Our Democracy Still Has A Pulse

Executive edict after executive edict. Attacks on remedial racial programs. Mass firings. The disassembling of the federal department of education.

Americans have been watching a seemingly unprecedented toppling of democratic norms.

Despite that, there are signs of life in our ailing democracy.

Sen. Roger Marshall, for example, hosted a town hall out on the high plains of western Kansas, likely expecting a warm welcome from his voting base in that area of the state. But sharp questions morphed into boos, and boos into withering shouts.

Video of the event went viral on social media, with Marshall saying, “This is one of the rudest audiences I’ve ever had.”

Only 39 minutes into the town hall, Marshall had to flee, a sign that despite the waterfall of political outrages, there does seem that people are reaching a ceiling of what they are prepared to endure. 

Consider also retail boycotts aimed at national brands who have backtracked on corporate diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.

A 40-day boycott focused on Target, because it is headquartered in Minneapolis, the same city where police officers killed George Floyd, has encouraged shoppers go on a “40-day fast” to coincide with the start of Lent, a period of fasting and prayer leading up to Easter.

Organizers have said that following Floyd’s murder, Target announced a $2 billion investment in Black business, but after President Trump said the federal government would investigate corporations with DEI programs, Target folded.

More boycotts are being planned against Amazon, McDonald’s and Walmart.

According to Forbes, several retailers, including Walmart and Amazon, saw modest drops in web traffic during a nationwide boycott on Feb. 28, but Target was hit hardest with a 9 percent drop.

Meanwhile Costco, which stood by its DEI initiatives, saw a 22 percent jump in web traffic.

Maybe this registers as little more than symbolism. Perhaps much more needs to be done.

But as feelings of helplessness in the face of this radical shift in the political direction of the country, many people seem to be waking up to this new reality and they are deciding to enter the fray by resisting in every way possible, a positive sign for our participatory democracy.