The Decay of American Democracy

The first filibuster by Senate Republicans during the Biden Presidency blocked a bipartisan commission to investigate the insurrection on January 6th. It came at the expense of the truth and is the latest example our democracy is in decay. Tragic. Inexcusable. Troublesome. All putting it mildly to where we find ourselves in this turbulent time of our country.

An attack occurred on our democracy that day. Lives were lost. It was fueled by repeated lies of a stolen election from some of these same politicians and their media cohorts – who lie for profit – that claim this investigation was unnecessary.

North Dakota’s delegation flirted with the “Big Lie” on the steps of our state Capitol. Talks of “inconsistencies” in other state’s results without credible evidence rallied the crowd on that Saturday morning. Dozens of investigations and failed lawsuits proved they were wrong. Since then, those three have shrunk from their responsibility to lead and speak the “hard truths” that were promised after the insurrection.

Think for a moment about being someone who walks by the Capitol Police who protect them every day. Then imagine having a mother to one of those officers who died as a result of protecting them from the attack on January 6th ask to allow an investigation into how it happened. Then picture still finding every weak excuse to reject finding the truth for that mother, and for our country. John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer obliged to obstruct.

The lie worked in January and it continues to work nearly five months later. A poll earlier this month revealed two-thirds of Republican voters suspect the 2020 election was stolen. Another found 73% of Republicans believe “left-wing protesters trying to make Trump look bad,” attacked the Capitol.

Those results need to be one of the motivating factors why Mitch McConnell begged his caucus to vote against this truth-seeking bipartisan commission as a “personal favor.” It’s about appeasing a base to win the next election. Observing the new voting changes pushed by Republican legislatures across the states, hopefully, the next won’t be the last. Those changes were brought on by that same repeated lie. The trend is troubling.

Now, with this obstruction of finding the truth, these same politicians and their coddling media outlets will likely claim any evidence provided by other investigations that move forward as being tainted through partisan politics. If recent history demonstrates anything, those lies or “misleading claims” will shelter some from necessary accountability even with substantial evidence and facts.

This is a tough reality. In modern politics, people can lie without consequence. Facts and truth no longer matter. As long as a desired political team is winning and the other losing, nothing else matters. That path is unsustainable.

This weekend we honor and mourn those courageous men and women who didn’t make it home alive fighting in defense of this country and our democracy. It is sad in 2021 it will be the same weekend the country couldn’t find enough Senators to defend that same democracy at home by simply allowing a truth-finding bipartisan commission to investigate the recent attack to move forward. The foundation of our democracy is in decay.