Our democracy is on the ballot, but do voters care?
Our democracy is on the ballot, but do voters care? The Boston Globe


The tilt is toward authoritarianism
In “I don’t believe American democracy is in mortal danger” (Ideas, Oct. 16), Jonathan Schlefer presents a rosy view. The plot to kidnap the governor of Michigan; the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol in an attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election, and former president Donald Trump’s leadership role in those efforts; and the fact that a substantial percentage of Republicans are running for office on the lie that the election was stolen offer a much darker and, I would say, realistic perspective on our democracy.
In her book “How Civil Wars Start and How to Stop Them,” Barbara F. Walter, the Rohr Professor of International Relations at the University of California at San Diego, states that according to the “polity index,” which places countries on a scale from autocratic, or minus 10, to democratic, or plus 10, the United States is a +5, which makes us an anocracy, a country that is moving from a democracy to an authoritarian regime. In just five years, we went from a +10 to a +5! “A partial democracy,” says Walter, “is three times as likely to experience civil war as a full democracy.”
Allen J. Davis
Dublin, N.H.
Inflation weighs on us, but it’s not all that’s at stake
Polls are a snapshot in time and generally measure the current frustration of people responding to simplistic questions. Politicians love them and build entire strategies on them. They make great headlines, and the media get a lot of mileage out of them. Talk shows and pundits milk them for days.
Inflation has topped the polls. Do you know anyone who isn’t worried about it? Of course it’s our number one concern right now — it affects us all. Those who can afford it least suffer the most, and making ends meet is an everyday struggle. For the wealthy and powerful, it becomes more of a financial exercise to cushion paper losses while they ride it out. There have been six periods of inflation since World War II. Though they’ve been difficult, we have survived them all and still have the strongest economy in the world. We can endure this one too.
There are other more important issues at stake in the coming elections, which have a far greater impact on our lives in the long run and which challenge the core principles of our democracy and threaten its survival.
Polls are designed to push hot buttons. Don’t let them be the only determinant of our future when you vote.
Adam Villone
Cummaquid
I was happy to see President Biden touting his successful infrastructure bill in Pennsylvania (“Biden highlights infrastructure work on Pennsylvania trip,” Political Notebook, Oct. 21). While it is conventional wisdom, promoted by pundits, that Biden has been bad for the economy, by some measures job creation in his tenure has been greater than any other president since George H.W. Bush. The president has signed the American Rescue Plan and an infrastructure bill, both of which have created or will create jobs and also have put money directly into the pockets of small businesses and low- and middle-income Americans. He also has promoted building factories in this country and reduced student debt.
By focusing on inflation, a worldwide phenomenon caused primarily by the lingering effects of COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine, the Republicans have been able to steal the narrative from the Democrats. And have they offered a single answer to inflation? More oil drilling, which would have no effect and would undermine our already fragile environment. More tax cuts for the wealthy. Abolishing Social Security as we know it. (Yes, some Republican candidates have actually hinted at this.)
Democratic candidates should not run away from Biden and his accomplishments. They should educate the public about what he and their party have done for our economy.
Susan Jhirad
Medford
GOP wants to take power and keep it for the foreseeable future
I continue to be struck by what seems to be a rather laissez-faire attitude of so many Americans as we near midterm elections that could put people like GOP Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene in greater positions of power. A knee-jerk reaction to high prices that might lead many to vote out the current leading party is not going to solve our problems; it’s going to worsen them.
Republicans have no plans to fix the economy. They want power over people and to ensure that, after 2024, we won’t need to have elections anymore because they’re not going anywhere. If that’s your idea of freedom, you might as well vote Republican.
The preservation of what fragile democracy we’ve had is alarmingly low on the list of voters’ priorities. Many, if not most, Americans seem to recognize democracy is in peril. They just don’t care because the price of goods and services is high. That will pass. What won’t pass is Republicans seizing control and never relinquishing it.
Jeff Stratton
Concord, N.H.
Climate change ought to be a resounding issue for Democrats
Re “Democrats’ abortion focus may not be the ticket” (Page A1, Oct. 19): With the midterms approaching, it’s disheartening to watch the Democratic Party struggle to gain and maintain political power when a solution is available. The climate crisis is bearing down on the nation (and the world) and the Republican Party is defiantly on the wrong side of this issue.
Seventy percent of Americans are concerned about climate change. That concern could be translated into political power for the Democrats if they finally prioritized this issue and exposed the Republicans for their reckless plan to maintain the fossil-fuel status quo. By focusing primarily on abortion, gender, and other social issues and much less on climate change, Democrats are allowing the GOP to avoid the enormous political damage that their indefensible position deserves.
Without political power, the Democrats aren’t going to achieve their goals of equity, tolerance, and inclusion, nor will they be able to advance policies that promote a livable planet. They need to bring climate change to the forefront of their agenda.
Mike Dean
Marshfield