As we wind down to the academic year’s end, I would like to voice a few thoughts on the situation of American Democracy today.
Leadership is inherently tied to picking the right team to lead. By that measure, President Bush has completely failed as the leader of this nation. What do the names Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Libby, Gonzales, Rove and Cheney have in common? Failure and corruption. To my knowledge, there has never been such an incredible failure of the nation’s highest levels of leadership in our country’s history.
But the failure of this administration goes further than bad policy. The Defense Department, Justice Department, Department of the Interior and the President’s own staff have all been plagued by scandal, resignation and criminal convictions.
Last week I wrote, “The threat to the American public today is from the collusion of technology, government, business, the military, power and greed.” That should be the number ONE concern of every American today.
In 1883, William Sumner, an ardent supporter of Laissez-faire economics, wrote, “Can democracy develop itself and at the same time curb plutocracy? Already the question presents itself as one of life or death to democracy.” If that is the case, then we are on our death beds.
As the Bush presidency draws to a close, many are wondering how his presidency will be remembered in history. I believe it will be remembered as the first government to blatantly demonstrate the inherent danger of an empowered Executive Branch, mass media, and business’ influence on government.
These charges will be fleshed out over decades to come, but we have seen enough in the form of lobbying, no-bid contracts, misinformation and political witch-hunts to know that there must be corrective actions taken to ensure that American citizens maintain control of their government.
There must be a massive movement in this nation to reclaim the powers of the Legislative Branch over the Executive Branch in matters of Intelligence, War Powers and selective enforcement of legislation.
These are highly technical matters of law and governmental arrangement. The Bush administration has masterfully used legal arguments to expand its powers; there must be a concerted effort in the legal community to oppose them. I was very encouraged while I was in Boston over spring break to see that the dominant article of the “Harvard Law Review” was covering a debate on the War Powers Act.
I do not agree with the “Impeach Bush” rallies. The problem is not that the President committed a crime. The problem is that he hasn’t. We need new legislation, and new legislators for that matter, to make the abuses of power that our government has gotten away with illegal. Yet the responsibility is ours, not just that of our legislators, and the American public has lost all desire to demand accountability.
The redeeming message of America is a reassertion of our foundational virtue as a society: individual autonomy. When our information, economic well-being and security rest in the hands of corporations, the government and a professional military, we have lost all semblances of autonomy and democracy.
Leadership is inherently tied to picking the right team to lead.
A profound investment in education, independent media, mandatory national service and transparent government, while retaining a commitment to individual civil and economic liberties, is the prescription for the survival of American Democracy in the 21st century as I see it.
This article is purposefully broad. It is meant simply to begin a dialogue about the issues presented above. I look forward to a reinvigorated political climate on this campus, centered on the resuscitation of the Young Democrats, strengthening of the Campus Republicans and engagement with Campus Greens.
