A Triumphal Whisper for All Democrats

by Michael Bryan

In ancient Rome, when a victorious general would parade triumphantly through the streets atop his chariot, displaying the booty and enemies he had captured in a successful campaign, all the citizens hailing him as "Imperator," a little slave child would perch behind him whispering continually in his ear, "You are still a mortal man." Thus did the Romans seek to remind even the most exalted that he was still just a normal person: no magical powers had been won with his great victory.

I'm going to be that little slave boy for a minute while we've still got everyone's attention here. That may be a bit of a turd in the punch bowl on what is almost certain to be a triumphal day, but so be it. I presume, with plenty of good evidence, that Democrats are going to sweep to an overwhelming victory today.

Democrats will take the Presidency and larger majorities in Congress, and there will be a temptation to think that this means that "we the people" win, and everything will be better at least for the next few years. There will be a feeling that all our problems will now be solved and we can relax and let our elected officials get down to the business of fixing what Bush and the GOP have broken.

Nothing could be further from the truth: this election is only the beginning of the work to save the American way of life from the folly and greed of the Bush era. Obama may be a transformational leader, but he is still just a man in a difficult political environment who needs tremendous support from us to get anything done.

Our political system simply doesn't work very well. It is hostage to special interests, riddled with institutionalized corruption, and designed for inertia and gridlock. Even with one party in command of two branches and a fresh popular mandate, the people cannot rest assured that reform will come. It never has without motivated and well-organized mass social organizations demanding change, rattling the castle gates, and working for reform from outside the government.

Every great wave of reform in this nation has been the direct result of sustained social movements first and foremost, not the election of a particular politician or party. Elections ratify what social movements achieve, elections don't make social movements unnecessary.

Today is a day to pat yourselves on the back. Hoist a few. Feel good that we have some folks with the public interest at heart in office. And then get back to work tomorrow.

Join social organizations working for causes you believe in. Contribute money and time and sweat to local and national citizen-based groups. Pay less attention to mere partisan politics and champion specific issues. Hold your representatives' feet to the fire. Stay involved. Stay engaged. Work as citizens for those changes you believe are best for this society. If you don't, then our 18th century political system will tell Obama, "no, we can't." And that we cannot afford.