This post was originally published on Afro.
By Rondez Green
Unceasing racial violence and societal instability spotlight an imperative: we must establish commitments to a government that works for all of the people. From election officials to chiefs of staff — and all the way to the presidency, the American people are faced with countless developments of incendiary political discourse, calculated voter suppression and gangster-like business ethics.
Many of these operations are spearheaded by the conservative establishment and sustained through the extension of material returns such as promises of political favors or economic gain. These gains are at the expense of the security and wellbeing of large swaths of the American populace. Neoliberal complacency offers little beyond a lousy peace. The condition of American democracy, if we are interested in ever fulfilling promises made in the Constitution, calls for a critical transformation.
Jan. 6, 2021 is a dramatic lowlight of political corruption and societal failure. It showcases that even domestic terror, including insurrection, is not a departure from what the Republican National Committee explicitly maintains was “legitimate political discourse.” Partisan politicians, through disinformation and surgical repression, attempt to convince Americans that Jan. 6 was a mere “difference of opinions,” and that the true opposition are the “radical left” or “the real racists.”
But disinformation and factors that contribute to reactionary fervor are not new.
As Congress members and other conservative figures propagate the “great replacement” myth, innocent people suffer. In a terrorist attack in Buffalo, New York that left 10 dead, the grocery store was cased by a white supremacist for its location in a majority-Black zip code. In the months prior, several bomb threats were made that targeted minority-serving institutions, including my own college campus, Bowie State University. It becomes increasingly difficult to trust or navigate a system that appears indifferent and at times in lockstep with hostility to one’s own existence, but that is after all the intent of domestic terror.
A 2019 mass shooting at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas resulted in federal hate crime charges in the murder of 22 people. The white supremacist’s manifesto purported a supposed “Hispanic invasion of Texas.” This language is important to note, as it is the narrative frequently echoed by reactionaries when framing policy ideas.
These dangerous stances, framed as harmless “opinion” and “free speech,” have real life consequences for people. 2020 election-denier Representative Elise Stefanik (R-NY) explicitly claims “What is happening at our southern border is an invasion.” This stunning political discourse and conduct comes from Stefanik as Chair of the House Republican Conference. Cruelty is met with unwavering solidarity and reward.
As the Select Committee hearings unfold, we piece together developments and the advancement of President Trump’s Big Lie. However, despite the knowledge Americans have gained in recent months, it’s important to note that Senate Republicans blocked the Senate from establishing an independent commission to investigate the attack. Alarming as well is the apparent involvement of members of Congress in developments of the insurrection and related attempts to “corrupt the Department of Justice.” With this, there remains a haunting question: Are those in proximity to political power at all accountable to the Constitution?
There are deep contradictions on this matter; reactionary talking points in Washington simply do not address long-term concerns and fail to resolve immediate conflicts. This was again apparent when former President Trump — twice impeached in a single term — was relieved of consequences by the Senate for illegitimate conduct in his withholding of aid to Ukraine. Mainstream American media is fixated on violence in so-called “developing” countries but blindsided by the campaigns that take place on U.S. soil. Decades of this hypocrisy leaves me unclear on the rhetorical utility of pointing out hypocrisy of rightwing folks, as it does not seem to have a lasting effect on policymaking. I still do, however, find it practical to promote truth-telling as a matter of virtue and if we are ever to govern with a coherent set of principles.
Where do we go from here? We must seek accountability, as well as an evolution of values that will respect human dignity and material circumstances. It is in our collective interest that we consider how best to shape a multicultural democracy that operates on coherent principles of justice and accountability. With this, the insecurity and instability that is experienced by marginalized and historically excluded groups might receive the direct action that it deserves. If abhorrent conduct from those in proximity to power continues without consequence, then our democratic institutions are rendered not just dishonest, but also illegitimate.
There is a need for genuine commitment to the promises outlined in a living U.S. Constitution and its 27 amendments. It is important to remember that the state does not think and do; it is a system with tools and the potential to be powered by the people and for the people.
Rondez Greene is a fellow at Common Cause, “a nonpartisan, grassroots organization dedicated to upholding the core values of American democracy.”
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