Democracy is Slow, As It Should Be

One of the big narratives that has taken over the news lately is “voter dissatisfaction” and “voter disenfranchisement.” One of the things that the Brexit incident taught the world is that people do not feel like their voices are being heard in government.  In many ways, the public perception is that the people desire one thing and government is just going the other way. One of the appeals of Bernie Sanders in the United States was his narrative of taking on issues that matter to everyday people and promising to champion them in Washington.

While we’ve had a great deal of change in the past 8 years the country is quite a long way away from solving very pressing problems and responding to how culture is changing. The government seems impotent in the face of these problems:

Marijuana Legalization

Gun Control (of any description)

Mass Incarceration

Police Brutality (towards all people)

Poverty/Minimum Wage

Student Loan Debt

Immigration Reform

Social media has made many people much more conscious of these problems and thank to activists and socially conscious people not only does it get mentioned but it keeps getting mentioned. This has generated a feeling that has manifested itself in movements ranging from the support behind Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders to Black Lives Matter. People are out protesting and making their voices heard and finding that government is not being instantaneously responsive to their demands for change. Unlike in days past when people resisted change from Washington, the overwhelming mood of the country is for solutions to come from Washington. Some people are taking matters into their own hands at the state level but a cursory read of many Facebook comment sections shows that people want the government to hurry up and do something. The fact that government cannot act quickly is a hallmark of American democracy.

And that’s a very good thing.

A very productive conversation can be had about how the primary process of the political parties works in this country. It is a very young system and each state determines the rules leaving people confused. The internet has broken down borders around the world but it has also revealed the confusing nature of the borders within the United States. Dealing with each state’s rules does not translate into an easily understood meme or video on Facebook. This lack of uniformity has generated complaints by Donald Trump supporters but particularly by Bernie Sanders supporters who could not find a way for their candidate to make up for the 3 million vote gap between their candidate and Hillary Clinton. It is easier to blame the system or blame the media, both favorite targets. Changes on that matter will come, just not in time for Bernie Sanders.

However, when you reach out past the presidential campaign and look at how these issues are being handled the federal solutions have been hard to come. Part of this sluggish response has to do with Republican control of Congress and anti-Obama attitudes. However, there are also some systemic things to consider. In this country, we frequently let the states try out a new policy before implementing it nationally. Marijuana legalization is an excellent example of this as is raising the minimum wage. The frustration arrives when people see other states doing something that would impact their life. In years past, it would get a mention in the newspaper or on the evening news and be forgotten but progress made in other states is constantly brought up on social media. People don’t want to wait for change to finally reach their state. They would like the whole country to have the new policy.

Change at the federal level usually happens incrementally over time. Through a series of laws and small changes eventually the whole country enjoys a new progressive policy. If the federal government could move quickly on things then there are plenty of far more insidious policies that would have ended up as law of the land. Prohibition is an example where the federal government and the states moved on an issue that would have been more appropriately handled at the state level. Imagine if someone had tried to make segregation the law across the nation.

There have been instances of fast change but they are outliers of how change actually happens in government. This slow, incremental process is one of the best parts of the American democracy. All voices must be heard, discourse must be had, and then a compromise solution arrived at. The difficulty within American political discourse at this time is that neither side is particularly interested in compromise change to make things happen at any pace at all.

There is a chance for change moving forward and there is a chance to get federal solutions to these problems but it will take time and it will take compromise. The best part is that Hillary Clinton understands that process. Donald Trump understands how change has to happen in the context of a deal. One thing is clear: people want the government to get back to work. Let’s all hope that something breaks through in the coming months.