Dan Rather: An Unsettled Time
Always appreciated Dan Rather. A few snips from this writing on his Substack "Steady"
An Unsettled Time
Whatever happens, it will be momentous
Dan Rather and Elliot Kirschner
Nov 6, 2022
It is important to face facts. That too many of our fellow Americans refuse to do just that is a big part of what got us into this mess. And the facts are what they are. There is a sizable movement in this country that seeks to literally vote out democracy. This movement is fueled by a coordinated campaign on right-wing media. It exploits the frailties of our institutions. It weaponizes lies. And it leverages our fractured technologies to turn the very notion of “the truth” into a partisan attack line.
To write all of this to you who undoubtedly know it and feel it is to hopefully provide context for a broader perspective. In detailing the danger, we should not minimize the courage, resilience, determination, and grit of all those who are battling not only to save our nation but to improve it. The reason the would-be autocrats seek to lock in minority rule through partisan gerrymandering, court packing, and manipulating antiquated procedures like the filibuster is that they know that in a true vote of the majority of Americans they would almost assuredly lose.
...the flexing of power by the forces who would tear down American democracy is actually an admission of weakness. They are afraid that an America that prioritizes privilege over justice, that seeks to bask in a mythic past rather than embrace the future, that wants to stoke division instead of build unity is not an America in which most Americans want to live. For them, power is everything, and they fear they could lose it. And they are right.
This is not to say that we aren’t in trouble. This is not to say that we can take the continuity of democracy as a given. This is not to say that the forces of anger and hate can’t wreak havoc and pain. All that can be, and is, the case. But we should not count out the tens of millions who reject this dark future. We should not overlook the leaders, especially from younger generations, who are determined to push back. We should not diminish the larger arc our nation has taken, often by defeating, time and again, the entrenched forces that wanted to derail progress.
And yet the fight for the future of the nation will endure. This election is but the latest chapter in an unlikely narrative that stretches back centuries. The story of the United States is one of progress and regression, pain and hope, injustice and justice. Doing the work of improvement is often exhausting. But when one recognizes the strength of the movement and the millions of allies, it should never be considered hopeless. Come what may Tuesday, the country will continue.
https://steady.substack.com/p/an-unsettled-time?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
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