"A republic, if you can keep it."

There is a story - likely overused and perhaps apocryphal - about something that Benjamin Franklin said on the last day of the Constitutional Convention of 1787.  Apparently, as Franklin left Independence Hall, a woman named (allegedly) Elizabeth Willing Powel asked him, "Well Dr. Franklin, what do we have, a republic or a monarchy."  Franklin replied, "A republic, if you can keep it."

It was one year ago today when our republic nearly foundered (see my post "Our America" from January 7, 2021).  I have tried hard to avoid any discussion of politics in this blog, but given the current state of our country and remembering the events of January 6, 2021, I wanted to share a few thoughts, because I believe that the next 12 months or so will define the future of our American republic.  

Shortly before our last President's second impeachment trial accusing him of inciting the insurrection that occurred at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts called on all Americans to help preserve the constitutional principles that have been the foundation of our government for almost 250 years.  He wrote, "Each generation has an obligation to pass on to the next, not only a fully functioning government responsive to the needs of the people, but the tools to understand and improve it."

Roberts went on, "In our age, when social media can instantly spread rumor and false information on a grand scale, there is even greater danger that political passions can turn us against one another or against constitutional government itself."  Today, more than perhaps any day in our recent history, we remember that the ideals that this nation claims to stand for - justice and freedom - take work to protect and defend.  It means, as the American journalist Irving Kristol wrote more than 40 years ago, "curbing one's passions and moderating one's opinions in order to achieve a large consensus that will ensure domestic tranquility."  

Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch writes, in his book aptly titled, A Republic, If You Can Keep It, in order for "a government of and by the people to work, the people themselves need to talk to one another respectfully; debate and compromise; and strive to live together tolerantly.”  As Americans, we have a fundamental duty to "listen to and tolerate other points of view."  In order to keep our republic, we need to be willing to hear and respect what our fellow Americans say, even if we do not agree.  Somewhere along the way, we have failed in our duty.  

A few years ago, I had the opportunity to attend a lecture by former President Bill Clinton in Chicago.  He is an amazingly gifted speaker, and I thoroughly enjoyed his remarks on the state of health care in America (even if I didn't agree with everything he said).  He was asked what he thought was the most important problem in America today.  He quickly answered, "We have lost the ability to respectfully disagree."

Let me be clear.  I am not saying we should not hold individuals accountable when they spread false or malicious information.  There are certainly a number of examples of that right now in our country.  I believe, though, that part of our issue and how we got to this point is because, to paraphrase President Clinton, we no longer seem to be able to acknowledge that our opinions are not always the right ones, or that others' opinions can matter too.  

We have significant issues to address in this country, and there is no way that we will agree on the right solution to these problems.  Whether we agree or disagree, we still need to respect that we each have our own opinions.  We can always find common ground.  Over the break, I read a book called The Best of Enemies: Race and Redemption in the New South, by Osha Gray Davidson, which tells the story of how two individuals from starkly different backgrounds living in Durham, North Carolina in the 1960's develop a lasting friendship.  C.P. Ellis grew up on the poor white part of town and joined the Ku Klux Klan as a young man (he actually became the leader of the Klan in Durham).  Ann Atwater was a single mother who grew up on the poor black part of town.  She became a civil rights activist and local leader in Durham.  Through a rather unique set of circumstances, they found themselves co-leading an effort to improve the local public school system.  While they initially did not trust each other, they soon learned that they actually had more in common than they realized.  They found common ground to solve real problems in the public school system, and over time the level of trust between them grew.  They eventually became friends (and Ellis quit the Ku Klux Klan).

We can respect our different opinions, and we can always find common ground.  We can compromise and find solutions to the problems that exist today, without necessarily compromising our morals and principles.  I realize that I can do better in this regard as well.  We, as leaders, can model the kind of behavior that we need to move forward as a country.  And, if we work at it, we can even keep our republic.