Submitted by Sandy Waters, LWV Greenwich President
Next week, Joe Biden will be sworn in as the 46th President of the United States. For the first time, our Vice President will be a woman, Kamala Harris. The inauguration is a time to celebrate our democracy and peaceful transition of power.
This moment should not be overshadowed by partisan discord.
Our 2020 election is over. A record nearly 160 million voters gave a clear majority in the popular (7+ million) and Electoral College (74) vote to Biden. The results have been legally challenged and verified by members of both parties and by our courts in many states.
Nevertheless, some – including many in Congress – continue to insist that the election in some states was fraudulent. Their continued insistence undermines our democracy and empowers those who use intimidation and violence to advance their cause. These people are not patriots defending our country against enemies. They are the opposite.
In the aftermath of the attacks on the U.S. Capitol last week, armed protests are being planned at all 50 state capitols and at the U.S. Capitol. State capitals are tightening security. Violent attempts to overthrow our government are not only unacceptable. They also call into question the tenets of American democracy by people around the world.
If we truly care about our country’s welfare and support “healing”, we must accept that the time to challenge these election results is behind us. Our elected representatives, including our Republican Vice President, should not fear for their safety because of their views and/or actions to support a legal democratic process.
Clearly, we must all take stock. Our leaders must step forward. We expect them to be transparent, timely, and truthful. A democracy built on partisan maneuvering and deception cannot survive.
The Greenwich League is committed to helping our democracy adapt to the 21st century, a topic discussed last week in our bi-partisan public forum that attracted nearly 200 participants.
The report on which it was based, Our Common Purpose, is available at http://bit.ly/CommonPurposeReport. The video of that presentation is available at http://bit.ly/LWVGCommonPurposeYouTubeLink.
We urge all Greenwich residents – Republican, Democratic, and Unaffiliated — to check out these resources and to participate in the dialogue.
Sandy Waters
President, LWV Greenwich