Christopher Schroeder

Tag: election

  • The Bigger Political Problem

    The Bigger Political Problem

    Each day seems to bring more alarming news about the current Trump administration.

    Recent reports offer more details about Trump’s Board of Peace proposal, which he announced last week, for conflict in Gaza. Among others are the one billion dollars permanent member fee, his permanent appointment as its leader, and the inclusion of the Russian leader who continues to attack Ukraine.

    The American people also learned last week that the DOJ is investigating the widow of Renee Good, who was killed by federal officers conducting potentially illegal detentions in a large American city. This investigation and others, such as the governor of that state and the mayor of that city, have led to the resignations of federal prosecutors there and elsewhere.

    We also learned last week that the same DOJ is investigating the Fed Board Chairman in an attempt to exert control over interest rates ahead of an upcoming election. Even this possibility according to many, such as bank CEOs, could have negative economic consequences.

    These are just several of the latest offenses committed by the current American presidential administration, and the American president who campaigned against global entanglements for example and prosecutorial politicization, which he criticized in others. Since then, his administration has made gaslighting into an art form.

    The damage to American democracy alarms many both in the United States and around the world, including some who wonder whether some might be permanent. The greater concern in my opinion is the legitimization of this president by our fellow Americans.

    These 2024 election voters aren’t the majority of Americans. Only sixty-four percent voted, and less than fifty percent of these voted for Trump. Nonetheless, these people, and their concerns and the conditions that generated these, will persist long after this administration is gone.

    Their concerns and conditions should also alarm, and need to be acknowledged and addressed by, anyone who cares about democracy. Otherwise, we risk misunderstanding the interest and goals of our fellow Americans, and returning to these destructive conditions in the future.

    Such a response needn’t entail authorizing their actions or even endorsing their concerns. Rather, it can recognize these while challenging underlying assumptions or foundational principles, and offering alternative perspectives. Still, it must include explicit recognition if the damage is to be repaired and a better future is to be constructed.

    Part of this process will obviously include rebuilding trust. That will be challenging enough when it involves the federal, state, and perhaps even local governments. For me, it will be even more so when it pertains to my fellow Americans.

    This obligation according to some might be greater for those who legitimized this political and social destruction, which makes sense. At the same time, the greater good might require us to meet them halfway no matter how righteous our distrust might be if only to prioritize the future of our nation over political or personal grievance.

    Such an approach is one I’m hoping to hear from anyone who wants my vote, and wants to lead us, in the future.

  • Why Today Matters

    Why Today Matters

    I sympathize with those who tell me that they’re skipping the vote because their ballots won’t make any difference.

    I also wonder whether my vote matters when no outcome, neither local nor national, will be decided by a single vote. I additionally wonder if campaign promises count when elected officials make their choices.

    Then I remember that we vote for other, and equally if not more important, reasons. In particular, we’re confirming our citizenship and choosing our communities.

    Voting is the way we affirm our membership in communities when these select their representatives. It’s also the way we participate in perhaps the most central choice in these spaces.

    These reasons remain, and are why regardless of the results all who vote win.

  • Candidates and Choices

    Candidates and Choices

    President Biden visited a nearby hotel for a fundraiser last night. Following him were pro-Palestinian protestors, including one speaker who pledged not to vote in the upcoming election.

    Like her, I am less than thrilled by the current presidential prospects. I wish like many that we had better, or at least other, options.

    Some might suggest that we do — RFK Jr. is one, and Cornel West could be another — and they’re right if a candidate consists of someone who is running. They would be wrong however if the definition of a candidate is someone who can win, or who could actually become president, in which case we must choose between two.

    Our political system once again has generated only two possible people who can realistically become president. That, and the larger two-part system, might be limitations or flaws, but the time to address such issues isn’t an election year.

    This year, the choice is perhaps clearer than usual. Both viable candidates have demonstrated how they would govern, and past performance might not guarantee future performance but can allow for informed predictions.

    Such predictions are even more informed after recent interviews. For example, the Republican candidate who has called for suspending the Constitution joked about being a dictator and suggested a possible rejection of the results.

    The choice this time for these and other reasons, isn’t one about policy differences. Rather, it’s a decision about the existence of this American experiment, which while having failed at times has persistent and evolved.

    The stakes seem even higher after the recent court decisions this week to delay the Georgia and Florida cases, which will likely mean that this election will occur without a clarification of facts or any accountability for actions. As a result, no reasonable person could have any doubt about whether to vote or to vote for a third-party candidate or even which candidate to choose.