The July 4 weekend is upon us. I hope everyone has as good a holiday as current conditions allow. This celebration of the beginning of the United States is, I think, a good time to think about the state of our nation and where we’re headed.
On one hand, things look pretty bleak. Over the weekend, the President of the United States tweeted his thanks to supporters in Florida for parading in their golf carts yelling “white power.” In North Carolina, a racetrack owner advertised “Bubba ropes” for sale, a reference to the noose hung in the garage of the only black NASCAR driver.
In March and April, over 447,000 Americans signed up for health insurance through a special ACA enrollment period. Last week, the trump administration filed a brief with the US Supreme Court asking for the ACA to be struck down.
Closer to home, on June 22, the Warren County Republican Party adopted a resolution chastising Governor DeWine for his response to the corona virus pandemic as infringing individual liberties. The Warren County Republicans wrote that “[w]hile it is admirable to listen to the guidance from medical experts in the time of a medical crisis, the responsibility of a governor . . . is to balance all inputs in suggesting policy…” Apparently, opinions of people who know nothing about infectious diseases are entitled to equal weight with those of “medical experts.”
Of course, we all know what happened in Bethel a couple of weeks ago.
The incidents recounted above are just a small sampling. They show that we do not as a nation automatically default to the principles stated in the Declaration of Independence. Indeed, it cannot be doubted that many in the nation, including some in high office, find the Declaration’s assertion that “all men are created equal” laughable. Many also reject the idea that fidelity to our founding principles in 2020 requires recognition that “all men and women are created equal,” regardless of their skin color, national origin, or sexual preferences. Achieving the ideals expressed on July 4, 1776 is not an accomplished fact. It is an ongoing struggle.
The good news is that many people have taken up this struggle, including the many peaceful protesters in Bethel, Milford, Batavia, and other places. However, protests are not enough to fulfill the promise made 244 years ago this Saturday. We must have people who believe in the ideals expressed in the Declaration of Independence in positions of power. That too is a struggle, especially here.
Again, the good news is that people have taken up that struggle. Over 60 people who now serve on the Clermont County Democratic Party’s Central Committee. Most prominent are those who have stepped up to run for offices where they can implement the ideals we celebrate on July 4. These brave people deserve our admiration and our unceasing support: Joe Biden for President of the United States, Jamie Castle for U.S, House of Representatives, Jennifer Brunner and John P. O’Donnell for Justices of the Ohio Supreme Court, Alan Darnowsky for the Ohio House of Representatives, Jeff Richards for Clermont County Commissioner, and Acacia Uible for Clerk of Courts.
Stay safe. Happy Fourth.
