Democracy is a Long, Hard Slog

Governing is like parenting; people with more wisdom, experience and knowledge set the course of government and policy for younger, and yet unborn, generations. And just like in parenting, children and parents don’t always see eye-to-eye. Some of this is due to a generational gap in our respective world views, but that isn't everything.

Last week, the FutureMajority team responded with three separate posts about the notion of generational debt, a term bandied about by the GOP to underline, purportedly, the financial burden that younger generations will inherit if the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is passed. While generational debt is used as a political wedge in this context, it has a broader meaning that, as Millennials, we must consider, and not just for our sake but for future generations as well.

In the early days of the United States, when Thomas Jefferson served as Ambassador to France, he worried about generational sovereignty--the supreme power that the living hold over the unborn. To put it another way, he thought it tyrannical for a generation to impose laws and policies on a younger generation, without that generation having much input. What sparked Jefferson’s thinking on this topic, as chronicled by historian Joseph Ellis in American Sphinx, was the French Revolution. Specifically, Jefferson bore witness, first-hand, to the effects of national debt on a country’s stability. On a micro-level, this is one of the causes of the cycle of poverty, where each succeeding generation of a family cannot get ahead because of inherited debt, among other things. Passing on debt to future generations led Jefferson to some extremist views about governing. His solution to generational sovereignty was to eliminate laws and policies every generation, so that the next could craft their own.

Let's return to modern times: the legacy and cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as the Bush tax cuts, won’t be fully realized until later. The same goes for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which provides over $288 billion in tax relief. From where will the money come to pay for all of this? It will probably come from us, our children, our children’s…you get the point. More importantly, we need to turn away from the antiquated thinking that only business provides solutions and that government is the problem.

We don't all have a stake in business, but we do have a stake in government. Change through business is more difficult for a younger generation to accomplish because the currency of power is money, literally. And if you’re straddled with college debt or inherited debt, then it makes it difficult to be a power broker. It used to be the same way with politics--money was king, and still is to a certain degree. But there’s an old currency reemerging on the block, and it’s more equal, fairer and empowering--citizenship. The 2008 Presidential election taught us that citizens rule, and the Millennial generation proved that by voting 2:1 in favor of President Barack Obama (PDF), a person committed to governing for everyone, not just the political left or right. What this also means is that no longer will older generations be the only stewards of government and policy. Young Americans are shaping the course of today’s politics by demanding transparency of and access to lawmakers.

Web 2.0 is help making this happen, but it’s no panacea--no single thing ever is. Other components include deliberative dialogue (online and offline) and changes in our personal attitude. Generational warfare may be a reality right now, but we should move away from it and take a more constructive, positive approach to inter-generational issues. That means we should listen to one another and be patient about change, because it isn’t easy for everyone. Slow change works because it doesn’t leave folks too far behind (physically, intellectually, financially, etc.). America has always been about slow change, but the frenetic pace of technological advancement is putting that in jeopardy. Those that are technologically savvy can get ahead with greater ease and at a faster pace.

Guarding against pride is another concern, one that strikes at the heart of inter-generational conflict. Generational tyranny will be exacerbated if we think that we are wiser and fairer just because we support gay rights and universal healthcare, or because we ushered in a new era of progressivism. Our children will likely think they are the fairest and the wisest--will we listen to them?

Progressivism isn’t about driving wedges between communities or generations; it isn’t about issue politics, either; it’s about building bridges, however slowly or awkwardly, to incorporate all Americans into the democratic process based on principles of equality and freedom. What that means practically speaking is being a little less cynical and judgmental about that litterbug you passed by on the sidewalk or the GOP when it tries to use the Millennial generation as a political pawn. President Obama reminds us that we are all Americans, even when we disagree, and we should realize that inter-generationally and not just politically. If we can accomplish that, then our children will reap the rewards of our example and carry it forward without a proverbial chip on their shoulders. Democracy, in fact, is the long, hard slog against our own desire to impose our will onto others. We can only do it together.