Democracy: Counting Votes and Absences
We thought it had a good start. There were people out on the streets singing and shouting, waving flags, hugging one another, celebrating the victory of Democracy as the results came pouring in. A Blue Wave, a Blue Tsunami for the Democrat party, flipping States and districts which had once been a solid red to a blue dark enough to be effective. And we thought that this return to democracy was here to stay – at least until the next elections – and things would begin to improve. The reality is something else.
In the few days and hours since the results came in – and not all of them have been finalised yet, they still need to be certified – something else has happened. In a series of steps those who are at the top of the democracy cycle, those who lead the party which brought in such victories from down below, but had little to do with those victories, have begun to show their true colours again. The wave has become a means of watering down the promises and expectations. There has been talk of reaching out, of meeting in the middle, effectively of compromise rather than action. This is not what was promised, not what was campaigned for, not what the mass of votes demanded.
A few days ago I wrote here about the legacy we can expect when all is said and done. Today we see that this legacy could also be watered down, and turned to one which does not represent the truth, which does not show that the will of the people, so clearly expressed at the ballot box over the last weeks, will be honoured. And there is nothing more telling in this than the clear indication of where some members of the Democrat party consider their loyalties to be. We have had a massive campaign where it was made clear: a voter who does not vote, votes for the continuance of what we have. Those who remain at home do not help cause the change so desperately needed, they support, through their absence, the continuation of all that is wrong. Their absence is a dereliction of duty, and a clear slap in the face of all those who have worked so long and hard to effect change. It is almost as if some are telling us that now the elections are over, bar the certification, we can just go back to doing what we were doing, even if that was nothing at all.
One of the demands of the electorate was that this present government, this dictatorial regime, be called to justice to answer for their illegal actions. As the President tells everyone he has no intention of ruling democratically, but will veto all that is placed in front of him, the only way to work going forward is to remove the seat of his power. Remove, by legal means, those who are supporting him and bringing the country to its knees. The first move has been made, and impeachment papers were brought before the House of Representatives against the Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. It would be a small start, but a significant one, and one that he too feared knowing, as he does, that many of his actions have nothing to do with democracy, but have been illegal. Some, it has been shown, even in breach of the Constitution of the United States of America, a piece of legislation, a piece of parchment, the contents, ideals and amendments of which all citizens pledge to follow.
The motion to impeach failed in the House by seven votes. Eleven elected members of the Democrat party were not present to fulfil their obligation.
Addendum: Several members of the Democrat party have since published their reasons for not attending the vote on social media: one was ill or recovering from an illness in hospital; one was receiving an award; several were delayed beyond the vote time by police action following an accident which apparently blocked their chances of getting to the House on time, but have since registered their No vote. The vote taken was to refer the impeachment papers to a committee – thus the No from Democrats present – in order to gain time or kill it in paperwork and hearings. It is to be hoped that the papers will be reintroduced to the House by the instigator and sponsors for another vote in the near future.
