Teaser

Opinion: Let’s keep the pot from boiling over

We need to put our differences aside, and work together.

  • By Robert Welton
  • Monday, January 4, 2021 11:42pm
  • Opinion

By Robert Welton

I am so grateful that the political ads, robocalls and news melodrama surrounding the 2020 election is winding down. It’s a relief that numerous lawsuits uncovered no systemic voter fraud. All of the states’ electoral votes have been cast consistent with results as certified by state election officials. The electoral process has held, despite many attempts to corrupt it. I should be relaxed, but I’m not.

Our democracy is unraveling around the edges. Remember North Dakota getting creative with voting rules, to disenfranchise Native Americans? Georgia dubiously purged voter rolls in 2016, and again last week. There was that plot to kidnap the Michigan governor. In Wisconsin, after a Democrat was elected governor, the legislature stripped powers from the executive branch.

We had some close calls in the election. Detroit’s votes were almost not certified, just because. President Donald Trump leaned on election officials and politicians right in broad daylight. The Wisconsin Supreme Court threw out Trump’s baseless claims of fraud. But three of the seven Justices voted to delay certifying the state’s election results, despite a lack of proof. Georgia courageously respected the election. For this they were pilloried, and received death threats.

Then, there was the Texas Attorney General’s lawsuit to the Supreme Court. Texas wanted to intercede in the electoral outcomes of other states. But only in a few swing states that voted for Biden. Astoundingly, 17 other states attorneys general filed briefs of support. One hundred and six congressional Republicans also voiced their support. To Rep. Don Young’s credit, he did not. Even Gov. Mike Dunleavy voiced support for this conspiracy-themed suit. The system has held, just barely.

All of this flows from extreme polarization. Abe Lincoln had it right when he said a house divided against itself cannot stand. A recent American National Election Study showed that out-party hate is much higher than at any time since 1980. Mutual contempt is toxic to marriages, or countries.

If we don’t lower the temperature, I see two baleful outcomes. The first is secession and civil war. We almost went down this road. Recently the Texas GOP called for “law abiding states” to “form a union.” There have been other calls for secession in recent years. This talk is creeping closer to the mainstream.

Civil wars never end well. Our own civil war ended slavery. But it cost over 600,000 lives, and trashed the South. In Syria the people rose up against Bashar Al Assad. Cities became bombed-out shells. Around 400,000 Syrians lost their lives. There is a famous quote from a Syrian activist that sums up the wages of civil war: “We thought we’d get a present, and what we got was all the evil in the world.”

The second outcome is hardly better. A demagogue claims to speak for “the people.” They seize power and corrupt the judiciary. Then, they consolidate power by tweaking electoral rules so he and his party always win show-elections. People forget that Vladimir Putin was elected. His opponents were driven to exile, or they are poisoned like Alexei Navalny. Putin set up a mafia state, where his friends loot all the wealth of the nation. The average Russian’s standard of living and life expectancy have plummeted. Unchecked power only serves the oligarchs. Everyone else gets ripped off.

How do we save Lady Liberty? First we have to acknowledge that democracy, while messy and frustrating, is better than the alternatives. You’d think that goes without saying. But man on the street interviews show that an alarming number of Americans don’t necessarily think democracy is the only way to govern.

More fundamentally, we need to put down the cudgel, and acknowledge that people in the other party are good Americans, too. I have friends and family who disagree with me politically. But I know they also love our country. They are not morally inferior. We lower the temperature by talking to each other. Also by stepping out of our information silos. We all need to think outside the partisan box.

We need to put our differences aside, and work together. I’m just an old man in a provincial town. But it’s my New Year’s resolution to try. Let’s all try.

Robert Welton resides in Douglas.

More in Opinion

The Alaska Permanent Fund Corp. building is photographed in Juneau. (Clarise Larson/Juneau Empire file)
Opinion: State cannot afford better schools and also big PFDs

Most legislators believe more state money for local school districts should be on the list of essential services.

A sign welcomes employees and visitors at the Kenai Peninsula Borough administration building on Tuesday, March 17, 2020, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion file)
Opinion: Fair property taxes, oh my

Our local tax system is not perfect, but it does represent an attempt to fairly balance community interests.

Sen. Jesse Bjorkman, a Nikiski Republican, speaks in favor of overriding a veto of Senate Bill 140 during floor debate of a joint session of the Alaska State Legislature on Monday, March 18, 2024. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Capitol Corner: Education looms large in fast-paced start to session

Sen. Jesse Bjorkman reports back from Juneau.

Meg Zaletel (Courtesy)
Opinion: Housing shouldn’t be a political issue — it’s a human right

Policies and budget decisions that impact housing impact people’s well-being.

Therese Lewandowski. (Photo provided)
Point of View: Let’s raise equal rights for women

There is much more to our gender inequality story.

The Alaska State Capitol is seen in this undated file photo. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)
Larry Persily. (Juneau Empire file photo)
Opinion: U.S. should treat tariffs with a cold shoulder

The problem is that the U.S. imposes tariffs on what we buy.

A campfire can be seen at the Quartz Creek Campground in Cooper Landing, Alaska, in May 2020. (Clarion staff)
Opinion: What carbon capture and storage might mean for Alaska

Could Alaska be the next leader in carbon capture and storage?

Promotional image via intletkeeper.org.
Point of View: Learn efficiency at upcoming Homer Energy Fair

Energy conservation and efficiency have multiple benefits.

Congress holds a joint session to certify the election results of 2024 on Capitol Hill in Washington, Jan. 6, 2025. President-elect Donald J. Trump has waffled on his preferences for how his party tackles his agenda, adding to the uncertainty for Republicans. (Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times)
Opinion: The moral imperative of our time

Trump has made it very clear that he wants to control what the news media publishes.