OPINION:
When Russia invaded Ukraine last week, many focused the blame where it belongs – on the merciless dictator, Vladimir Putin. After all, his insatiable desire to reclaim lost Soviet republics combined with a complete disregard for recognized international borders and human life has yielded this monstrous situation. But American citizens have also played a defining role in creating the perfect storm that led to this war in Europe.
Voters in the 2020 election were less informed on issues and passive as election safeguards were dismantled during the run-up to Election Day, making us all partially responsible for how America has ceded its influence as the world’s only reliable superpower. At best, we elected a feckless and feeble man to be president of this great nation. At worst, and more likely, we allowed an elite group of partisans to commandeer our cherished system of elections and install a government of its choosing.
Although the 2020 election had an unprecedented turnout, the electorate was not honestly engaged. Many on the Right think the election was stolen from Donald Trump. Many on the Left claim it was the fairest election ever. We will never know the truth. But we know that this was one of the least substantive elections ever. 2020 was the catastrophic combination of a substantial voting block turning out against an unskilled politician and a willfully blind vote for a candidate devoid of a true vision or an ounce of leadership. How else can one explain winning the presidency of the United States from a basement teleprompter? It is up to us to demand better.
A few days after Joe Biden’s inauguration, Time Magazine published the game plan by which liberal Washington elites secured the White House and several House and Senate seats, generating a clean sweep for the Left. One result - a president whose approval ratings have been underwater since taking office. Another - only 20% of Americans say they’re “very confident” in U.S. Election Integrity.
What happened in the 2020 presidential election is an outrage that all informed citizens would share if we set aside our partisan stances and remember that we can disagree with our neighbors without demonizing them. Politics is not a team sport where fans pick a side and defend with undying loyalty. Sports provide entertainment, but political affairs are how we govern society and establish the rules that impact our lives. So when election laws are corrupted, it is the people who suffer, not the political parties or candidates.
We are foolish to put so much stake in the election of either Donald Trump or Joe Biden because, ultimately, they are merely temporary occupants of the White House. We should never overlook unacceptable and boorish behavior or excuse the irresponsible inactions of our elected officials. We need to care more about the process of selecting these temporary leaders than the actual election outcomes because once the election process becomes outcome-determinative, we inevitably allow the ends to justify the means. This opens the door for the money, influence and ideology of the few to overtake the will of the many. And that’s what we allowed in 2020.
We Americans must re-emerge as proactive forces in the running of our government. If we acknowledge that the Left uses poll-driven narratives and the Right uses hyperbole, we can start to parse through the nonsense that opinionated talking-heads burp out as a substitute for news. This means ignoring the pablum offered by officeholders and the sound bites intended to enflame. “Orange Man Bad” or “Liberals Are Stupid” are meaningless phrases that do not advance any debate. Instead, they aggressively silence even slightly different viewpoints.
So what can we do to rebuild our government and trust in our elections? We need to read more than 280 characters at a time. We need to get out of our confirmation bias bubbles and engage with those who disagree with us. We need to add challenging sources to our newsfeeds to understand why our ex-friends don’t see the world exactly as we do.
And if we continue to be addicted to social media and bird droppings, can we at least agree not to read the inane comments offered by third-world bots and Twitter farms?
We must become part of the political process—register to vote and then show up to vote. Turn up for primaries so you can have a say about who makes it to the final ballot. Sign up to be a poll worker and see for yourself what goes on behind the scenes on election day. Demand fairness and transparency in the election process. Only then can we trust the outcome of an election so if our candidate of choice loses, at least we can be assured that the victor reflects the will of the American people and not just a tiny cohort of hidden influencers.
Our founders fought to establish a government based on the concept of self-determination and individual sovereignty. These brilliant principles enabled America to lead the world in economic prosperity and fundamental human rights. Our way of life is a true gemstone – flawed yet irresistible. But to sustain this, we cannot take it for granted.
People wonder if Putin would have invaded Ukraine if Trump had been re-elected. This is unknowable. But we do know that Putin took all of the Crimea and established Russia’s military position in Syria under Obama. He did not expand his empire one inch while Trump was in office. We also know that Biden failed miserably to keep Putin in check despite months of opportunities. Instead, he let Afghanistan fall to the Taliban, he green-lighted Iran’s nuclear weapons ambitions, and he refused to arm the Ukrainians until it was too late. The man we elected just sat back and cowered in fear about Putin and his potential reactions. We allowed this to happen.
The real consequence of not being engaged in the political process is more dangerous than just electing a president who fails on every domestic issue that matters. It can also mean World War III.
- Denise Cohen is the president of Bridge Post Communications. She previously served as ACU Foundation’s director of the Center to Protect Voters and Their Voices.
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