At age 90, you have seen many of the examples of American ingenuity and perseverance cited in your hope for the future. I agree a United States that beat the Confederacy, the Axis, and the Soviet Union can win the current fight for democracy. The case study here is obvious. After the failure of the Beer Hall Putsch, the Nazis unabashedly seized the so-called weapons of democracy in their next successful assault on power. Today, the twisting of our three-branch government amazes but no longer surprises me (yes, there is a difference in the reactions). But we must guard against normalizing the machinations as the once-unspeakable has become mundane. Peter Thiel’s 2009 screed saying freedom and democracy are incompatible has moved closer to orthodoxy. He pined for “a single person who builds or propagates the machinery of freedom.” If he and his Silicon Valley cabal whip up a time machine to take us back to the good ol’ days of 1933, hopefully he’ll revisit Franklin Roosevelt’s inauguration as president and not Adolf Hitler’s appointment as chancellor.
Thank you for your powerful reflection. You have witnessed the best and the worst that democratic societies can endure and overcome. May I ask, what makes you optimistic?
Thank you for the essay. There are always grounds for optimism. Optimism is a state of mind not a state of the world. Michael Traynor’s reflection resonates with those of us who believe that in fractured moments, we need infectiously optimistic leaders with a clear vision. Leaders who see the challenge clearly and call us to rise above it. We need to model that kind of leadership and foster new leaders who exemplify the infectious, perhaps even magnetic, character of optimism. His belief that change for the better is coming reflects realistic optimism. It is not a denial of difficulty, but a choice to believe in renewal through civic courage, shared decency, and purposeful action. The essay honours the seriousness of institutional decline while lifting our gaze toward what is still possible. Across the English-speaking world, there is a growing sentiment that “we are doing it hard” even in the midst of comfort and abundance. There is a fog of pessimism. Like Michael and James, we are called to be beacons of optimism in that fog. To speak of possibility. To act with purpose. To lead with the belief that our best days are ahead.
A pervasive and destructive myth is that putting the right butts in the seats of Congress will result in change. Not while the parties pick our candidates, not while the mega-rich fund those candidates, and not until the institution of Congress is completly reformed.
Restoration of the balance of powers the Founder's intended now requires a Fourth Branch, the Citizenry, with the power to determine the national policies that most affect their lives. Only then will the lower three brtanches of government be forced back into their proper roles and limitations. A stool with four legs is far more stable than a stool with but three.
At age 90, you have seen many of the examples of American ingenuity and perseverance cited in your hope for the future. I agree a United States that beat the Confederacy, the Axis, and the Soviet Union can win the current fight for democracy. The case study here is obvious. After the failure of the Beer Hall Putsch, the Nazis unabashedly seized the so-called weapons of democracy in their next successful assault on power. Today, the twisting of our three-branch government amazes but no longer surprises me (yes, there is a difference in the reactions). But we must guard against normalizing the machinations as the once-unspeakable has become mundane. Peter Thiel’s 2009 screed saying freedom and democracy are incompatible has moved closer to orthodoxy. He pined for “a single person who builds or propagates the machinery of freedom.” If he and his Silicon Valley cabal whip up a time machine to take us back to the good ol’ days of 1933, hopefully he’ll revisit Franklin Roosevelt’s inauguration as president and not Adolf Hitler’s appointment as chancellor.
Thank you for your powerful reflection. You have witnessed the best and the worst that democratic societies can endure and overcome. May I ask, what makes you optimistic?
Thank you for the essay. There are always grounds for optimism. Optimism is a state of mind not a state of the world. Michael Traynor’s reflection resonates with those of us who believe that in fractured moments, we need infectiously optimistic leaders with a clear vision. Leaders who see the challenge clearly and call us to rise above it. We need to model that kind of leadership and foster new leaders who exemplify the infectious, perhaps even magnetic, character of optimism. His belief that change for the better is coming reflects realistic optimism. It is not a denial of difficulty, but a choice to believe in renewal through civic courage, shared decency, and purposeful action. The essay honours the seriousness of institutional decline while lifting our gaze toward what is still possible. Across the English-speaking world, there is a growing sentiment that “we are doing it hard” even in the midst of comfort and abundance. There is a fog of pessimism. Like Michael and James, we are called to be beacons of optimism in that fog. To speak of possibility. To act with purpose. To lead with the belief that our best days are ahead.
A pervasive and destructive myth is that putting the right butts in the seats of Congress will result in change. Not while the parties pick our candidates, not while the mega-rich fund those candidates, and not until the institution of Congress is completly reformed.
Restoration of the balance of powers the Founder's intended now requires a Fourth Branch, the Citizenry, with the power to determine the national policies that most affect their lives. Only then will the lower three brtanches of government be forced back into their proper roles and limitations. A stool with four legs is far more stable than a stool with but three.
B. Thomas Marking
President, The Citizen v2.1 Initiative