Can we keep our democracy?

Following the work of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787, which established the American governmental system, someone asked Benjamin Franklin, one of the delegates who attended the Philadelphia Convention, what had they created? And Mr. Franklin’s response was, “A Republic if you can keep it.”

Well, that was 234 years ago, and today our nation is at a critical crossroad, with the future of our Republic and democratic form of government in jeopardy, with too many spineless people looking the other way. It was just 5 months ago tomorrow that the entire world witnessed an attack on our democracy with the January 6 insurrection on the US Capitol, led primarily by supporters of former President Trump, that has left a seared image in my mind, especially of Confederate flags being waved throughout the Capitol, forever.

Reacting to Trump inspired rhetoric about a rigged election and massive voter fraud, it appeared that many people who took part in the attack on our seat of democracy were hoping to reverse the outcome of the November 2020 presidential election and keep Trump in office even though he had clearly lost the general election.

Unfortunately, over the course of the last five months, there has been an outright assault on voting rights with several states passing new election laws that are more restrictive under the guise of election security and integrity. And what has been the former president’s role in all of this? Well, he is still spreading the Big Lie and suggesting the 2020 election was rigged, with there having been no major fraud uncovered.

Equally disheartening, the former president is opposed to the formation of a bi-partisan commission to further investigate the January 6 insurrection. And his influence and power over the Republican Party remain unchallenged and evident since the vast majority of Republicans in the House of Representatives voted against the bi-partisan January 6 commission, with only 35 Republicans voting in favor. And the Senate Republicans, led by Mitch McConnell, have blocked any action on the January 6 commission outright.

For the sake of our Republic, this Republican opposition to the Jan. 6 commission should be concerning to all of us, as our democracy remains in grave jeopardy. For that very reason, I have reached out to Representative David Rouzer who represents the NC 7th Congressional District, which includes Sampson County, hoping that he is willing to stand up and tell the truth. At the time I was writing this editorial, I had not heard back from Rep. Rouzer.

Of course, Rep. Rouzer and I may differ widely on what should be the government’s role in the lives of the people, but I do hope we would share some common ground when it comes to the security and future well-being of our democracy and that a Jan 6 insurrection could be prevented from happening again.

Most definitely, we must stand together in defending our democracy, putting country over party.