This pause in Other Aspects’ railing against those atop the executive and legislative branches of our government, however deserved the railing might be, focuses on an uncomfortable place: the mirror.
In allowing our supposed leaders to let us down to this extent for this long, we’ve been letting ourselves – and each other – down.
Do we have some excuses? Sure. In a fast-paced, high intensity time, it sometimes seems all we can do to work the job(s), raise the kids, put food on the table, pay the bills, do the errands and chores, and (perhaps) relax occasionally. It feels like a full-time job just to be a consumer in this society, fending off scams, bad deals, cyber-attacks, and other threats to our wellbeing and hard-earned money.
Participating in, or even paying attention to, public affairs may feel like a luxury, but it is not. Whether owing to exhaustion, inattention, ignorance, laziness, cynicism, resignation, or apathy, we citizens cannot afford to be asleep at the switch.
Say What?
We’ve all seen numerous polls in recent years that indicate the public’s mind-boggling ignorance of how we govern ourselves and order our affairs. These depressing reports cover different topics, but generally go something like this:
X per cent [typically well under half] of [citizens, high school graduates, college graduates, etc.] can:
(a) say how many branches of government there are, name them, or explain what they do;
(b) name any member of the Senate, the House, or the Supreme Court;
(c) distinguish between the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution;
(d) identify any of the amendments that make up the Bill of Rights;
(e) name any of the protections provided in the First Amendment; or
(f) explain the concept of checks and balances; balance of power; and so forth.
The Polling Stat that Matters Most: Turnout
Voter participation always is lower than one would hope or expect, especially given the struggle that people who don’t have the vote often must endure to get it. That goes for our ancestors, starting with that Declaration of Independence, through struggles for women’s suffrage and civil rights.
I wish I could say that’s all in the past, but battles over voter suppression are underway across the nation, as a quick Internet search will confirm.
When We Do Vote
Even as we grouse about our elected representatives, we must face the fact that incumbents are reelected so often that an incumbent loss is big news.
If our elected representatives are crooked, stupid, lazy, ignorant, unethical, or lacking in other important ways, whose fault can that be, ultimately, but ours? Who is sending them back to Washington (or the state capitol, or city hall) year after year, rather than home, where they belong?
It’s not just that we should vote them out; it’s our duty. It’s our job as citizens.
When a political party puts forth an unworthy candidate for office, it’s an insult to all citizens. If the response is a shrug rather than a rebuke at the polls, our democracy suffers.
What’s To Be Done?
Start with education.
Every school district, private school, and library in the US must bolster its program on public affairs immediately, for kids and (especially) adults. Political science, philosophy, and business departments at colleges and universities should make speakers available to address timely, compelling topics for the communities they serve.
Hopefully, we have found better names for the field than “civics”, and more effective ways of presenting the information than whatever turned off poll respondents. Although every minute detail may not be exciting, the array of our interwoven liberties, rights and responsibilities is inherently interesting, at least because it affects all aspects of everyday life. It’s how things work, or don’t work.
The Constitution is one of the most magnificent documents in history. Everyone should understand why and what it means to live under it.
Other Educators
There’s hope if a musical about a “founding father”, Hamilton, is on its way to becoming the most phenomenally grossing play in history. Perhaps those infamous polls would come out slightly better now that so many have seen Hamilton. We’ll see.
Meanwhile, other creative approaches exist to inspire replication or new ideas. One example, (mentioned by a reader of Other Aspects): Recently about 1,500 third-fifth graders in Delaware got to see a live performance of the courtroom scene from Miracle on 34th Street acted out by judges, lawyers and court employees in county courthouses. Sean O’Sullivan, chief of community relations for Delaware’s courts, says in the December 6 edition of Coastal Point newspaper, “We hope to spread a little holiday joy and maybe give them a small bit of insight into the court system as they take in a holiday play.” Bravo! Plant those seeds.
Every bar association (local, state, and national) must redouble its efforts to educate the bar and the public in a non-partisan way. As a national example, the American Bar Association has worked for years to foster the rule of law all over the world. If the average American does not grasp what the rule of law entails, like the importance of checks and balances or an independent judiciary, we need that effort right here, right now.
Between Now and November
One of the most important things any adult will do in the next 12 months is vote. If we’ve learned nothing else from the election of 2016 (see this blog’s post of 4/18/19), the primaries are at least as important as the election.
The election, of course, is on Tuesday, November 3, 2020.
Know when your state’s primary is held. Is there any chance you will not be available to vote in person on either date? If so, what must be done to ensure you can vote in advance or by mail ballot?
Know also the rules: Are you registered to vote? Must you be registered as a member of a specific party to vote in the primary? In New Jersey, one must declare as Republican or Democrat to vote in that party’s primary. I disagree; we should be able to register as Independents and vote in whichever party’s primary we find more important. But I understand the argument. In a year when one party’s nominee is unopposed, that party’s members could vote en masse for the other party’s weaker candidate. As you’ll see below, I’m more incensed about the timing of the New Jersey primary.
Juniors and seniors in high school: How does your 18th birthday fit with the primary, the election, and deadlines for registering to vote? Voting should be a rite of passage at least equal to attaining a driver’s license. In some states, including New Jersey, I understand (thanks to another reader) registering to vote can be streamlined into the driver’s license process.
A Subtler Point
Even better than voting is voting knowledgeably.
We need to examine our sources for news and information critically. Who or what is vetting the reports we’re hearing and reading? Are these sources known for striving to convey factual information, or are they more concerned with pushing an agenda? If we’re getting slanted info, are we verifying or relying blindly?
There are such things as truth and falsehood, the distinction matters, and we deserve the former. Bias and spin are no substitute for the facts, even if they support our pre-conceived notions. Especially if they support our pre-conceived notions. That getting to the truth takes discernment and real effort makes it all the more important that we make that effort.
Reporters, tell us what is actually happening in the world – since we cannot observe it all first hand – not what to think, or how to feel, about it. Not so long ago, clear lines separated fact reporting, op/ed, and entertainment. Each has its place; blurring them has proven a slippery slope. This is another distinction worth restoring to prominence.
In George Orwell’s Animal Farm, the noble, hard-working and self-sacrificing horse, Boxer, accepted all the lies and foolishness of the pigs running the farm. His reward was a trip to the glue factory.
A Pet Peeve
By going first, Iowa’s caucuses on February 3 and New Hampshire’s primary on February 11 exert influence on the winnowing out of presidential candidates disproportionate to these states’ respective size. That is not my pet peeve, though; if we think it cute to have a couple of smallish states flex some muscle every four years, so be it. I suppose.
Super Tuesday, March 3, is where the action is. Fourteen states, including California, Texas, North Carolina, Virginia, and Massachusetts hold their primaries on this one day. Michigan, Washington and Missouri are March 10; March 17 features Florida, Illinois, and Ohio; and the last biggie is New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland on April 28.
New Jersey’s primary is on June 2. Yes, June. I guess we should be grateful they get it in before the conventions. For context, a front-page story in the December 8 Philadelphia Inquirer was headlined “Pa. primary just might be pivotal”. Below that: “It’s been years since the state had a real say. Next Year may be different…By the time the Pennsylvania primary rolls around in the spring, the nominating process can seem like a foregone conclusion.” This for a primary 35 days before New Jersey’s.
To put it succinctly: Never in my life have I cast a vote that mattered in a presidential primary . Everyone in New Jersey is effectively disenfranchised. Apparently, the timing of primary elections is set by state statute – NJSA 19:2-1. Why? Good question. In addition to following my own advice in this post for being a better citizen, I’m going to see if I can find out why anyone thinks this is a good idea.
The Citizens’ Job: Keeping It
Among the many roles we take on in life – spouse, parent, friend, colleague, mentor, adversary, volunteer, etc. – few are more important than citizen.
When asked what sort of government the Constitutional Convention delegates had created, Benjamin Franklin famously replied “A republic, if you can keep it.”
If we can’t keep it, or choose not to, I’ll see you at the glue factory.
Ken Bossong
© 2019 Kenneth J. Bossong