Does Democracy Still Work?

The debt ceiling crisis of 2011 has passed. We did not default because the Congress and the President got together at the 11th hour and passed a bill that will allow us to borrow what we need until after the 2012 elections. In spite of all the rhetoric about getting a start on fixing our incredible debt problems, not much was accomplished. Our nation’s leaders kicked the can down the road yet again.
I’m an American citizen dying to be proud of my country again. Instead I am sorely disappointed by our inability to attack and solve any of our serious problems. We can debate whether Social Security, Medicare and defense spending are out of control. We can and should have healthy debates over the solutions to our problems. In the end though, we have to be able to trust our elected officials to do what is right for America. Therein lies the problem. We don’t trust our politicians to give us the right time of day even if we buy the book they’ve written and hawked on MSNBC.
We are an extremely divided country now in a way we never were before. If Pearl Harbor was attacked today I wonder if we would accept a military draft. Would young men and women volunteer in overwhelming numbers? Or would we sit and watch MSNBC and Fox News fight over what the correct response should be?
I was raised to believe in democracy as the best possible form of government. Everything I was taught made it clear that participatory government was the way a free people thrive. Yet, watching this latest spectacle play out in Washington, I was struck by a horrifying thought: What if democracy as a form of government no longer works?
What if cable news, radio and the blogosphere, filled with ideologues that have no incentive to compromise, have hijacked our ability to govern effectively? Clearly, advances in communication technology have altered political dialogue and our ability to get things done. There was a time when news traveled a lot slower than it does today. Upon hearing news that might be upsetting, people had time, not only to react, but to think and as a result, form an opinion. Judgments were considered; arrived at based on experience and sharing ideas with others. Today information, including truth, lies, simple errors and the like, moves so fast that it’s nearly impossible to reflect before we respond. Visceral reaction and opinion have become practically synonymous. And should political leaders be unfortunate enough to voice an unconsidered reaction, they pay full price. Never mind that being pressed for a comment in stressful situations increases the odds of a slip. It’s even money that the gaffe will be played over and over again.
Media demands instantaneous response in nearly all situations, from the Casey Anthony trial to the debt ceiling crisis. The media with its 24/7 news cycle has built a monster that demands constant feeding. The need for viewers, which translates into ratings and ultimately cash, also drives what is news and what isn’t. Perhaps that’s always been true but the difference today is that news outlets will do anything, not only to get a story but to create one if they must. That’s why every election is a horserace, every statement is picked apart like a Thanksgiving turkey and every story is framed in a simplistic white hat versus black hat scenario. You’re either a winner or a loser. Compromise is not a compelling story.
How can leaders govern in this environment? Political action groups, another cancer that is destroying everything this nation has built over the last 200 years, use instant communication technology to do a number on elected officials who stray even slightly from positions taken or promises made. Governing is all about compromise. We will never agree on every major issue we face. The best deals usually happen when both sides give a little to get what matters most to them. When giving means you may not be around in the next cycle to get something you believe in, why bother? Recent history suggests you can stay in office as long as you don’t negotiate; even if nothing gets done.
Yet, I still hope that average citizens, seemingly preoccupied with day to day struggles, are not the somnolent, indifferent people some think they are. The beauty of our democracy has always been our ability to work together to fix what’s wrong. Democracy works but it takes work. The time to speak out is now.

Copyright 2011, Len Serafino. All rights reserved.