From the CNN. 'Renewing our democracy ... requires constant effort'
Democracy, in essence, is all about finding answers to the toughest questions. Joe Biden is finding this out after opening his two-day virtual summit dedicated to the idea that people should get to choose their leaders. The meeting, highlighting the President’s belief that there is an existential global contest between democracy and autocracy, has triggered controversy over its purpose, guest list and chances of making any difference. To start with there’s a big red, white and blue elephant in the room: How can the US preach to others about democracy when its own is increasingly tattered? It’s hardly a stretch that a US President might hold a summit of democracies. But no one would have thought it would follow a coup attempt incited from the Oval Office. This haunting reality is exacerbated by Republican attempts to deny ex-President Donald Trump’s insurrectionism and to make voting harder and election-stealing easier. "I wanted to host this summit because ... here in the United States we know as well as anyone that renewing our democracy and strengthening our democratic institutions requires constant effort,” Biden said. You think? Hosting a democracy summit was always going to poke some in the eye. Some democracy activists in the US complained the President isn’t living up to his own standards, by failing to agree to end Senate filibuster rules that make it impossible to pass laws safeguarding fair US elections. And China and Russia, among the most flagrant transgressors of democratic principles on Biden’s list, have mocked and condemned the summit. Some invited guests are also raising eyebrows. India, for example, is the world’s largest democracy. But the rule of Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi has eroded press freedoms and human rights and has featured discriminatory policies against Muslims. On the other hand, nothing says "people power in action" like the months of protests that forced Modi to climb down over hotly opposed farm laws. The Philippines and Poland are also involved in the summit — perhaps on the basis that their democracies need a boost. However, Hungary, whose ultranationalist leader, Viktor Orban, is a hero of the Trump gang, didn’t get an invite. Still, it’s easy to carp. And Biden’s point remains important: Global democracy is under assault. And on more days than not, it seems that the autocrats and extremists who want to kill it off are winning. Roland Francis 416-453-3371
