for Americans, beginning at age 5. Efforts have been hampered by misinformation and anti-government hostilities that have encouraged more than 120 million citizens to refuse vaccinations.  New variants of the virus have been able to gain a foothold and spread rapidly among the unvaccinated.

The battle against the pandemic has been exasperated by confusion over changing policies as new data is analyzed. This requires updated public health directives over masking, testing and booster shots. We all want the virus to be gone and a return to a pre-pandemic world. This result is not realistic, and we must adjust as the virus becomes endemic (here to stay, but under control).

So how is it possible to claim that the glass is half-full and filling up?  For starters, the stock market is higher than it ever was under President Trump, and the S&P 500 has hit more than 50 record highs in 2021.  More than 5.6 million new jobs have been created in Biden’s first nine months in office. Under his leadership, unemployment is down to 4.6% from an estimated 10%.

Wages for middle class workers have increased in 2021 at the most accelerated rate in decades. Overall wages are up 6%, and hourly wages are up 11% this year outpacing inflation by 3x overall and 5x for hourly wage earners.  Economic growth is on course to hit a healthy 5% this year and 4% in 2022.

Democrats have passed an infrastructure bill to secure broadband internet and better roads, bridges, electric power and drinking water for all Americans. Despite fierce Republican opposition, Congress is within striking distance of securing better child-care assistance, free pre-kindergarten and lower drug prices, as well as requiring the ultra-rich to pay more in taxes.

Unfortunately, Republicans have done their best to keep the glass from filling up. Their efforts over the past year have focused on the lie that Democrats stole the national election. They label initiatives designed to ensure American excellence as socialism. They criticize the withdraw from Afghanistan, negotiated by Trump, while opposing the resettlement of Afghan refugees. They complain about too many business “help-wanted” signs in a booming economy. Lastly, they oppose vaccine mandates that would shorten the pandemic.

On a personal note, I was reminded that the glass is half-full and that gratitude is in order as I sat in Heinz Hall last weekend listening to the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Older patrons trooped in with masks on faces and vax cards in hand to view the magnificent Christmas tree and to take in the return of live concert music. We were treated to a 40-minute Nicolo Paganini violin concerto featuring an 18-year-old Spanish prodigy, Maria Duenas. Her performance was beyond words.

There is much that is good in this world, and the glass is slowly filling up. I hope we all experience some uplifting moments this holiday season to remind us why the journey is worth all the trouble.

UNDERSTANDING THE NEW DEBATE ON RACISIM

 

Since the murder of George Floyd in May of 2020, the debate on racism in America has changed. It has morphed from an emphasis on identifying racist attitudes into a social conflict to regulate “unacceptable” speech and behavior. The issue is no longer whether white privilege and systemic racism exist (which indeed they do), but what the proper response from a white person should be.

A host of books, essays and podcasts has tackled both ends of the debate. The first wave tried to identify passive racism and instruct white Americans who would listen on how to act to repent for their sins. The newest wave has fought back against this trend by pointing out that there is great danger in employing white privilege as a sledgehammer to attack white behavior. First, this approach assigns white people the task of becoming the saviors of Black America. Second, it turns many whites who are not “woke” and ready to assume the mantle of “racial sinner” into becoming defensive and less inclined to support racial progress.

In recent months, this new debate has expanded into our schools. Here the issue is not changing behavior, but changing the American history curriculum to include an honest presentation on slavery, reconstruction and civil rights. Because of the confusion over the new language of racism, I will begin by describing some of the important misunderstood and misapplied watchwords. I will end with my thoughts on how to address the new debate on racism.

Black Lives Matter: BLM is a decentralized political and social movement protesting against incidents of police brutality and other racially motivated violence against Black people. BLM employs non-violent disobedience and has had a positive effect on diversifying police forces and improving community relations.

Woke: To be woke originally meant to be alert to racial prejudice and discrimination. As the cultural wars exploded, it came to encompass a broader awareness of other inequalities such as sexism. Conservatives have placed negative implications on woke by attacking woke positions which they believe degrade traditional white culture and revise American history.

Cancel culture: Conservatives have invoked this negative term to describe the practice of excluding somebody who is “unwoke” from social or professional life because they have said or done something that woke advocates believe is racist or sexist. Conservatives believe that cancel culture is prevalent in academia, the media and the arts.

1619 Project: The 1619 Project is the New York Times’ historical analysis of how slavery influenced America’s political, social and economic institutions. The 1619 signifies the date that Africans were first brought to America against their will. Conservatives have criticized the project for negatively revising American history in order to place guilt on white America and to promote an ideology that is unpatriotic. In fact, teachers and students who were offered the 1619 Project material were universally enthusiastic in teaching/learning more about the role slavery and Black Americans have played in our past.

White privilege: White privilege is the relative advantage racism affords to individuals identified as white, whether the individual recognizes the privilege or not. The inexhaustible list of privileges includes the presumption of innocence, assumption of intelligence, opportunities available from a white network, policy-making power and access to inherited wealth, better schools and the ability to vote without impediments.

Systemic racism: Governments, businesses, schools or any institution with power that favors policies that perpetuate racial inequality are said to practice systemic racism. This would include any process that is chronically a disadvantage for African Americans.

Critical Race Theory: The central idea of CRT is that racism is ingrained in America’s history, legal systems, and policies. It is an academic construct that rejects the idea that racism is simply caused by prejudiced individuals. CRT incorporates the ideas of white privilege and systemic racism into a theory that racism is inherent in many aspects of American life, and it supports policy decisions to improve equality for African Americans. CRT has never been taught in public schools.

It is important to understand that the above terms are haphazardly being thrown around in the new debate on racism. White privilege, systemic racism, cancel culture and being woke are easily misapplied for bad motives. A few examples follow.

Many disadvantages like poverty and drug addiction affect white as well as Black people and are not illustrations of white privilege. Building roads and lowering interest rates are benefits for whites but are not systemic racism. Cancel culture does not include fact checking erroneous information or publicly “calling someone out” for spreading falsehoods on social media. Urging the defunding of police is irresponsible and not a requirement to be woke.

I believe that once Americans begin to understand the parameters of the new debate on racism, real progress can be made. In education, a majority of parents will have no objection to their children learning about slavery and its influence if the presentation is a fair representation of our history. The key is to present lesson plans that are balanced with adequate explanation.

I will end where I began with the new excesses of woke culture seeking to regulate speech and behavior concerning gender and race. For me this conduct is a kind of collective anxiety of Salem witch trial proportions. Let us not fall into the Trumpian trap of insisting on one way of thinking about race in America.

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DIVERSITY IS THE KEY TO DEMOCRACY

 

The historical linkages between the various English peoples that founded America and our present political and cultural conflicts have always fascinated me. It is naïve to believe that modern hostilities result solely from Donald Trump, social media, and/or radical cancel culture views on racism and women’s rights.

Many of the issues we argue about each day are spawned by our history.  In fact, a trail of tribal breadcrumbs goes back 300 years when America was in its infancy.  Understanding our initial colonization can help us to comprehend modern America.

The premise discussed in this commentary is hardly original. Credit must be given to the classic historical work by David Hackett Fischer, Albion’s Seed: Four British Folkways in America, 1989, Oxford University Press. In addition, a recent Joe Klein essay, Why the Past is Never Past that appeared in the Sunday October 17, 2021 NYT, revived my interest in Fisher’s important study. For those readers who are not familiar with these sources, I will summarize and comment.

The Joe Klein essay has its eye on the map of our nation during the pandemic when he observes “the daily graphs of COVID-19 cases and vaccinations-the diagonal slash through Appalachia and the South from the Ozarks and Texas, where cases soared; to the high vaccination rates in New England, make it clear that the divide between maskers and anti-maskers, vaxxers and anti-vaxxers is as old as Plymouth Rock. It is deeper than politics, it is cultural.”

To get to this conclusion, we must return to Albion’s Seed which tackles the question: Why do certain regions in America have different cultural characteristics? Fischer identifies four original folkways that were radically different, each contributing an essential strain in shaping modern America.

New England.  First, the great migration of English Puritans, middle class Englishmen ruled by an elite of Puritan ministers, populated New England in the 1630s. Relative homogeneity, stable families and a balanced gender ratio marked this conservative folkway. It sought strict piety by instituting harsh institutional control and regulation over all manner of domestic living.

Tidewater Virginia.  Second, Royalist Cavaliers, pro-crown and Anglican, came from the elites of Southwest England. They were actively recruited to lord over large Virginia estates where 75% of the population were in the first place indentured servants and later African slaves. Society was hierarchical.  Liberty included the right to rule over others and the freedom to be unequal.

Delaware Valley.  Third, Quakers from Northern England counties settled the land surrounding Philadelphia.  The Quaker culture valued commerce, industry and a pluralistic society of equality over Puritan unity or Cavalier hierarchy.  The acceptance of different views encouraged political parties. Religious liberty, non-violence and antislavery prevailed in the Quaker folkway.

The Southern Backcountry.  Last, a large impoverished group of immigrants from England’s Northern borderlands and Southern Scotland sought refuge in the hills along the spine of the Appalachian Mountains. The folkways they brought with them were structured around a culture of retaliation and retribution. Politics were marked by independent “men of influence” like the future Andrew Jackson. The Appalachian conception of freedom stressed personal autonomy and distrust for governmental authority.

When one considers the New England ethic to “follow the rules” and its contrast with the Appalachian culture of “there are no rules,” it is no small miracle that we have made it this far as a nation.  Moreover, after reading the best-selling memoir Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance (who is now running for Congress as a Trump supporter), it is clear that these folkway differences are alive and well. Puritan organization predicted the New Deal and “freedom from want.” The Scots Irish wanted no part of this bargain if it meant curtailing individual liberties.

Likewise, the call for social and economic equality espoused by the Quakers was never accepted in the South.  Instead, the Southern folkway that championed an aristocratic hierarchy would lead to white supremacy and systemic racism following the Civil War.

I would add a fifth and sixth folkway to the four developed in Albion’s Seed that help explain why we have not experienced continuous civil war. The fifth would be the emancipation and citizenship afforded to Africans brought to America against their will. The sixth and last is the immigration of citizens from Southern Europe and later from ethnic groups from around the world.

Once America became more diverse, the fractious folkways of the original British migration had less influence. Each original folkway was more concerned with protecting its ancestral turf than establishing control over the country as a whole. The continuing diversity of culture and new ideas made our constitutional republic stronger over time.  

In support of my observation, I would point to those countries that have  remained ethnically homogeneous. Germany and Japan before WWII, Russia and China since the war are examples of nations with little cultural diversity. Each of them fostered authoritarian regimes based on ethnic supremacy with total control over their populations.

When I read the latest issue of Pittsburgh Magazine and reviewed the 2021 award winning class of “40 under 40,” the accomplishments and diversity of the candidates was impressive. Among these young adults are several from small villages in India, Pakistan, Africa and the Far East. Each is making a difference with their unique creativity.

As long as new folkways continue to be introduced into the American landscape, our democracy will remain a gloriously messy business but it will thrive.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A FAIRYTALE WITH A HAPPY ENDING

The excellent book, The Constitution of Knowledge, Jonathan Rauch, The Brookings Institute, 2021, inspired this commentary

Once upon a time, the country of Acadia was established. The new nation’s founders believed in a democratic form of government. They wrote a constitution to guarantee that both individual liberties and the rule of law would govern the new land. This binding legal document imposed checks and balances on the elected leaders.

As the country grew, disagreements developed among the different tribes that lived within the borders of Acadia. The large land mass was very diverse in language, ethnicity, religion and cultural practices. The citizens who lived in the large cities came to value knowledge, merit and the diversity of many different tribes. However, the rural tribes became distrustful of city dwellers and feared that the rustic way of life was being both ignored and threatened. Moreover, rural tribes, immigrants themselves, were opposed to permitting foreigners the right to immigrate into Acadia to share in its vast resources.

Despite the disagreements, the constitution of laws allowed strong governmental institutions to develop, and Acadia thrived for many years. Leaders with moderate liberal views were elected, often followed by the election of moderate conservative leaders. At times, radical political tribes sought power, but they were quickly absorbed into the moderate political parties. The political and social changes that took place were adopted slowly, with vigorous debate and compromise by all interest tribes. The democratic struggle between the state and the people was healthy. It never gravitated toward the twin evils of authoritarian state authority or into political chaos brought on by mass rebellion that plagued other nations.

Over the years, Acadia was slowly transformed from an agrarian society into an industrial one. The conflicts between rural tribes, who remained fixed in an agricultural culture and the urban areas that adopted an industrial way of life, became more pronounced. It became difficult for the constitution and the democratic institutions to keep a moderate elected government in place. There was increasing pressure for the state to move sharply to the right or the left. Thankfully, Acadia was equally split between voters on each side of the debate. This helped to maintain the appearance of order.

In addition to the traditional conflict between rural and urban citizens, conservative tribes attracted Christian citizens with what became known as a “family values” agenda. This platform wanted Acadia to become a Christian nation that would ignore the constitutional mandate of the separation between church and state.

The deathblow to Acadia’s long running system of democratic government was the dawning of the Information Age. Within several decades, access to and control of information became the defining characteristic of society. This was initially thought to be good for democracy because all the tribes would have a vast store of knowledge equally available to them. In fact, the information age fostered social media where each citizen could express opinions that would go viral and be viewed by millions of others. Untrue diatribes that encouraged negative emotions of hate and distrust replaced vetted facts on which all could agree.

Unscrupulous politicians began to run for office using social media as their path to victory. The message was about the individual leader. The leader was adept at communicating untrue authoritarian “us against them” themes to his followers. Acadia was politically and socially split in half.  Knowledge became irrelevant, and the constitutional institutions began to weaken.

Many thought that civil war was inevitable and that Acadia would become a failed nation.  Finally, wise citizens, both conservatives and liberals, gathered and convened a second constitutional convention. The goal was to develop a new “constitution of knowledge” that would serve as a defense of truth and avert the coming storm.

The constitution of knowledge was designed to manage disagreements among the tribes.  As in the original constitution, speech was free to flourish. What changed was a system that vetted speech before the tribes accepted it as knowledge. The constitution of knowledge became law following a national referendum.

Under the new constitution, views or opinions that an individual wanted to be accepted as knowledge were submitted for peer review. The medical professionals vetted medical questions; legal scholars the legal disagreements; respected sociologists the social issues; and religious leaders and philosophers the moral dilemmas. However, the constitution of knowledge was not limited to professionals.  It also included journalists, law enforcement, election administrators, union officials, corporate leaders and any other evidence- based group where theories required testing and justification from different points of view. Everyone was still entitled to his or her own opinion, but the community as a whole agreed on what constituted knowledge.

When a proposition was finally given credence as true, it was always subject to change as the facts supporting the proposition changed. In this way, the proven scientific method that existed for centuries was adopted to manage disagreement among the tribes. There was now a welcome, level playing field for conflict, which rejected misinformation and provided a defense for truth.

The constitution of knowledge became widely utilized in Acadia. The nation became ruled by its values and common practices that were fair to all of the tribes. Disruptive trolls and divisive politicians who previously thrived on hate, fear and disinformation disappeared from the land.  The information age became a positive force that propelled Acadia forward into many years of peace and prosperity.

 

DEMOCRATS IN CONGRESS MUST FOCUS ON ELECTION LAWS AND VOTER’S RIGHTS

 

President Joe Biden and the Democratic controlled Congress are intent on getting legislation passed before their political support evaporates following the 2022 midterm elections. Democrats have reason to worry because their congressional majorities is slim, and typically, the party in power loses both House and Senate seats in the midterms. By January of 2023, the Democrat’s opportunity to effect meaningful change may be over.

Unfortunately, “going big” with the Democrat’s proposed “Building Back Better” (BBB) legislation is only possible with the vote of the 50^th senator. Because all Republicans and Democratic senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema have objections, the President’s package of new social programs cannot cobble together 50 votes. Moreover, these same two senators are not prepared to change the Senate cloture rule—which requires 60 members to end debate on most topics and move to a vote. The reality on the ground is that today’s Congress simply does not have the large Democratic majorities that permitted Presidents FDR in the 1930s and LBJ in the 1960s to pass groundbreaking social reforms.

It is time for the White House and the Democratic Party to stop seeking improbable, time-consuming legislative wins. Smaller victories are preferable to drawn out policy battles that offer little hope for success. The only issue that should be non-negotiable for Democrats is preventing Donald Trump and/or “Trumpism” from regaining the presidency. This alone is the largest threat facing our democracy since the Civil War.  To prevent a Trump resurgence, Democrats must step back and reset priorities leading up to the 2022 midterm elections.  Events that have transpired since President Biden took office must be part of the calculations moving forward.

First, Democratic legislative plans were upended this summer when the Delta variant of the pandemic swept across the country, again making COVID-19 the President’s number one priority. The White House was correct to devote additional resources to getting more Americans vaccinated in order to avoid a second public health crisis. The confusion over school openings and booster shots, as recommendations change week by week, makes the pandemic a slippery advisory of undefined duration. The pandemic resurgence could not be avoided, and legislative expectations must now be revised.

Second, Democratic moderates and progressives have been unable to compromise on the final architecture of the massive BBB legislative package. House moderates are eager to move forward with the “hard” infrastructure legislation, already passed by the senate, with a reduced version of the “soft” 3.5 trillion dollar BBB social package.  Progressives are insisting that BBB is non-negotiable and that it is impossible to make policy choices between child-care, the elderly, education, the climate crisis and immigration reform. In addition, Democrats cannot agree on a proposal to increase taxes to pay for the social package.

Third, the hope that following his defeat Trump would lose his political dominance over the Republican Party has not materialized. Trump has held his coalition together by finding enough loyalists willing to perpetuate the “big lie” that Democrats stole the national election. Trump has demonstrated enough influence to guarantee that his handpicked candidates can win Republican congressional primaries throughout the nation in 2022. This will be the springboard for him returning to national office in 2024 with an agenda of rewarding liars and punishing truth tellers who disagree with him.

Last week a well-known conservative, Robert Kagan, published an essay on the state of American democracy that sent shock waves through the political establishment. (Opinion: Our constitutional crisis is already here, Washington Post, September 23, 2021) Mr. Kagan believes that Donald Trump and his allies are willing to go to any length to ensure his victory in 2024 and that he must be stopped to preserve democracy.

Kagan believes that the Trump game plan to flood state legislatures with loyal supporters willing to change election laws, giving partisan Republicans the power to overturn election results in the next national election is already in place. Kagan writes, “The Trump movement is less about policies than about Trump himself. It has undermined the normal role of American political parties, which is to absorb new movements into the mainstream.” All citizens who value our system of government should read this well-reasoned commentary and be prepared to work tirelessly to defeat Trump.

The Democratic majority in Congress is razor thin. If a Democratic senator dies in a state with a Republican Governor, all bets are immediately off. The White House and Democrats in Congress should obtain the best deal they can on infrastructure, resolve the debt and budget issues as quickly as possible and move on to the real crisis - Republican attacks on election laws and voter’s rights. Republican leader Mitch McConnell has made it clear that his members will vote against every Democratic proposal. It is time to stop negotiating with Republicans and move forward with vigor.

President Biden wants to bring all of his campaign promises to fruition in one grand legislative package. However, even if the Democrats are successful, a Republican takeover of Congress in 2022 followed by a Trump victory in 2024 would quickly reverse many of these gains.

This must be the year to assemble a national legislative firewall around the state election offices to insure full and fair voting in both the 2022 mid-terms and 2024 national election. Without accomplishing this goal, democracy will lose the constitutional crisis that is already upon us.