democracy
America’s most noble achievements have come from expanding democracy, not ripping it away
Deploying profoundly simplistic and misleading arguments for attacking Ohio voters’ ability to amend our own state constitution, various Ohio Republican politicians have pointed to the U.S. Constitution’s requirements for passage of amendments. This, they argue, justifies rolling back more than 110 years of popular democracy in Ohio to enshrine 41% minority rule over the reasonable […]
Democracy has been mortally wounded in Ohio, but Ohioans must keep fighting for it
Wisconsin dodged the democracy bullet. Not Ohio. We’ll get to that. But before last week’s election, Wisconsin GOP gubernatorial candidate Tim Michels was caught on tape saying the quiet part out loud. “Republicans will never lose another election in Wisconsin after I’m elected,” he promised. Translation: His victory would seal one-party “voter-proof” control in the […]
With ‘democracy itself’ on the ballot, Biden warns of ‘path to chaos’ by election deniers
President Joe Biden asked voters Wednesday night to focus on the threats candidates aligned with his predecessor pose to the foundation of U.S. democracy in the midterm elections. In a 20-minute speech at Washington, D.C.’s Union Station, before a Democratic audience, Biden decried a rise in political violence, and blamed former President Donald Trump for […]
Fear of reporters is fear of the truth
In the weeks after he assumed office, former President Donald Trump put reporters in the crosshairs when he labeled them “the enemy of the American people.” He was following the authoritarian playbook, long consulted by the likes of Stalin and Hitler, but it was shocking to see such strongman rhetoric coming from an American leader, […]
On Democracy Day, newsrooms draw attention to a crisis in the U.S. system of government
A recent poll found that 69% of both Democrats and Republicans think democracy in the United States is in danger of collapse. Almost two years after Donald Trump falsely claimed that voter fraud cost him the election and inspired a web of supporters and “big lie” candidates to also believe the election was rigged, a majority […]
Biden’s Philly speech was a challenge to all of us. We have to step up
Returning to the state where he launched his candidacy — and the one that handed him the White House in 2020 — President Joe Biden last Thursday called on Americans to join him in a fight to preserve democracy and to beat back the forces of extremism. The 30-minute address was equal parts tribute to […]
Experts warn of election ‘havoc’ across the U.S. if North Carolina case succeeds
WASHINGTON — Legal experts last week warned lawmakers on the U.S. House Administration Committee that if the U.S. Supreme Court upholds a North Carolina case that embraces a fringe election theory, it would undermine future elections across the country. “To be blunt, it would be extraordinary destabilizing,” said Carolyn Shapiro, a law professor at the Chicago-Kent […]
Misinformation, violence and a paper shortage threaten midterm elections, officials say
Members of a U.S. Senate panel and election administrators raised a bevy of concerns Thursday about the challenges elections officials will face this fall, saying problems ranging from a lack of paper to coordinated misinformation campaigns could affect confidence in U.S. democracy. A bipartisan panel of current and former elections officials and experts told the […]
We have the tools to build an extraordinary civilization. We ought to use them
Too often sharing the news feels like being a messenger of madness. Every day, foundational democratic institutions suffer sustained assault while a corrupt, extremist right-wing tyranny over Ohio politics and policy reigns. As important as it is to chronicle the “first draft of history” by finding the facts and holding power to account, the American […]
Misinformation is deadly. What are we going to do about it?
Misinformation is deadly. It kills humans and democracy. All of us have some responsibility for this serious threat to society. All of us are affected by it, regardless of whether we use social media. And all of us need to do something about it. The examples are hard to ignore: An insurrection at the U.S. […]
Authoritarianism v. democratic self-governance: The battle of the ages
ROME — When I’m not helping chronicle the charade of governance that is Ohio policy and politics, I’m most often studying the history of human civilization, with an emphasis on America and antiquity. Taking a short hiatus from the circus maximus of the Ohio Statehouse, standing amidst the ruins of the Roman Forum, I pondered […]
The biggest threat to American democracy comes from within
Ukraine’s desperate fight to avoid authoritarian rule is a stark reminder of how important our democracy is — how much we need to treasure it, protect it and continue to work to make it better. Ensuring that our democracy prevails must be done in every unit of government in this great republic. The threats that […]