America at 250: 'Our democracy is NOT in great shape'

[0:00] I think the founders would have been pleasantly surprised if they had been told 250 years later [0:05] we'd be celebrating, but the honest news is our democracy is not in great shape. Coming back, [0:11] we remember the president talking about 401ks, Willie. Well, if there were a measure of American [0:16] democracy, it would have suffered a significant correction over recent years. Checks and balances [0:23] are not working in any way like James Madison set out in the Federalist Papers. You have the [0:29] abuse of the pardon power. We've been talking about the corruption and the lack of accountability [0:37] of people in office. We have a president going to war without the involvement of the American people [0:43] or the Congress talked about rigged elections. It's a long list. So I think the lesson we all [0:49] ought to take from this is not to be sanguine. So yeah, we can celebrate the 250th, but it's got to [0:54] be a really sober celebration. We've got to think, what do we do to make sure we still have a [0:59] democracy to celebrate not just in another 250 years? How about in five years or 10 years? What [1:05] do we have to do to strengthen the resilience? Because we've learned that democracy is not [1:10] guaranteed, that it so much depends upon the character of the people in government, whether [1:16] it's the president or those in Congress. And I would just say we have a shortage of that these days. [1:21] So American democracy is vulnerable. So I actually think we need to have a serious conversation [1:26] about what do we need to do to strengthen it. Yeah. And the Congress has surrendered its role [1:32] effectively in the government right now. It's been a choice. And Ed, adding to this, [1:37] you've got a new piece from the Financial Times just out today in which you say the celebrations [1:41] for America 250 are more muted than they should be as a reflection of today's political climate. [1:46] In it, Ed writes this, quote, at 250, the U.S. system has outlasted most empires. The founders [1:52] might have been astonished to learn it has survived this long. At just 1,320 words, the declaration [1:59] ranks as one of the great statements in history. Many on America's left believe it was a hypocritical [2:04] charter drawn up by slave owners. Many on the right see it as a revelation of God's providence. [2:11] But surveys show the typical American has a better grasp of the nation's founding ideals and [2:16] hypocrisies. Most deserve a better celebration than they will be getting. Ed, let you elaborate a [2:22] little bit on that. Yeah, well, I mean, I agree with everything Richard's just said. I mean, [2:27] I looked in some detail. I'd consulted with people who were old enough about the bicentennial [2:34] celebrations in 1976. And most people I know, you know, over the age of 50, children then or even [2:41] older than that, have very positive, vivid memories of the federal celebrations that occurred then under [2:49] Gerald Ford, the accidental president Gerald Ford. And one of the reasons was that it wasn't hijacked [2:55] by Gerald Ford. He was not an ego, to put it mildly. He was kind of modesty personified. [3:03] And so, you know, people have recollections of those tall ships in New York Harbor and the various [3:08] Independence Hall in Philadelphia. It's a very appropriate but kind of joyful celebrations that [3:13] marked that 200th anniversary. And of course, it was also at a time when the system had shown itself [3:20] to be working, because this is two years after Richard Nixon had resigned rather than face impeachment [3:27] for being a crook, essentially. Today is very, very different. We have a president who's making it all [3:33] about him. We obviously are not an optimal time for saying the system of checks and balances on executive [3:42] power is working. And therefore, I think we're getting we're getting a really damp squib, to put [3:50] it mildly, of federal celebrations. No doubt, though, that, you know, the way America is, there will be [3:56] plenty of very traditional, very joyful parties at the sort of community level and in the states around [4:02] the country. But the national celebrations, I don't think Americans know what they're celebrating [4:08] with this president. Yeah, I was in a few small towns last couple of days along the East Coast, [4:14] and it's clear that they are primed to celebrate this weekend. And there was something very heartening [4:19] and encouraging about that. But you're right. Ed is very right. The federal celebrations are [4:23] muted. The state fair that Trump has put together on the mall is sparsely attended. And that's an insult [4:29] to the phrase sparsely attended. There's nobody there. The heat doesn't help. And he is talking [4:36] about delivering a July 4th speech that could be an hour plus that I'm sure he will make all about [4:41] himself. And that is the problem with these celebrations is he's made them so political and [4:45] so personal. And Rev, we also should be clear eyed here as about the United States as we hit 250 [4:52] years. There is a lot to celebrate, but there's we have to be honest about our past. There's a lot to be [4:57] to learn from, a lot to be ashamed of. You know, and part of the American story is how we've learned [5:03] from those mistakes. We're seeing from this administration, they want to whitewash that. [5:07] They don't want to dwell on on any of that. And I think this is a moment to both to celebrate, [5:13] no doubt, but also to take stock. Yes, to take stock of all we've accomplished, [5:16] but all the work that still needs to be done. I think you can celebrate and take stock at the [5:22] same time because you can take, you can celebrate the fact that some of the things that we should be [5:29] most ashamed of, we were able to repair and some we're still working on and some we're trying to [5:35] stop from going backwards into some of the things that we should have been ashamed of, like unequal [5:42] treatment of people. So for African-Americans, we look at it differently. In 1776, we were enslaved, [5:50] but we in the 250 years went all the way to not only winning our freedom from slavery and getting [5:57] the right to vote. We put 60 blacks today in the Congress and in the U.S. Senate. And we've had a [6:04] black president who was reelected and a black female vice president. Women couldn't vote on land. Look [6:12] at where they've come. How do we handle immigrants? I think the real story of this weekend is to see [6:19] that despite some of the dark times, some Americans saw light and brought us toward that light. [6:26] Others are trying now to bring that light down. So I don't, I'm not against celebration. I'm going to [6:31] New Orleans, the Essence Music Festival, which is probably the biggest gathering of blacks in the [6:37] country. But over those days, we talk about what's wrong, what's right. They have the biggest [6:42] entertainment from Patty LaBelle to Cardi B. Michelle Obama's coming. So you talk about [6:49] these things in from the viewpoint of who you are and what America's meant to you and for you. [6:55] And in 250 years, this is a great story from all of us, even though in 1776, it was not a great story [7:02] for all of us. It's a story of persistence, dedication, and we must be committed to keep that [7:08] going. And there'll certainly be celebrations, but there won't be this unifying moment that we saw [7:12] in 1976. Sam Stein, as this, we do head into this, this weekend, want to get your thoughts on the [7:21] United States at 250. Well, the United States is like, like a fully carpeted bathroom. Let's use [7:28] that in knowledge. Yeah. I like that. The founders. Yeah, thank you. I actually am struck by what [7:34] Reverend Al said, because it's complicated, right? I think we tend to look at our history and glorify [7:43] it, especially on universities like 250. But obviously, we've had dark moments in our history [7:49] as well. And you look at debates that we're currently having right now, for instance, on [7:54] immigration, for example. You know, we've had a really checkered history on immigration in this [7:59] country. We've had a jingoistic history, a nativist history. We've not always been a [8:05] melting pot that we'd like to assume we've been. But I do think it's fair to say that the modern [8:10] political system we are in under the Trump administration is harsher on immigrants than [8:16] anything in recent memory. You look at voting rights, for instance, we've had an unbelievably [8:22] checkered past on that, as the Reverend just said. But we made progress. But I think the problem, [8:27] obviously, is that we're going backwards right now. And you look at gerrymandering, you look at all [8:32] across the progress that it seems like we had made and the chapters that we seem to have closed [8:39] are now being reopened or the progress is being retrenched. And so, yeah, it creates this kind [8:45] of duality as you're celebrating this stuff. Obviously, everyone's extremely patriotic. They [8:51] want this to be a patriotic celebration. They want these events to go off and be joyous events. I mean, [8:57] you just look at the World Cup and how we've rallied around the team, right? I mean, there is clearly this [9:02] pent-up energy to be cheering for America in this moment. But it's hard to do it when you see some [9:08] of the stuff that's happening. And I don't think it's wrong to be conflicted about it. I think that [9:12] is sort of almost uniquely American in a way to feel conflicted about the progress and the steps [9:19] backwards that we are taking. So, yeah, I feel conflicted. You don't have to celebrate this [9:25] administration to still celebrate the progress we've made over 250 years, and a lot of people will be [9:31] doing that this weekend.