When democracy finds her voice
Guest Column by Mark Finney | Executive Director, Thrive International
We treat politics too much like sports. Elections are framed as a tournament like March Madness, where candidates are eliminated through the primary season until two final contenders square off in the championship match. The winner celebrates under showers of confetti, while the loser chokes back tears in front of their dejected fans.
Democracy demands more than victory laps
In sports, the winner hoists the trophy high, puts their feet up and enjoys the satisfaction of their victory as well as freedom from any further pressures or responsibilities. For both the winners and the losers, once the “game” is over there is little to no work to do in the “offseason.”
While this narrative makes for compelling media coverage, the “politics as sports” motif could not be more antithetical to the reality of a healthy democracy. Elections aren’t the finish line — they are the prelude to American democracy.
The real work happens between the ballots, when the backers of winning candidates hold their representatives accountable for substantive legislative progress. This is also the time when the minority works to ensure their voices are included in the conversation about policies that serve the common good.
In the past week, I’ve seen a couple of powerful examples of democracy finding its voice.
Last week, I was in Washington, D.C., to meet with lawmakers of both parties to advocate for positive solutions to our broken and recently dismantled immigration systems. In addition to productive dialogues with those on both sides of the aisle, I was encouraged by the sheer number of people visiting the halls of Congress to raise their voices on all kinds of issues. Security lines to get into the buildings were out the doors, and checkpoints were busier than most folks had seen in a long time. I’ve seen similarly strong participation in local and state advocacy efforts too.
Moreover, last week, our newly elected Congressman, Michael Baumgartner, spoke out in support of Ukrainian refugees. At a time when Ukraine is experiencing a profound lack of support from the U.S., our representative responded to the voices of the Slavic community and their allies in Eastern Washington and has chosen to join their fight for recognition and justice in contrast to other leaders in his own party.
These examples may seem small, but they are significant. Your voice matters. Our voices matter. If we choose to use them, we may see the renewal of American democracy — not a face-off between two political entities, but a team effort creating a more perfect union for all of us.
For those who share my commitment to supporting refugees — particularly the more than 3,000 Ukrainian refugees living in Eastern Washington — I encourage you to use your voice to call Rep. Baumgartner and thank him for his public support of our refugee neighbors.
The views expressed in this opinion column are those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of FāVS News. FāVS News values diverse perspectives and thoughtful analysis on matters of faith and spirituality.
