Solutions needed

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Political actors should be responsible to the country, leaving its people safer and more unified when chasing political goals. Dehumanizing language may seem like a valuable political crutch to lean on, but its effects are both direct and diffuse, only leading to greater fear and violence. To protect those targeted by dehumanization, individuals must speak out. To prevent violence from being directed at individuals belonging to a distinct group or race, work must be done before the violence starts. Easy starting points for some could be to speak out when someone uses the phrase "Chinese virus," or calls undocumented immigrants "illegals." Call out these comments when you see them in-person or online. Once we remove dehumanizing language from our lexicon, we can begin to see people as people and work to stop the seeds of hate from being planted. —Bryant Holloway, Program Associate, Stand Up Republic

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** Gerson: The GOP has shirked its duty
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"Politics does not directly determine the morality of citizens. But it helps shape the system of social cues and stigmas in which citizens operate. It matters whether leaders delegitimize hatred or fertilize it; if they isolate prejudice or mainstream it. If political figures base their appeal on the cultivation of resentment for some group or groups, they are releasing deadly toxins into our society without any idea who might be harmed or killed. Such elected leaders might not have blood on their hands directly, but they are creating a society with more bloody hands." — ([link removed]) Michael Gerson in ([link removed]) The Washington Post
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Michael Gerson is a columnist at The Washington Post who formerly served as a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and the chief speechwriter for former President George W. Bush.

MORE: DHS weighing major changes to fight domestic violent extremism, say officials —NBC News ([link removed])


** Daragahi: Russia's disinfo war started in Syria
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"[Millions] of Syrians fleeing Russian and regime airstrikes and death squads were trying to make their way abroad. But even then they were trashed through a series of lies and bigotry aggressively propagated by the Kremlin and some far-right and far-left corners of the internet, depicting traumatized refugees fleeing a horrific near-genocidal onslaught by a mass murderer as vampires descending on Europe. The anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim lies propagated by Russia and regurgitated by its allies fueled far-right movements across the world." —Borzou Daragahi in ([link removed]) Independent ([link removed])

Borzou Daragahi is an international correspondent at the Independent, covering the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia, and Europe.

MORE: Darren Linvill & Patrick Warren: The real target of authoritarian disinformation —Foreign Affairs ([link removed])


** Vindman & Kasparov: Navalny isn't perfect, but that's not the point
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"[Russian opposition leader Alexei] Navalny has received the lion's share of media attention, but his corrupt trial and imprisonment are among thousands currently taking place... If we in the circle of democratic nations fail, [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, his oligarchs, his enablers, and the mafia-state structure built around them will know that they can snuff out the stirrings of democracy with beatings, arrests, and murders—and we will be complicit. The moment demands action, not debate." —Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman & Garry Kasparov in The Washington Post ([link removed])

Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman (Ret.) served on the National Security Council as the director for Eastern European, Caucasus, and Russian affairs and is a Pritzker Military Fellow at the Lawfare Institute. Garry Kasparov is chair of the Human Rights Foundation and the Renew Democracy Initiative.

MORE: Alexei Navalny says he is being 'tortured' in prison —Deutsche Welle ([link removed])


** King: Fate of the filibuster is in GOP's hands
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"As we enter this new Congress with a new president and a new Senate majority (barely), the question for me is how Mitch McConnell and his Republican colleagues will play their hand; if they are willing to work to find compromise and consensus on important initiatives (infrastructure, voting rights, or immigration reform, for example), the importance of getting rid of the filibuster diminishes. If, on the other hand, they just say no, the necessity—and likelihood—of filibuster reform would only increase. That is to say, in large measure the outcome is in their hands." —Angus King in ([link removed]) The Washington Post ([link removed])

Angus King represents Maine in the U.S. Senate.

MORE: Biden ties filibuster fight to voting-rights push —The Wall Street Journal ([link removed])
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** Lessig: For the People Act would save our democracy
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"Americans are deeply skeptical of their government. Overwhelmingly, they believe that Congress serves not them, but the special interests who pay for campaigns. Many are deeply and rightly angry at the efforts by states to suppress their vote. Others are frustrated with legislatures that draw districts to permanently entrench a political minority as a majority. And practically everyone thinks that every branch of our government must commit to higher ethical ideals. We are told we have the greatest democracy in the world. Yet very few who know anything about how it actually functions believe this. H.R. 1 responds to these frustrations by addressing each aspect directly." —Lawrence Lessig in ([link removed]) The Washington Post ([link removed])

Lawrence Lessig, the Roy L. Furman professor of law and leadership at Harvard Law School, is the author of "They Don't Represent Us: Reclaiming Our Democracy."

MORE: Georgia governor signs law curbing voting access —Axios ([link removed])


** Campbell: RCV, corruption-fighter
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"[Ranked-choice voting] reduces opportunities for corruption by making the election process more transparent, and reduces the means by which corruption occurs by leveling the playing field among a broader and more diverse slate of candidates. It changes the game by which officials are re-elected and leads to better behavior after the election." —Bill Campbell on ([link removed]) IVN Network ([link removed])

Bill Campbell, a U.S. Marine veteran, represents the San Diego, Ca., chapter of RepresentUs, a national organization fighting corruption in government.

MORE: Two Bronx council races undecided as ranked-choice voting kicks in —City Limits ([link removed])


** Dolan: The future is the center
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"[T]he place we most need a third party is at the neglected center of American politics. That is where the voters are. That is where the ideas are. The moderate wings of the existing Democratic and Republican parties both overlap that center, but neither party is really equipped, either philosophically or organizationally, to actually occupy the territory." —Edwin Dolan at the ([link removed]) Niskanen Center ([link removed])

Edwin Dolan holds a Ph.D. in economics from Yale University and has taught at universities throughout the U.S. and Europe. He is the co-founder of the American Institute of Business and Economics.

MORE: Thomas B. Edsall: We see the left. We see the right. Can anyone see the 'exhausted majority'? —The New York Times ([link removed])
This month's read is: "On Tyranny" by Timothy Snyder

This month's book recommendation comes from a TOPLINE reader. Thank you, Rebecca!

"On Tyranny" by Timothy Snyder is a look back on the history of fascism, and offers 20 lessons on how to survive and resist authoritarianism. Written shortly after Donald Trump took office, the book is small in stature and short in nature, but don't be fooled. The text is a gut-punch of history, and the lessons provided by Snyder show you tangible steps you can take to preserve your freedoms. As Snyder points out, "History does not repeat, but it does instruct," and "On Tyranny" is a great instruction on history while providing hope for the future. If you've ever been curious how European democracy yielded to fascism and Nazism as Adolf Hitler and other authoritarians rose to power—and what you can do to help protect American democracy from a similar fate—this book is for you!
Have you read this? Share your thoughts with us on Twitter @StandUpRepublic and Facebook: facebook.com/standuprepublic.com

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Have a suggestion for our next monthly read? Send them to Mary Anna Mancuso, Stand Up Republic Media Manager: [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])

What the Republicans don't seem to realize is that some who would vote for them could be negatively affected by the legislation they are passing. —Linda S., Texas

Where is the money for President Biden's $3 trillion infrastructure program going to come from? I like the idea, but the funding needs to be identified. —John C., Florida

Yesterday our spavined former president was so needy for attention after Joe Biden's press conference that he had to call into a TV infotainment show and complain on and on about a host of confusing topics. Can you imagine any other former president doing that? Can you imagine the response of the infotainment millionaires to any other former president doing that? —Tim P., New Mexico
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** The views expressed in "What's Your Take?" are submitted by readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff or the Stand Up Republic Foundation.
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