Democracy is not just about having elections. Fledgling democracies around the world continually demonstrate this. There are a number of institutions and practices required to support and sustain a democracy in the long run. When a nation forgets this, they pay a heavy price.
I attended the Denver Women’s March today at the Capitol. Estimates ranging from 100,000 – 250,000 attendees speak to the energy that assembled downtown. I nearly came to tears on a few occasions at the passion and devotion to the greatness of our country that came through from my companions. This was a shared experience similar to attending a transcendent concert, but it touched on deeper emotions than even those that the Boss can evoke from the stage.
The most common and powerful chant I heard at the rally was “What does democracy look like? THIS IS WHAT DEMOCRACY LOOKS LIKE!”. And I came to a more powerful realization than I have ever had before of how important protest is among the practices that sustain a democracy.
We just lived through what is the certainly the most contentious national election in my lifetime, one that fundamentally divided people on a level I have never seen. But while this divide roughly adhered to party lines and had many basic disagreements about liberal vs. conservative, that is not at all what this election was truly about to many of us.
Donald Trump had many chances throughout his campaign to show basic human decency. But he consistently took the low road. He stoked fear and resentment of others to build support for himself. He blatantly lied at a level I have never seen from a politician, with no shame when caught in a lie. He showed that he cares most about himself, even while portraying his election as returning the government to the people. He has shown a contempt for even the most basic responsibilities of ethics in government, only a short time after promising to drain the swamp. He attacked the institutions and practices of democracy whenever they were inconvenient for him or dealt a blow to his ego.
My response is to use one of those most important of our democratic practices to say that these are not my values. To stand up with my fellow Americans and say that we believe our country is better than this. To say to those who disagree with me that I don’t hate you for disagreeing. But that if we are going to live in this society together, I need you to understand that I see the election of such an awful man and leader as an American tragedy.
And that while I understand that alignment on policy positions and hope in a new approach to solving our problems may put many in a position to give him more latitude than I will, it hurts me to see that so many people are unwilling to hold him accountable at all when he attacks the very core of our democracy and the humanity of so many of us.
This is no longer about the choice of Clinton vs. Trump. That debate is now in the past and I want to look at what we can and should do now. I will give him the benefit of the doubt when he earns it, but I will not look the other way when he opposes the core values of our country, and I will not brush away the terrible behavior he has exhibited already and the harm it has caused. I will listen to those of you who disagree with my assessment of Trump and will try to understand why you are not as troubled by him as I am. And I will expect empathy in return, and for anyone who wants to earn my respect to avoid name calling and to try to understand why others hold different views rather than rushing to judgment.