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During his anything-but-typical address to a joint session of Congress, President Biden used the word democracy, over and over again.

Some were run-of-the-mill evocations, as was the case when he spoke of revitalizing our democracy a promise made by more than one more president, and a bromide meant to soothe the nations soul. Others were more grave, as when he spoke of the Jan. 6 sacking of the U.S. Capitol, calling it the worst attack on our democracy since the Civil War.

But one mention of democracy in Bidens prime-time address really stood out. It came toward the end, as he spoke of the challenges facing the country as it stares down geopolitical allies who are hoping for our failure as a nation. But he could just as well have been speaking of the forces at home who similarly are hoping for his administration to fail, abetted by the aspiring autocrat in exile in south Florida.

Can our democracy deliver on the most pressing needs of our people? Can our democracy overcome the lies, anger, hate and fears that have pulled us apart? Americas adversaries, the autocrats of the world, are betting we cant, Biden said. But we have to prove them wrong. We have to prove democracy still works, that our government still works, and we can deliver for our people.

Its no secret that democracies around the world are under siege, and that the promises of authoritarian regimes are appealing to a certain segment of the population.

Look no further than the surging popularity of French presidential candidate Marine LePen. On Capitol Hill, there are such Trump-aligned Republicans as Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, who recently pushed the repulsive replacement theory during a House committee hearing.

Future historians will judge how democratic governments around the world respond to these threats. And the price of failure is high.

During his speech, Biden again appealed to Republicans to join in working to find compromise on the sweeping reimagining of the economy thats been the hallmark of his first 100 days. But he also made clear that he was ready to move on without them.

I just want to be clear, from my perspective, doing nothing is not an option. Look, we cant be so busy competing with one another that we forget the competition that we have with the rest of the world to win the 21st century, he said, warning that Chinese President Xi Jinping is deadly earnest on becoming the most significant, consequential nation in the world. He and others, autocrats, think that democracy cant compete in the 21st century with autocracies because it takes too long to get consensus.

He made the same appeal to Americans, particularly those who did not vote for him, to join in that effort, evoking President Franklin D. Roosevelt as he did so: in America, we do our part. We all do our part. Thats all Im asking. That we do our part, all of us. If we do that, well meet the central challenge of the age by proving that democracy is durable and strong. Autocrats will not win the future. We will. America will. And the future belongs to America.

In any other time, an American president would not be required to make such an emotional and urgent appeal for his fellow citizens to rally around, and support, the foundational values of our nation, the ones that we drum into our childrens heads in civics class.

But as the last four years, capped off by the eruption of violence and treason at the Capitol on Jan. 6, have shown, these are not ordinary times. And while Biden evoked the memory of Americas 32nd president to make his case, Ill evoke the memory of another, the 16th, from whom Republicans, who have wandered so far, to make mine.

Speaking in Gettysburg, Pa. on Nov. 19, 1863, President Lincoln exhorted Americans to highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

Thats the debt we owe those weve lost during the COVID-19 pandemic; for the American service members who laid down their lives to preserve our democracy. Thats the democracy that Biden is betting on.

And then, as now, it will take all of us to make sure that American democracy survives.

An award-winning political journalist, John L. Micek is Editor-in-Chief of The Pennsylvania Capital-Star in Harrisburg, Pa. Email him at jmicek@penncapital-star.com and follow him on Twitter @ByJohnLMicek.

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Biden says he wants all of us working on Democracy - Bainbridge Island Review

Aneesh Sompalli

Martinsburg

America was founded on a promise of democratic representation, a system where one person receives one vote, and people have the power to choose their leaders.

But over the past decade, weve seen that process co-opted by special interests and dark money groups trying to subvert our democracy, twisting it to their advantage while everyday Americans are left behind. The U.S. Senate needs to put a stop to this blatant corruption by passing the For the People Act, a landmark package of anti-corruption and reforms that will return power back to the hands of its rightful owners the American people.

Currently our electoral system favors those with the most spending power. The more money an individual, corporation, or special interest group has, the more theyre able to amplify their voice. From the deceptive attack ads that pollute our airwaves during election season to the deep-pocketed lobbyists that roam our halls of power, its hard not to see the negative impact of dark money on our democracy. All the while, everyday Americans are seeing their right to vote eroded as their voices are drowned out by the deluge.

No one should be able to buy their way into power, plain and simple. The For the People Act would put an end to dark money, closing the loopholes that special interest groups currently leverage to spend unlimited amounts of money in our electoral process without ever disclosing a single donor. This will, in turn, help to crack down on political corruption on both sides of the aisle, restoring trust and transparency in our government.

The For the People Act would also strengthen and protect our right to vote, making sure that all eligible Americans can make their voices heard without the diluting effect of dark money and by ensuring unimpeded access to the ballot box. This is especially important for West Virginians, many of whom rely on early voting programs to cast their vote ahead of Election Day.

This isnt a political issue its a matter of preserving our very democracy. How can our country claim to be a beacon of democratic ideals when weve let our own system crumble under the pressure of special interests, corruption and dark money?

Theres nothing democratic about a system that allows those with the most money to gain the most influence. We need to protect our democracy from these pernicious forces and pass the For the People Act. And its clear that the American people agree 83%, including nearly three-fourths of Republicans, support the For the People Acts sensible reforms.

With popular opinion and common decency on their side, its time for the U.S. Senate to act and pass the For the People Act immediately. We cant allow special interests and dark money groups to corrupt our electoral process any longer.

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For the People Act needed to save democracy - Martinsburg Journal

A quote from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on May 5: One hundred percent of my focus is on standing up to this (Biden) administration. What we have in the United States Senate is total unity from Susan Collins to Ted Cruz in opposition to what the new Biden administration is trying to do to this country.

Then-Majority Leader McConnell said this in 2010 about then-President Barack Obama: The single most important thing we (Republicans) want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president. What was President Obama trying to do to this country?

Minority Leader McConnell has directly connected Susan Collins to Ted Cruz, and to the notion that there can be no option other than rejectionist Republicanism. Its too late to reject Susan Collins this time, but we must remember: This is not our parents Republican Party.

I am frightened for our United States.

Richard DanaCape Elizabeth

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Letter to the editor: McConnell maintains focus on undercutting democracy - pressherald.com

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When does a crisis response become a permanent shift in democratic culture?

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Skip-the-democracy, anyone? Uber edicts?

Life will not be the same after the pandemic. Companies will do more meetings via video call than in person, saving tens of thousands of dollars for corporations and putting thousands of low-paid hospitality staff permanently out of work. Restaurant workers might face the same predicament. What will happen to those Korean barbecue places, which have you cook their food in their restaurants, when all sorts of services will deliver their food for you to cook at home?

Will our democracy be the same?

We have lived a year in which parliamentary democracy and judicial review have been almost entirely usurped by decrees. Much of that has been by the cabinet, using its regulatory powers under various public health and quarantine laws. Other decrees have been made by public health officials themselves, who are not elected.

These measures have largely not been debated in the legislatures, even ex post, let alone ex ante. Very few measures have been passed by statute, let alone been subject to the usual committee hearings and review.

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Will our democracy be the same?

It took almost a year before any of the measures were tested in court for their constitutionality.

Fair enough, emergencies are emergencies and all governments are permitted to move quickly when needed. Democracy can be slow; indeed, it is meant to be slow enough to permit dissenting views to be heard, for debates to be had, for a consensus to develop.

After a year though, when does an emergency mentality shift simply into a change of mentality altogether? When does a crisis response become a permanent shift in democratic culture?

The peoples will has not been thwarted, at least according to survey data. Pandemic restrictions have proved massively popular. There is a considerable constituency which desires more severe and longer measures. It would appear that, in numerical terms, the stricter constituency is larger than those arguing against the lockdowns.

Governments accustomed to imposing their will by fiat, enjoying enormous public support in doing so, may not be so keen to go back to the messiness of parliamentary government. Much more congenial to be a pharaoh than a first minister. At least for the pharaoh.

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Indeed, in Ontario, a member of the government caucus, Roman Baber, wrote an open letter expressing his disagreement with government policy. His view was certainly in the minority, but was hardly out of the mainstream of global pandemic debate. He was tossed out of caucus by Premier Doug Ford. I doubt Ontarios premier-cum-pharaoh will pay any political price for that; if anything it was the popular move. But will our political system pay a price, when the governing party does not have room for a modest range of views?

Courts always lag behind legislatures in acting as a check or balance to the exercise of government power. But a year is a long time for fundamental freedoms to be restricted without sufficient review. That is not so much a court problem as a democratic culture problem. Courts can only deal with cases brought to them by aggrieved parties. Canadians, by and large, are not aggrieved.

British Columbia abolished religious freedom last November, and that case was heard in March. The government prevailed on restricting religious liberty, but was told it could no longer ban outdoor protests. This week, a coalition of evangelical churches is challenging Manitobas restrictions in court. Thats about it on the court front.

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Much more congenial to be a pharaoh than a first minister

Canadas charter does not offer absolute protection of fundamental freedoms. Section 1 makes those rights subject only to such reasonable limits prescribed by law as can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society.

Reasonable limits? A healthy democratic culture permits a discussion about that. Shutting down alternative views in the name of the science at least until the science changes means that reason has been subjugated to politics more often than we would like to admit. That is what the Charter is supposed to prevent.

Prescribed by law? Does extended government by decree meet that standard? It likely does meet a minimal legal standard. But the political culture witness the federal government exempting itself from presenting any budget to Parliament in 2020 is moving away from prescription of law to the proclivities of the powerful.

Demonstrably justified? The constitutional standard requires that abrogating fundamental freedoms must not only be justified, but demonstrably so. Its not enough to simply say that saving lives is the overriding concern. It must be demonstrated. In a court action, that means to the satisfaction of the judges. More broadly, in a healthy democracy those making the decrees ought to demonstrate to the citizenry that emergency suppression of rights is required, and is being done in the least burdensome manner possible.

A free and democratic society? The charter presumes that Canada is such. It has been much less so during the pandemic, for understandable reasons. But will it remain free and democratic afterward?

National Post

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Raymond J. de Souza: Will we still be skipping the democracy post-pandemic? - National Post

People wait to have their name called at the vaccination center in the western Athens suburb of Peristeri, on Thursday. [Dimitris Kapantais/InTime News]

It is very gratifying that many younger people are quickly seeking to secure an appointment to get vaccinated against Covid-19, taking advantage of the launch of the process for younger ages.

Fortunately, there are many citizens who are not convinced by main opposition leader Alexis Tsipras efforts to take advantage of the pandemic to score political points, alleging that the government is trying to unload excess doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine because a large part of the population is afraid of it. Hopefully, the turnout that is now being observed will continue and allow the country and its people to quickly reach the much-coveted protection offered by herd immunity.

On the other hand, any optimistic predictions are risky, as the data we have do not allow for premature triumphant celebrations. We must not overlook the fact that, in Greece, only 60-65% of the elderly those who are most at risk have been vaccinated, and that is the main reason why the daily loss of life from the coronavirus remains high. The percentage of health workers who refuse to be vaccinated in this country is also unacceptably high, setting the worst possible example.

The widespread fear and reluctance of large sections of the population to get vaccinated is evident not only from the various appalling claims circulating on the internet, but also from the questions posed in television and radio broadcasts. It is clear that most of those who ask questions are desperately trying to find excuses not to be vaccinated, without of course openly admitting it.

Therefore, we do not know what percentage of citizens will eventually be vaccinated, so it remains unknown if and when we will reach herd immunity. It is quite telling that, in the United States, the vaccination campaign has slowed down lately, because it has now reached the wall of anti-vaxxers, conspiracy theorists and Trumpists who are more than a few. Unfortunately, we have many of their kind here as well

The conclusion is that, for the time being, the mass turnout for inoculation concerns sensible and prudent citizens who realize that in this way they will protect themselves and the country, while strengthening the operation of the economy in all sectors. And here is where the issue of democracy comes in. Not in the sense of voluntary attendance for vaccination, as is now the case in Greece and worldwide, or as it is used by all sorts of deniers as an argument, with the help of many social justice warriors of the extreme and the essentially irrational politically correct.

The real question for democracy today, in relation to Covid-19, is why should we allow a minority to endanger the lives of the majority of citizens, their quality of life and the countrys economic development, in the name of some beliefs which have nothing to do with scientific data. Does a democratic state have a duty to defend its citizens with certain mandatory provisions (including Covid-19 vaccination), especially in exceptional circumstances, or not?

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Democracy and vaccinations - Kathimerini English Edition