Renewal from below

To the European observer, news of yet another school shooting, the opioid epidemic, racial tensions, or presidential decrees demanding walls and tariffs, merely confirm our growing sense that America’s once-proud political culture is in decline. The Trump administration’s continuous spectacle of farcical acts raises fears of domestic disaster at the outbreak of the next recession or global mayhem when Donald Trump wades into his first war.  Indeed, it seems a profound shift is happening to our trusted and dependable ally, the United States.

Yet before we paint such doomsday scenarios, let us not ignore some interesting and hopefully positive rumblings below the surface. Massive media attention to students mobilising for gun legislation after the Parkland, FL, school shooting in February, is just one of many signs that considerable energy for civic renewal may be gathering force. Distracted by a blustering executive and self-degrading Washington power plays, it is easy to miss profound changes taking place across the country – changes that suggest a rekindling of public responsibility rather than the absence of rectitude and dignity Trump personifies.

There is no doubt that political elites are evading public debate about the future. Old ideological positions and slogans are repeated in a ritual display that mistakes political positioning for substance. Democrats see the need for a caring state and an inclusive society, and Republicans wish to serve as frugal stalwart of small government and fiscal prudence. Democrats are chastised as the party of soft-hearted big spenders, and Republicans as heartless power-mongers in the hands of big business.

These positions have long been at odds with the changed realities of American society. Dating back to the Reagan years, they reveal a deeply entrenched political stalemate that makes government retreat from society, and society draw back from politics. In the 2016 elections, a third of eligible voters did not register, and only some 60% of those registered actually cast their ballot. Voter turnout in mayoral elections in major cities like New York was less than 15%. In other words, Trump (20% of eligible voters) and De Blasio (less than 10%) were elected by qualified minorities only.

Related content: "On America's malaise" by Helmut K. Anheier (November 2016)

These figures tell the true ills of American democracy, made worse by the parties’ lack of vision for the country, its future, and its place in the world. The White House website reveals an agenda of retrenchment and deconstruction: energy independence through deregulation, withdrawal from international responsibilities, the repeal of Obamacare with no alternatives, and weakening redistribution through a tax cut for the rich.  The National Democratic Committee’s website is not much better. More than a year after the election, it still presents the 2016 party platform of Hillary Clinton, which reads like a shopping list of initiatives for a wide range of constituencies and offers no answer to the party’s growing divisions.  Both parties face a deep leadership vacuum, and may need years to rebuild.

Revitalising American democracy requires more than fixing party finance and districting. Yet there are two hopeful signs: the current economic stability and signs that constitutional checks and balances are strong enough to stave off autocratic tendencies until the next election.

Positive developments

The administration’s lacklustre performance has emboldened US states and regions long frustrated by Washington. They see themselves increasingly in opposition to the Trump administration, be it on migration, healthcare or social issues. The open conflict between Trump and California is perhaps the best-known example, while “sanctuaries” for illegal immigrants like Los Angeles and Chicago openly challenge federal authority by resisting Trump´s immigration policies.

A weakening federal government and strengthening state and local administrations could rebalance the country´s power structure, but the key to avoiding a deepening division between the major red and blue states is getting society back into American politics. Rebuilding from below, within, across and outside both parties is essential.  

There are already numerous initiatives to recruit new leaders and help them run for office.  The 50 States Initiative aims to put Democratic candidates in all races in all states, even if they are unlikely to win.  Emily´s List aims to get women to participate in politics across all levels, especially to run for office.  New American Leaders and Run for Something help train ordinary citizens to run and serve in public office. Crowdpac is a fundraising website that helps candidates raise money who might not usually have the means to run.

This could jumpstart a much-needed broad mobilisation of citizens within parties.  Yet, given the smaller footprint of both parties today, the main thrust for renewal must come from outside.  Indeed, most civic engagement and activism takes place outside parties - as seen in the recent groundswell for gun legislation. Established organisations like the African-American civil rights organisation NAACP, the accountability watchdog group Common Cause, the National Immigration Law Center, or environmental groups, to name a few, report major increases in donations.  Thousands of grass-roots organisations are springing up at the local level and are fielding candidates for school boards or city councils, and even for state and congressional elections. 

And let’s not forget the vital role of the media. The Trump story has reinvigorated the vigilant role of the press in holding public leaders accountable for their actions. The Washington Post's adoption of the slogan “Democracy Dies in Darkness” on its masthead or the hiring of many more investigative journalists by The New York Times are signs the mainstream media is deeply aware of and committed to defending high standards of fair, unbiased and factual reporting in an era when the executive branch proclaims ‘alternative facts’.

Yet even with a reinvigorated press and some bright spots of civic activism, it will take years and many more local initiatives to address America´s democratic malaise and dangerous civic decline.  But this is the only way forward if the noble ideal of government of the people, by the people, and for the people is to survive a would-be autocrat like Trump. 

This column was originally published on 22 March 2018 in Zeit ONLINE (in German).