Just Over the Horizon, the Chance to Save Democracy

I know. I’ve felt and shared the despair of like-minded friends on Facebook and in private communications. The despair that comes with the damage to our Democracy by those whose political ambition and fundraising grift is fostering mistrust in our elections – the foundation of Democracy.

That slim, but growing sliver of public doubt is all the “cover” Republican lawmakers in Washington, D.C. and state legislatures need to build the case for restrictive laws they say are about “election integrity.” When in reality, these voter suppression laws are about curtailing the record Democratic turnout in the 2020 elections. And here in Arizona, the slim margin of one or two seats in the state legislative chambers has the Republican majority in “fear and loathing” about losing power.

While the growing acceptance of the “Big Lie” about our elections eats at our resolve – as our opponents intend it – other more personal concerns for our Democracy fuel our sense of being overwhelmed.

• Asylum seekers, fleeing death from criminals and corrupt governments, are railed against by hundreds of flag-waving and gun-bearing ultra-right-wing protesters outside a hotel in Scottsdale.
• Our school board meetings are threatened and over-run by groups supported by white nationalists.
• Child poverty, hunger, and homelessness in Arizona fail to attract a response for solutions from our state government.
• Our public schools are at the bottom of US rankings and funding – approved in a referendum by voters – is tossed aside for a tax scheme favoring rich Republican donors.
• Our teachers are threatened with fines for teaching sensitive subjects by fearful parents and legislators opposed to actual history and science.
• Social justice and policing reforms are held hostage to massive budget cuts due to a flat tax scheme.

To name just a few.

So, my friends, what is the answer or our response to the political landscape we find ourselves enduring with each news cycle? Perhaps, if we adjust our view above our immediate horizon, we can see some common ground to find the strength to save Democracy.

On the bright side

Coming into our view are some numbers – encouraging numbers. In the first quarter of 2021, according to AZ Central reporting, 24,000 Arizona Republicans quit the party, following the Nov. 2020 election, the Jan. 6th insurrection, the attempt in Congress to nullify Arizona’s Electoral College votes, and the bogus election “fraudit” from AZ Senate Republicans. While Democrats lost only a fourth of that number in the same period, it clearly shows an opportunity to pick up Republican and Independent voters put off by ultra-right-wing nationalistic, racist, and election fraud propaganda.

Next, the Center for the Future of Arizona reports that at least 70 percent or more of Arizonans agree that we should be working towards:

• A highly educated and skilled population
• Affordable health care; high-wage jobs
• Sustainable environmental practices
• Civic engagement that solves problems
• Fair, just, and equal treatment of all people
• Comprehensive immigration reform, including a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers.

We recognize the demoralizing era we find ourselves in. But we need to help each other and remind ourselves of the political “positives” that are just over the horizon. Keeping Mark Kelly in the Senate for a full term. Flipping the Governor’s office to competent and empathetic leadership and governance. And finally, turning the Arizona legislature Blue to raise public education to the priority it deserves, increase voter access, counter the mistrust in our elections, and respond to the urgent needs of the people and not the elite among us.

John Pavlovitz, writer, pastor, and activist, wrote “It’s exhausting to give a damn isn’t it? To be a person of compassion in a time when compassion is in such great demand.”

But always remember, it is not for ourselves that we must look over the horizon, lock arms and fight together. In a speech, President Barack Obama said, “If you stop tirelessly working for the people, then you’ll be held accountable. . . There are people: the voiceless, marginalized, and the working poor who are counting on us.”
Together, we need to find the strength to fight for them and save our Democracy.