The Relay Race of Democracy

I keep returning to one core thought: civics education really matters. It’s absence, at least in part, is what makes a Donald Trump and a MAGA movement possible. It’s the casual view among so many people that the form our government takes doesn’t matter. Living in a democracy isn’t something they view as important; politics is a spectator sport and not serious business. Trump is a symptom of that view. Why have serious governance when you can have the distraction of reality TV?

As a voter, the only reason you would let Donald Trump control the levers of power is because you don’t understand what it means and that it’s deadly serious. I’m not talking about politicians or business people here, people who want to ride Trump’s coattails to power and or hope to remain there because of him—there’s a special circle of hell reserved for people like Mitch McConnell, who saw Trump’s behavior on January 6 for what it was and then got right back in bed with him. I’m talking about Trump’s base, our fellow citizens, and, regrettably, sometimes our friends and family.

Civics education is important. It doesn’t have to be formal, although it can be wonderful and inspiring when it is. Some people educate themselves. I grew up used to seeing a well-worn copy of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense on my grandfather’s bookshelf. Civics education isn’t about advocating for one political view over another, it’s about understanding our constitutional democracy, the three branches of government, the importance of checks and balances, the rule of law, and the commitment of the Founding Fathers, as imperfect as it was at inception, to protecting the rights of all people, not just people who looked like them or prayed like them. The notion that the promise they created is one we should continue to work to fulfill, that American democracy is aspirational and a living body of work for all of us to take on, is important.

When we don’t invest in civics education in our schools and our communities, we lose that awareness. And let’s be frank, it’s been lost in parts of our country, replaced with a Christian nationalism or a MAGA tribalism that would have shocked the Founding Fathers, not because they didn’t believe it could happen, but because they believed they had taken steps to prevent it. In ignorance of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and why they’re constructed the way that they are, a focus on what divides us instead of the work we can do if we stay united can become the prevalent view.

This morning, I reread Norm Eisen and Jen Rubin’s answers to Five Questions Friday night, and I was struck again by this:

Joyce: We are living in an era where many people are shocked Trump was reelected or have disengaged out of disgust. But we all understand the time is coming for us to get back in the game. What do you all think is at stake if Americans don’t wake up in time, and what advice do you have for people who are struggling to get back in or trying to figure out the right place to get involved? You both have a lot of experience with this. How do you think we keep the Republic?

Jen and Norm: If we do not win the fight we will go the way of Viktor Orban’s Hungary. A robust, pluralistic democracy will be crushed under the boot of a thuggish regime dedicated to a vision of America based on race and religion, not on the constitutional creed (“All men are created equal…”). We will complete the transition from democracy to oligarchy. Corruption, kleptocracy and the cult of personality will rule the day.

And when America ceases to be a force for democracy, international order, and stability, pro-democracy forces will shrivel too. We cannot lose the values that make America good and great – the rule of law, functional government, decency, inclusion. We insist that we continue the struggle to form a “more perfect union.” The alternative is unimaginable.

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There is no phony equivalence here, no effort to bothsides what happens when we fail to understand the importance of the moment we live in. We are going to need more of that in the months ahead. We need to be willing to call it what it is, to put our knowledge of civics to use.

I continue to believe that although we live in the era of the heavy lift to keep democracy, we can do it. Unlike the countries in Eastern Europe that started from a weak position when they clawed out democracy from a non-democratic tradition, we have centuries of democracy to fall back on. Donald Trump won the 2024 election with 49.8% of the popular vote. He received the nod from 77,303,568 voters to Kamala Harris’ 75,019,230 people. That means that there were almost as many people as those who voted for him who didn’t want to reject democracy in favor of Trumpism. The election was not a romp for Trump.

And, 90 million eligible Americans didn’t vote. The difference between Harris and Trump didn’t matter to them, or at least they didn’t feel sufficient urgency to vote. That’s a failure of civics education in America.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, in his farewell speech, said, “American democracy is not a sprint but a relay race. And as we pass the baton, I am very proud of what we've achieved over the past four years … Every military defends a country. But the United States military also defends a Constitution.”

We’re here for the relay race, to be part of a community that runs together toward the finish line of democracy. The community that finds a way to make sure more people understand what the stakes are and why being engaged matters. I saw a post on social media this week, that said, “In 2016, I was all in. In 2024, I will spend my days ignoring anything politically adjacent. Life’s too short.”

We cannot do that. Politics is not some foreign apparatus, separate from our daily lives. Everything is politically adjacent: our families, our livelihoods, our freedoms. Our future world will be the one we are willing to fight for. If we don’t fight for democracy, it seems likely to slip further away during the next Trump administration. Already, we see a nominee to be Attorney General of the United States who is willing to buy the Big Lie and a president-elect who is already monetizing the presidency for personal gain.

We need to find a way to infuse civics into daily life so more people will care about and understand what’s happening. Sitting back, doing nothing—not an option at this point. Evil happens when good people do nothing. We need just enough of us to stay awake, eyes open, to make a difference.

We have that long tradition of democracy in this country, in our bones, to fall back on. It’s time to start believing in ourselves again and to get to work. Donald Trump does not define who we area. Do you have alternative plans for inauguration day? Are you participating in the tradition of engaging in community service to celebrate the Martin Luther King holiday? Share your good ideas with the rest of us in the comments. And, a request from my wonderful proofreader (and errors you see in the newsletter find their way in when I can’t resist the urge to edit after she’s finished), who has young children and asked for good books to read with them to fill the gaps in civics education. I suggested Preet Bharara’s Justice Is...: A Guide for Young Truth Seekers. What are your favorites?

We’re in this together,

Joyce