Democracy holding strong
An American flag on the Fourth of July in Woodstock, Vermont. (Gareth Henderson Photo)
After a day of unrest on the U.S. Capitol grounds in Washington, D.C., just seeing Congress resume the presidential electoral vote count Wednesday night was reassuring in and of itself.
But it was also heartening to see our better angels show themselves in some of the comments heard in both chambers. In one example, Republican Sen. Ben Sasse, of Nebraska, said we need to show our kids Wednesday's chaos was not what America is.
"There's a lot that's broken in this country, but not anything that's so big that the American people can't rebuild it," he said.
This and other comments like it were signs of hope from a place people haven't looked for much hope lately: Congress. But a process that had ground to a halt when Congress was evacuated earlier in the day had resumed, and our democracy may find itself reinvigorated in the end. That's because our democratic institutions are standing firm amid headwinds, just as they did throughout the November election and all the legal challenges that followed.
This process is widely expected to end with Congress completing this process, and confirming Joe Biden as the next U.S. president. Biden has repeatedly pledged to work with his fellow Democrats and Republicans alike to accomplish major legislative goals. But that starts with some basics, as Biden referred to in a speech to the American people Wednesday.
"The work of the moment and the work of the next four years must be the restoration of democracy, of decency, honor, respect, the rule of law, just plain, simple decency," Biden said.
Those qualities were surely expressed in Congress after proceedings resumed. In all, even though some objections were heard to several state's electoral votes, the strength of our institutions was on display and holding firm. Under pressure, our democracy rebounded and resolutely continued the people's business. After a day like Wednesday, that much should give us hope.
— Gareth Henderson
