The populist uprisings in the US and throughout Europe are not the cause of the West’s crisis of governance but rather have exposed the ways in which liberal democracies have failed their citizens by failing to address the dislocations of globalization and the disruptions of rapid technological change. Neither establishment nor populist leaders have proposed any systemic solutions, so governments have become further polarized and paralyzed, compounding the problem, according to Nathan Gardels and Nicolas Berggruen, authors of Renovating Democracy: Governing in the Age of Globalization and Digital Capitalism.
Democratic renovation is also the focus for the bipartisan American Democracy Month Council which has
- Through an intense push with the aid of the League of Women Voters secured a bipartisan group of 41 Senators so far as cosponsors to this year’s Senate Resolution establishing September 2019 as National Democracy Month (S. Res 252).
- For the first time, introduced in the House a pro-democracy resolution (H. Res 513) which dovetails the Senate resolution, without calling for a specific democracy month, as the House doesn’t have authority to make such a designation..
- Begun a social media campaign with its Congressional Democracy Network, providing cosponsoring senators with monthly social media posts. With the activation of the various Senate, and soon House, cosponsors, ADMC will reach an estimated 50 million social media followers, a network of powerful people inclined and committed to bolstering democracy.
- Engaged the Smithsonian’s Museum of American History in its efforts to strengthen democracy.
- Begun plans for a Capitol Hill celebration during National Democracy Month.
Follow the ADMC on twitter (@democracymonth) and friend on Facebook (American Democracy Month Council). Contact: info@democracymonth.org
