Cubans cry out for freedom

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Protests across Cuba this week have surprised and heartened the world. At a time when forces around the globe—including in the United States—are pushing toward authoritarianism, the demonstrations are a sign that the quest for liberty is innate in humankind. For 62 years, Cubans have suffered under just such an authoritarian regime. Their plight is a reminder that our freedom won't always be recognized by governments if we don't fight to protect it ourselves. The struggle for freedom is harrowing and ongoing, and success is by no means guaranteed. We stand in solidarity with the people of Cuba in their noble pursuit of liberty. —Evan McMullin

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** Sullivan: Hope for global democracy
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"[I]n a world where democracy is often swimming against the political tide, scholars also see some good news. It just requires a longer view of history. Eighty years ago, there were perhaps 12 fully functioning democracies. Today, the Democracy Index put out by the Economist Intelligence Unit says there are 23 full democracies, and nearly half the planet lives in some form of democracy. Then there are the protesters, perhaps the most visible sign of a thirst for democratic rule." —Tim Sullivan in ([link removed]) Associated Press ([link removed])

Tim Sullivan is an international investigative reporter at the Associated Press.

MORE: Biden considering U.S. intervention in Cuba as anti-government protests spread —U.S. News & World Report ([link removed])


** Gottheimer & Fitzpatrick: Let's make a deal
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"Bipartisanship isn't always possible—on some issues, the two parties are simply too at odds. But on issues of national concern such as Covid and infrastructure, there's no reason thoughtful leaders should not be able to shape compromises that both parties can support. The business of American democracy is aligning people who don't agree on everything so they can make progress where they have common interests." —Josh Gottheimer and Brian Fitzpatrick on ([link removed]) CNN ([link removed])

Josh Gottheimer, a Democrat, represents New Jersey's 5th District in the U.S. House of Representatives. Brian Fitzpatrick, a Republican, represents Pennsylvania's 1st District in the U.S. House of Representatives. They are co-chairs of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus.

MORE: Manchin signals he'll be team player on spending deal —The Hill ([link removed])


** Rathje, Van Bavel & van der Linden: No incentive for Facebook to fight hate
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"[A]lgorithmically amplifying out-group hate could damage society and democracy. Such content may increase engagement and boost profit in the short term, but research finds people say they do not want politicians to express out-party animus. What's more, the storming of Capitol Hill on Jan. 6 suggests polarizing rhetoric and misinformation on social media can inspire real-world political violence. However, so long as polarizing content is a fundamental part of the social media business model, it's unlikely social media platforms will see it as a problem, much less solve it." —Steve Rathje, Jay Van Bavel & Sander van der Linden in ([link removed]) The Washington Post ([link removed])

Steve Rathje is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Cambridge. Jay Van Bavel is an associate professor of psychology and neural science at New York University. Sander van der Linden is a professor of social psychology in society at the University of Cambridge.

MORE: Facebook is still putting profits ahead of security —World Politics Review ([link removed])


** Panetta: The lesson from Afghanistan we can't forget
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"The Taliban cannot be trusted when it comes to terrorism. It is up to the United States to make sure that Afghanistan does not collapse and become a base of operations for terrorists again. Already in recent weeks we have seen senseless deaths at the hands of the Taliban, with the killing of 22 members of an Afghan Special Forces unit." —Leon Panetta on ([link removed]) CNN ([link removed])

Leon Panetta served as secretary of Defense from 2011 to 2013 and is chair of The Panetta Institute for Public Policy.

MORE: Afghans flee to eastern Turkey as Taliban takes control amid chaos —The Guardian ([link removed])
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** Kara-Murza: It's election season in Russia. Let the dirty tricks begin
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"One of the Kremlin's most durable propaganda narratives—still repeated surprisingly often by journalists and commentators in the West—holds that, for all his faults, President Vladimir Putin remains popular among average Russians. Those who resort to this argument seem to forget a small detail: It isn't difficult to win elections when one's opponents are not on the ballot. For years, the Kremlin ensured the absence of strong alternative candidates by any means necessary—from bureaucratic tricks to timely court sentences to, at worst, physical elimination." —Vladimir Kara-Murza in ([link removed]) The Washington Post ([link removed])

Vladimir Kara-Murza, a Russian pro-democracy activist, politician, author, and filmmaker, chairs the Boris Nemtsov Foundation for Freedom.

MORE: Biden and Merkel 'united against Russia aggression' —BBC News ([link removed])


** Collinson: Why we still have to talk about the 'former guy'
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"Trump is not just popular at CPAC where the crowd greeted his speech with glee. That his populist extremism is now being implemented by GOP governors across states he won shows his enduring power. So do the countrywide efforts by Republican state lawmakers to restrict voting based on his lies about a stolen election. Trump's capacity to orchestrate the behavior of Republicans is almost as intact as it was when he was sitting in the Oval Office—his derailing of a bipartisan, independent probe of the Jan. 6 outrage is proof of that. All these are reasons why Trump cannot be just disregarded." —Stephen Collinson on ([link removed]) CNN ([link removed])

Stephen Collinson is a CNN political analyst.

MORE: Philip Bump: Whatever the spin after the fact, Republicans knew the reality of what was unfolding during the Capitol riot —The Washington Post ([link removed])


** Graham: GOP leadership is only half the problem
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"The premise of Biden's speech seems to be that voters will uniformly be troubled by [new state voting laws]. 'Have you no shame?' he asked Republican officials. By now it should be clear that many do not. And they have cover, because many Republican voters back the changes. Polls find that between two-thirds and three-quarters of GOP voters don't believe Biden is a legitimate president. Six in 10 Republicans think it's more important to change laws to prevent fraud (which doesn't happen) than to make voting easier, according to a recent Washington Post/ABC News poll. At the grassroots level, GOP voters appear to strongly back many of the very things Biden warns against." —David Graham in The Atlantic ([link removed])

David Graham is a staff writer at The Atlantic.

MORE: Arizona state senator calls for new election, says Biden electors must be recalled —Newsweek ([link removed])
The fact that America's slide towards authoritarianism and the anti-democratic radicalization of the Republican Party have so clearly outpaced what most of the country's political class and mainstream journalists were capable of imagining or willing to admit is really concerning. To a considerable degree, the fate of American democracy depends on whether or not the country's political and civic elites are willing to adjust their expectations going forward and move beyond any residual notions of "It can't happen here" exceptionalism. What's scary is that acknowledging the nature and extent of the authoritarian, anti-democratic threat is the easy part. The hard part is figuring out what it means to act accordingly. When democracy dies, at some point, "normalcy" and business as usual are no longer an option. —Thomas Zimmer, professor of 20th-century transatlantic and international history at Georgetown University's BMW Center for German and European Studies (@tzimmer_history)

Hear, hear, Ken G.! —David M., Colorado

Ken G. from Colorado is correct about a new party. I'm a lifelong, conservative Republican, and I'd run to be first in line for a Romney & Co. center party, checkbook in hand! The current GOP is a farce and a disgrace. —Mel G., Louisiana
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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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