This Sunday, in the midst of grading papers for the course I am teaching at Vanderbilt, “How American Democracy Thrives,” while also preparing for our next class, “The Peaceful Transfer of Power,” I want to take a moment to thank you for supporting my writing with a paid subscription.
Sometimes it is indeed the little things in life that matter, and your subscription is one of them.
Divorce is not easy. Neither is moving across the country. Nor is it joyful to dig deeply into the dysfunctions of our democracy and yo-yo back and forth between hope and pessimism.
But the work must be done. We have no alternative. The activity or passivity of a citizenry is what makes or breaks a democracy, and ours is severely cracked, to put it mildly, as I’m sure you feel in your nerve endings every day.
I am an active citizen. Other than a friend and family member who is striving to be loving and supportive, that is really all I can claim to be that is of deep meaning to me. My writing is active citizenship. My teaching is active citizenship, and my occasional interviews, podcasts, and other public speaking spring from the same source.
In another letter I will fill you in on my democracy-related plans for 2024, 2025, and 2026 (when in July the United States will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence). One thing on my mind is the necessity of forging a “New American Patriotism.”
For now, I want to thank you for your support. It boosts my morale, lifts my spirits, and multiplies my quotient of gratitude, which is itself a tremendous gift.
I hope you enjoy the rest of your Sunday.
Eli
Dear Eli:
This article brilliantly sums up my thoughts on the very flawed system of "democracy" that exists in the US. The article blames many of the issues we have around gridlocked government and disengagement from the political process right back to the Constitution. I think this is appropriate. No one in the modern era has copied the US form of government when setting up their own countries' systems. There is a reason the parliamentary model is preferred something like 10-1. We should be striving for root and branch changes to the system of democracy in the US and have a clear goal in mind. Fiddling at the margins and pretending what we have works is not productive.
https://prospect.org/politics/2024-01-29-america-is-not-democracy/
Best, Angus
I am with you, Angus. I believe Parliamentary democracy is better, for one reason because it has built in checks and balances against the rise of demagogues and authoritarians. THANKS for sending. Best,