American democracy isn’t just under attack, it’s already broken, and President Joe Biden is urging Americans to stand up against the forces that seek to destroy it while we still have a democracy left to defend.
“We should all remember democracies don’t have to die at the end of a rifle,” Biden said during a speech in Tempe, Arizona, on September 28. “They can die when people are silent, when they fail to stand up or condemn threats to democracy, when people are willing to give away that which is most precious to them because they feel frustrated, disillusioned, tired, alienated.
“For all its faults, American democracy remains the best path forward to prosperity, possibilities, progress, fair play, equality,” Biden continued. “I’m asking you that — regardless whether you’re a Democrat, Republican, independent — put the preservation of our democracy before everything else. Put our country first. For the past few years, we can and should be proud of American democracy, proud of what we’ve been able to hold onto. We can’t take democracy for granted.”
President Biden isn’t giving up on our country, and neither should we. But to protect our democracy, we must accept the fact that it is broken.
We’ve been shouting from the rooftops that MAGA extremists, right-wing Republicans, and violent election deniers want to bring down our democracy, and I would argue they already have. If you need proof, look no further than former President Donald Trump, who can spew lies, who stands accused of numerous crimes, and who can still be the Republican frontrunner for the presidency.
Or take recently elected Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Janet Protasiewicz, who is being threatened with impeachment and removal before she has ever even heard a single case, because Republicans in the state don’t like the way they think the new liberal majority will rule.
Or just look at how people have to go to court over and over again just to ensure that Black and brown voters have their voices heard in fair elections.
It’s extremely daunting, but there is a path forward to fix our democracy. We must first accept the reality that there are forces actively working to tear our democracy down and that democracy is on the ballot. Then we must remain engaged and united to begin the difficult work to preserve what democracy we have left.
This is an adapted excerpt from the October 1 episode of “Symone.”
Symone D. Sanders Townsend is an author and a co-host of "The Weeknight."
Elaijah Gibbs-Jones