Mark Chupp
May 14, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us painful lessons; the weaknesses in society’s infrastructure have been compounded in this crisis. Growing political polarization in the US has continued since the 2016 divisive presidential election and is undermining our ability to unite as a country to face a deadly out-of-control disease.
The divisions we see over the response to COVID-19, whether it be the President attacking governors or armed protesters irrationally arguing for their freedom to infect other people, are the symptoms of a much greater illness destroying our democracy. Armed protestors instigated by Koch-financed American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) in Michigan break the law with no repercussions. The US Supreme Court forces Wisconsin voters to risk their lives to vote in concentrated crowds as hundreds of polling stations are closed. The US Attorney General has made the Justice Department the political arm of the President.
The polarization playing out in our communities goes beyond cultural wars and reflects the systematic erosion of our democracy. Five major threats to our democracy are:
- Money has taken over politics since the Supreme Court decision in Citizens United. Outside wealthy interest groups underwrite campaigns in return for legislative action once elected.
- Gerrymandering allows the party in power to blatantly redistrict congressional maps to favor one political party. In Ohio, Republicans won 57% of the vote in 2016 but secured 75% of the state’s congressional seats.
- Voter suppression and the weakening of the Voting Rights Act. In 2019, the State of Ohio acted to take 235,000 people off the voting rolls, largely for not voting in previous elections. Activists were able to show that nearly 20%, or 40,000 voters, should not have been on the list even by the state’s own rules.
- The Electoral College undermines one person, one vote as not all votes count equally. The system gives disproportionate power to rural, mostly white states like Wyoming and to swing states that are also disproportionately white.
- Russian influence in democratic elections through popular fake accounts in social media that twist public opinion and through direct efforts to hack electronic voting. According to the Senate Intelligence Committee, Russia is stepping up its effort to influence the 2020 election from harder-to-detect servers within the US. Counter measures by government and social media companies are almost nonexistent.
Together, these threats have been so extensive that we are no longer considered a leader of free speech, free elections, or a stable democracy. On the world stage, our disorganized and contentious response to the coronavirus has dumbfounded our allies, who now pity us.
The pandemic has shut us down, forcing us to rethink who we are. If we leverage this crisis as a wake-up call, we can potentially restore democracy. How? First, we must fight for reform. There are known actions to correct each of the above threats. We must come together to stand up against the interests of a small minority of wealthy elites that continue efforts to increase their power and wealth.
Second, we must stand up and protest. Unfortunately, in the face of the onslaught of negative changes happening, we have been knocked back and largely out organized. As the saying goes, “If you’re not angry, you’re not paying attention.” Protest works. Chenoweth and Stephan were skeptics until their research found that nonviolent civil resistance is unequivocally effective in producing social change.
Finally, we must vote and ensure the vote of others. Rarely does the ideal candidate end up on top; politics is a process of compromise. Refusing to vote is not a protest but an exercise in giving up power that people sacrificed their life for all citizens to have.
We at the Community Innovation Network are committed to build inclusive communities of healing and equity. To go back to normal is to go back to disenfranchisement and the rule of the wealthy. Calling it out is only the beginning—we must act now. If not us, who? If not now, when?
The next issue will focus on the social aspects of our current crisis and steps we can take to build bridges across differences for social connection.
对COVID反应的争论只是症状
大流行带来的转变：a系列
作者：Mark Chupp 翻译：崔馨元
2020年5月11日
新冠病毒疫情给我们带来惨痛教训;在这场危机中，社会基础设施的弱点进一步加剧。自2016年分裂的总统选举以来，美国的政治两极分化持续加剧，削弱了我们作为一个国家，团结起来面对这种致命失控疾病的能力。
我们看到在应对COVID-19方面出现的分歧，无论是总统攻击州长还是武装抗议者非理性地主张自由感染他人，都是一种破坏我们民主的更严重的疾病症状。在科赫(Koch)资助的美国立法交流委员会(ALEC)的鼓动下，密歇根的武装抗议者毫无顾忌地违反了法律。由于数百个投票站关闭，美国最高法院迫使威斯康辛州选民冒着生命危险集中投票。美国司法部长已经让司法部成为了总统的政治臂膀。
在我们的社区中出现的两极分化不仅仅是文化战争，还反映了我们民主制度的系统性侵蚀。我们的民主面临的五大威胁是:
- 自从最高法院在《公民联盟》(Citizens United)一案中做出裁决以来，金钱已经取代了政治。外部富裕的利益集团资助竞选活动，以换取一旦当选后的立法行动。
- 不公正的选区划分使得当权的政党可以明目张胆地重新划分国会选区，以支持某个政党。在俄亥俄州，共和党在2016年赢得了57%的选票，但获得了该州75%的国会席位。
- 选民的抑制和投票权法案的削弱。2019年，俄亥俄州将23.5万人从投票名单中除名，其中大部分人在之前的选举中没有投票。社会活动家能够证明，即使按照该州自己的规定，也有将近20%的选民(即4万名选民)不应该出现在名单上。
- 选举团制度破坏了一个人、一张选票，因为不是所有的选票都同等重要。这一制度赋予了农村地区(主要是怀俄明州等白人州)不成比例的权力，也赋予了那些摇摆州(白人州也不成比例)不成比例的权力。
- 俄罗斯通过社交媒体上的虚假账号影响民主选举，扭曲公众舆论，并直接入侵电子投票系统。美国参议院情报委员会(Senate Intelligence Committee)表示，俄罗斯正加大力度，从美国境内更难检测的服务器影响2020年大选。政府和社交媒体公司的应对措施几乎不存在。
总之，这些威胁是如此之大，以至于我们不再被认为是言论自由、自由选举或稳定民主的领袖。在世界舞台上，我们对新冠病毒的无序和有争议的反应令我们的盟友目瞪口呆，他们现在同情我们。
大流行让我们停摆，迫使我们重新思考我们是谁。如果我们利用这场危机作为警钟，我们就有可能恢复民主。怎么做?
第一，必须坚持改革。有已知的行动来纠正以上每一个威胁。我们必须团结起来，站起来反对少数继增加权力和财富的富有精英的利益。
第二，我们必须站起来抗议。不幸的是，面对正在发生的消极变化的猛烈冲击，我们已被击退，基本上失去了组织。俗话说，“如果你不生气，你就没有注意。”抗议奏效了。Chenoweth和Stephan曾是怀疑论者，直到他们的研究发现非暴力的公民抵抗在产生社会变革方面是明确有效的。
最后，我们必须投票，并确保其他人的投票。理想的候选人很少会最终胜出;政治是一个妥协的过程。拒绝投票不是一种抗议，而是一种放弃权力的行为，人们为了所有公民的权利而牺牲了自己的生命。
我们在the Community Innovation Network致力于建设有治愈力、公正和有包容性的社区。说出来仅仅是个开始-我们必须现在就行动。如果不是我们，是谁?如果不是现在，什么时候?
下一期将集中讨论当前危机的社会方面，以及我们可以采取的步骤，以建立跨越社会联系差异的桥梁。