In Defense of Democracy and Freedom
Via DemocracyAlive.com, "A Living Democracy"
A Democratic Republic, a 'Great Experiment' in the United States
A foundation of rights, human rights, put forward with and embodied in a founding US Constitution, Bill of Rights and Constitutional Amendments -- together a Constitutional government envisioning a living Democratic Republic. Ours is a democracy, a republic, a work-in-progress continuing to this day, a heritage worth protecting... The US Declaration of Independence proclaims ... “We hold these truths to be self-evident”.... “all men are created equal”... with the right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”, with rights to live under a government of their own choosing.
We recall a quote of Benjamin Franklin responding to a question in 1787 about the newly announced birth of the US as he left Independence Hall after the Constitutional Convention:
We have "a Republic, if you can keep it."
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American Universities Step Up
- A Case Study, Stanford University
"Strengthening Democracy Challenge"
- https://www.strengtheningdemocracychallenge.org/
- https://www.strengtheningdemocracychallenge.org/challenge-info
Youth Call for Change
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October
Opinion Ranked-choice voting is on the ballot across the nation. Vote yes
Via the Washington Post
This change to how elections are run could help
Referendums in the District, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada and Oregon will ask voters in November whether they want to institute ranked choice; in Alaska, the question for residents is whether to repeal the same system, first used in the state in 2022. The proposals differ on various details: whether primaries would become open (in most cases), remain partisan (in Oregon’s) or become semi-open, as in D.C. — where independent voters, nearly 1 of every 6 voters in the capital, would be able to choose to vote in either Democratic or Republican contests. But all these contests would be ranked choice.
In a typical ranked-choice system, voters select their favorite candidate, then their second-favorite and so on. At that point, their job is done. If a candidate receives more than half of the first-place votes, that candidate wins. But if none does, the candidate in last place is dropped from the race, and voters who supported that candidate have their second choices redistributed to the remaining hopefuls. This process, sometimes known as an “instant runoff,” continues, automatically, until one candidate has a majority.
Critics allege that ranked-choice voting is too complicated. Voters sometimes think so, too — at least before they’ve tried it. After voters participate in a ranked-choice election, research suggests, their attitudes usually change. The overwhelming majority of voters — as many as 90 percent in some jurisdictions — say they understand ranked-choice voting after doing it. Similarly substantial numbers in places such as New York; Santa Fe, N.M.; and Minneapolis have said they prefer the system to the alternative or would want to use it again.
Meanwhile, the system has myriad advantages. Voters can vote for their preferred candidate, without worrying as much about wasting their vote or the “spoiler” effect they could have on others in the race. People do not have to settle for a second-choice candidate because, if their top pick gets knocked out of the running, their vote goes to their second choice anyway. Candidates must attract people’s second- and third-place votes, giving them strong incentive to make broad-based appeals and inducing more moderate, independent-minded candidates to run. For the same reason, ranked choice encourages everyone to campaign not on smears against their opponents or other negative angles but on more positive messages...
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US Voters in several states could upend how their elections are run
Via NPR
Voters in a record number of states — including the battlegrounds of Arizona and Nevada — are set to decide this fall whether to enact far-reaching changes to how their elections are run.
Most of the proposals would replace party primaries with nonpartisan contests, where all candidates, regardless of party, appear on the same ballot and some number of candidates, like the "top four" vote-getters, move on to the general election.
Nick Troiano — founding executive director of Unite America, a philanthropic venture fund that invests in nonpartisan electoral reform — called this year “an inflection point for the primary reform movement.”
Several of the ballot measures would pair nonpartisan primaries with ranked choice voting for general elections. (Alaska, on the other hand, will vote on getting rid of its ranked choice system.)
Proponents of primary reform say partisan elections often exclude unaffiliated voters and bolster more extreme candidates who mainly appeal to a party’s base, likely exacerbating polarization.
September
More Democracy Quotes
August
The Democratic Party Nominating Convention in Chicago concludes as a young girl watches.
Kamala Harris, with her acceptance speech, becomes the nominee for U.S. President...
* https://greenpolicy360.net/w/File:Point_of_View_of_the_Acceptance_Speech.png
“History has shown that nothing about democracy is guaranteed.
Every generation has to protect it, preserve it, choose it. We must stand together to choose what we want America to be.”
-- Democratic Party National Platform
2024 Democratic National Convention
July
Vice President Kamala Harris Campaign in the News as Young Volunteers Rush to Join a Newly Energized Campaign
- President Joe Biden gives his "extraordinary partner" a green light to go
Biden Says It's Time to 'Pass the Torch' to a New Generation
• In just the fourth Oval Office address of his presidency, President Biden praised Kamala Harris: "She's experienced, she's tough, she's capable."
• Mr. Biden said he believed his record merited a second term, but "nothing can come in the way of saving our democracy."
President Biden Steps Away from His 2024 Campaign
Via GreenPolicy360's associate, Strategic Demands
Posted on July 22, 2024
The withdrawal letter of the US president, delivered to the nation via social media, was not a shock given wide concerns about the President’s health condition
President Biden Endorses Kamala Harris
Strategic Demands Editor: Here we are together, how will we do? As the U.S. president steps away from his nomination and the U.S. vice president steps forward as candidate for president, there are those asking of the future of the Republic. Larger questions rise to the forefront. Is the ‘U.S. experiment’, democracy, a constitutional republic in danger? Claims are being made that democratic institutions are under assault. Examples are being given. Angst, anger, violence, an attempted assassination, chaos, foreign government influence, online dis/misformation, daily, hourly present challenges to the U.S. government and its policies. How will be the future of U.S. governance look after 2024?
These questions are real, the decisions about to be made in a national election weeks away will shape the future. The stark differences between the competing visions cannot be wished away or pushed into force without push back. ...
Some 28 days before the Democratic Party convention in Chicago, the President has passed a torch… It can be said now that, strategically, it’s a new race to election day …. cards have been shuffled, wild cards yet to be seen, odds have shifted, polls are changing, eyes are on swing states, swing districts. Deep pocket players are pushing in hoping for payoffs and average Americans, “small donors”, are dealing with online asks. Neighbors and families, preachers and preached to, businesses and every niche in America is being asked. This is time to decide where you stand.
Tuesday, November 5, 2024, is election Day in the United States of America. The Tuesday following the first Monday in November, is weeks away.
The continuing story of a nation, the United States, an epic story, is about to become next chapter reality with consequences across lives and resounding far into the future.
President Biden Letter Withdrawing from the Presidential Campaign / July 21, 2024
“My Fellow Americans,
“Over the past three and a half years, we have made great progress as a Nation.
“Today, America has the strongest economy in the world. We’ve made historic investments in rebuilding our Nation, in lowering prescription drug costs for seniors, and in expanding affordable health care to a record number of Americans. We’ve provided critically needed care to a million veterans exposed to toxic substances. Passed the first gun safety law in 30 years.
Appointed the first African American woman to the Supreme Court. And passed the most significant climate legislation in the history of the world. America has never been better positioned to lead than we are today.
“I know none of this could have been done without you, the American people. Together, we overcame a once in a century pandemic and the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. We’ve protected and preserved our Democracy. And we’ve revitalized and strengthened our alliances around the world.
“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term.
“I will speak to the Nation later this week in more detail about my decision.
“For now, let me express my deepest gratitude to all those who have worked so hard to see me reelected. I want to thank Vice President Kamala Harris for being an extraordinary partner in all this work. And let me express my heartfelt appreciation to the American people for the faith and trust you have placed in me.
“I believe today what I always have: that there is nothing America can’t do - when we do it together. We just have to remember we are the United States of America.”
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Highlights from the 2024 Republican National Convention
Via NPR
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The Debate Continues, Turbulence in Politics Is the Word of the Day
Democracy Awakening, Notes on the State of America (2023) by Heather Cox Richardson
At a time when the very foundations of democracy seem under threat, the lessons of the past offer a roadmap for navigating a moment of political crisis. In Democracy Awakening, acclaimed historian Heather Cox Richardson delves into the tumultuous journey of American democracy
Our appreciation to Heather and our Boston supporters for Heather’s signed copy of Democracy Awakening. We especially value Heather’s daily “Letters from an American”, posted to Substack with accompanying Podcasts. Sign up. Get with the action. As Hannah Arendt said, ‘Vita Contemplativa to Vita Activa’.
Visit pages at GreenPolicy360 to explore more about democracy, the republic, politics, history, current events, and citizen rights and responsibilities
Re: The Adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The Statue of Liberty, Torch of Freedom, with message of 'breaking the chains'
Opportunity, human rights, and the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
GreenPolicy360 / New Horizons of Security
The 'Big Picture', moving into the 21st Century and 'New Definitions of National Security'
- Democracy and Freedom Is an International Issue, Security Is Indivisible
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In Defense of Democracy and Freedom
• https://greenpolicy360.net/w/Category:Democracy
• https://greenpolicy360.net/w/Category:Human_Rights
• https://greenpolicy360.net/w/The_Commons
New definitions of security are demanded... forward planning with a new and more acutely aware vision of security.
GreenPolicy360 and its associate Strategic Demands challenge prevailing views that are not focused as they must be on existential threats of our era. A new vision of security must drive the politics of our times. New definitions of national and global security must become highest priorities.
The climate crisis is real. Severe eco-impacts are now being experienced by communities, local to national, as science is reporting with voluminous data warnings of a proliferating threat horizon.
Action is demanded in response. We must move climate and environmental impacts from 'irritants' to a central role as we rethink security risks. GreenPolicy360 and Strategic Demands point the way toward the new definitions, responses and solutions necessary for comprehensive, and sustainable security.
GreenPolicy360 Joins with Strategic Demands
Strategic Issues, National Security, Global Security
New Strategic Definitions of Security, Confronting the Existential Challenges of Our Era
The Nuclear War Threat & Climate Change Threat Brings Forward Global Green Political Action
Beginnings of the Modern Environmental Movement
A new vision of our home planet is delivered from the Apollo NASA mission and a modern environmental protection movement in turn is launched. As Earth in full color is seen as never before, a question arises... How are we going to navigate our journey as planet citizens?
We have come far from the past, what will the future now hold, how best can we manage?
- A Generation Green, Inspired by "Earthrise"
At GreenPolicy360 we speak of how each of us can make a positive difference.
Each of us can make a positive difference by stepping up & doing our best
We go on to write of 'quality of life', human rights, and a broader rights agenda that are 'top of mind'.
Now comes a strategic demand, one that professes the importance of defending our democratic institutions, freedom, and need for mutual security and common cause in this 360 world of ours...
Democracy, a Free Press, Facts & Fact Checking
- Fact Finding and the '3 Ds' -- Discussion, Debate and Decision-Making
“Truthful campaign discussion of public issues is essential to the American form of Government; but wilful misrepresentation of fact has no place either during election time or at any other time.”
-- US President Franklin D. Roosevelt, October 23, 1940
Read & watch Hannah's warnings how democracy can be lost
“The result of a consistent and total substitution of lies for factual truth is not that the lie will now be accepted as truth and truth be defamed as a lie, but that the sense by which we take our bearings in the real world – and the category of truth vs falsehood is among the mental means to this end – is being destroyed.”
-- Hannah Arendt, "Truth and Politics", 1967
Hannah Arendt’s last public interview
Arendt spoke about the importance of a free press in an era of mass manipulation of truth and public lying
Interview with Roger Errera in 1974
"What makes it possible for a totalitarian or any other dictatorship to rule..."
If everybody always lies to you, the consequence is not that you believe the lies, but rather that nobody believes anything any longer. This is because lies, by their very nature, have to be changed, and a lying government has constantly to rewrite its own history. On the receiving end you get not only one lie — a lie which you could go on for the rest of your days — but you get a great number of lies, depending on how the political wind blows. And a people that no longer can believe anything cannot make up its mind. It is deprived not only of its capacity to act but also of its capacity to think and to judge. And with such a people you can then do what you please."
Hannah Arendt, a Voice from the Past, a Clarion Call Not to Ignore
- Democracy at Risk Explained by a Scholar -- One Who Experienced the Loss of Democracy
Many liberals are perplexed that when their fact-checking clearly and definitively shows that a lie is a lie, people seem unconcerned and indifferent. But Arendt understood how propaganda really works. “What convinces masses are not facts, not even invented facts, but only the consistency of the system of which they are presumably a part.”
People who feel that they have been neglected and forgotten yearn for a narrative — even an invented fictional one — that will make sense of the anxiety they are experiencing, and promises some sort of redemption. An authoritarian leader has enormous advantages by exploiting anxieties and creating a fiction that people want to believe. A fictional story that promises to solve one’s problems is much more appealing than facts and “reasonable” arguments.
Arendt was not a doomsayer. To counter her warnings about political dangers, she elaborated a detailed conception of the dignity of politics. Because of our natality, our capacity to act, we can always begin something new. The deepest theme in Arendt is the need to take responsibility for our political lives.
-- Richard J. Bernstein, professor of philosophy at The New School for Social Research, 2018
Disinformation - Online - Dangerous | Fact Checking, Facts Count
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