REBUKED!
Citizens rise, organize, let truth be your marching band
I started thinking about the role of citizens as I was brainstorming lyrics for a new protest song.
When we think about ourselves, a sole individual, we often consider our role in our system of governance as a tiny one, as a fairly inconsequential one in terms of what we can accomplish when compared to larger actors—candidates, legislators and elected officials; lobbyists; journalists and commentators—but the results of the elections on Tuesday demonstrate otherwise.
As Justice Louis Brandeis said: “The most important political office is that of the private citizen.”
Our nation and our way of life that allows us to enjoy the fruits of liberty and freedom are in our hands as citizens.
And what a hell of a job we did on Tuesday!
When citizens had the opportunity to officially express their opinion, they did with a loud and undeniable rebuke and rejection of trump and the MAGA movement.
Blow Out
The margins tell the story:
New Jersey Governor: Mikie Sherrill (D) defeated Jack Ciattarelli (R) by 13 points, 56% to 43%
Virginia Governor: Abigail Spanberger (D) defeated Winsom Earle-Sears (R) by 15 points, 57% to 42%
Democrats also won in Virginia’s Lt. Governor and Attorney General races
New York Mayor: Zohran Mamdani (D) gained 50.4% of the vote in a seven-way race between challengers Andrew Cuomo (I) and Curtis Silwa (R), among others.
Those are landslides.
But in the clearest and most decisive repudiation of MAGA, 64% of Californians approved a ballot measure to redraw California’s Congressional map in response to Texas’ agreeing trump’s request to a mid-decade redistricting to favor Republicans.
You want something closer to home?
Prior Lake citizens defeated a MAGA school board candidate!
And how about this?
More Americans support the No Kings protest than the MAGA movement by 13 points.
So we’ve done one job as citizens and made our opinions know through the polls. But for this grand American experiment to persist, we have more to do.
The job is not done.
We must continue to apply the pressure.
We must find a higher gear.
Our Role In Our Democracy
Core responsibilities
Legitimize power: Vote, advocate, and consent (or withdraw consent) so authority remains derived from the people, not imposed on us.
Stay informed: Seek reliable information, challenge our own biases, and practice media literacy so our choices are grounded in fact, not noise.
Deliberate in good faith: Argue fiercely, listen honestly, accept pluralism, and be willing to compromise without abandoning core principles.
Hold power accountable: Monitor officials, demand transparency, use lawful protest, support a free press, and utilize courts and oversight.
Participate beyond elections: Serve on juries, attend local meetings, volunteer, organize neighbors, and build civic institutions.
Protect rights for all: Defend civil liberties (especially for minorities) because majority rule needs minority rights to stay democratic.
Invest in the commons: Pay taxes fairly, steward public goods (schools, parks, infrastructure), and support policies that keep the playing field open.
Model civic virtue: Practice honesty, humility, courage, patience, and solidarity; democracy is as strong as its daily habits.
Uphold professional ethics: Authoritarianism depends upon acquiesence to corruption.
Guardrails to remember
Liberty + equality are co-equals: Rights without equal access erode into privilege; equality without rights curdles into control.
Nonviolence is strategic and moral: It expands coalitions and preserves legitimacy.
Local is leverage: City councils and school boards often affect your life more than national politics. Show up there.
Democracy is a verb: It’s maintenance, not a milestone; neglect is the quickest path to decay. Democracy is not a spectator sport!
Quick actions that compound
Read across viewpoints; support independent/local journalism.
Contact representatives regularly and specifically.
Join (or start) a civic group; recruit one more person than you think you can.
Learn your precinct, your budget, your ballot for every election.
Teach the process to someone younger; mentorship is democratic infrastructure.
Take a leadership postion; you’re more capable than you think!
