[Salon] AT HIS DEATH, BOB DOLE FEARED FOR THE FUTURE OF AMERICAN DEMOCRACY

AT HIS DEATH, BOB DOLE FEARED FOR THE FUTURE OF AMERICAN DEMOCRACY
                                                     BY
                                 ALLAN C. BROWNFELD
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The death of Bob Dole has taken from us the kind of public servant democracies depend upon if they are to survive, and thrive. Today, when Democrats and Republicans tend to view themselves as enemies rather than joint participants in the democratic enterprise of governing, the very future of our society is open to question.

The Founding Fathers feared that the democratic society they were creating might not last. John Adams declared that, “Democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts and murders itself. There never was a democracy that did not commit suicide.”

At his death, Bob Dole feared for America’s future. He left behind an important statement, headlined, “America needs unity to rediscover its greatness.” He recalled that, “Many times during my time as majority leader I would step out on my office balcony overlooking the National Mall and be reminded of what made my journey possible. Facing me were monuments to our nation’s first commander in chief , the author of our Declaration of Independence, and the president who held our union together. In the distance were the countless graves of those who gave their lives so that we could live free. That inspiring view came back to me as I watched the Jan. 6 riots at the Capitol…I thought about the symbol of our democracy consumed by anger, hatred and violence.”

To survive, in Dole’s view, we need bipartisanship and a willingness to compromise, but something beyond this as well: “I cannot pretend that I have not been a loyal champion for my party, but I always served my country best when I did so first and foremost as an American. I fought for veterans benefits not as a Republican but as someone who witnessed the heroism of our service members firsthand. I advocated for those with disabilities not as a member of the GOP but as someone who personally understood the limitations of a world without basic accommodations. I stood up for those going hungry not as a leader in my party but as someone who had seen too many folks sweat through a hard day’s work without being able to put dinner on the table.”

The narrow partisanship of the current moment, the refusal to compromise, is something Bob Dole hopes we will move beyond: “When we prioritize principles over party and humanity over personal legacy, we accomplish far more as a nation. By leading with a shared faith in one another, we become America at its best: a beacon of hope, a source of comfort in crisis, a shield against those who threaten freedom….Our nation has certainly faced periods of division, but at the end of the day, we have always found ways to come together.”

At his funeral at Washington’s National Cathedral, Dole was eulogized by both President Biden, with whom he served in the Senate for many years, and the former Democratic leader of the Senate, Tom Daschle. Discussing Dole, Daschle recalled, “Bob liked to share a story from when he was first elected to Congress and a reporter asked what his agenda would be. He said, ‘I’m going to sit and watch for a couple of days, and then I’ll stand up for what’s right.’ That’s exactly what he did. He stood up for minorities early in his career when he broke party ranks and supported the landmark Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act. He stood up for the elderly and worked with Democratic Sen.Daniel Patrick Moynihan (N.Y.) to save Social Security. He stood up for the young and worked with my fellow South Dakotan George McGovern on nutrition assistance. He stood up for the disabled and worked with Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) on the Americans With Disabilities Act…His life was a testament to Will Rogers’s truth: that the things that make us human—-the laughs we share and the burdens we bear——can make us great.”

Bob Dole’s death came at a time when democracy is not only being increasingly challenged in our own country, but appears to be in retreat throughout the world. Freedom House reports that 2020 was the 15th consecutive year of freedom declining around the world. “Nearly 75 per cent of the world’s population lived in a country that faced deterioration last year,” Freedom House found. This year—-with Tunisia, Myanmar, Sudan and Afghanistan all becoming more tyrannical—-is no better. Things could soon become worse as Russia threatens to invade Ukraine and China threatens Taiwan. As Anne Applebaum writes in The Atlantic, “The Bad Guys are winning.”

In our own country, democracy is also being challenged. Our political parties are not working together to solve the nation’s problems. Bipartisanship and compromise, essential ingredients if democracy is to work, are viewed with contempt by many. In a Pew Research Center poll this year, only 17 per cent of the people in 16 democratic countries expressed confidence in the United States as a role model for democracy.

Bob Dole concluded his final statement with the hope that America would rediscover the values it once held dear: “I do have hope that our country will rediscover its greatness. Perhaps it is the optimism that comes from spending 98 years as a proud American. I grew up in what others have called the Greatest Generation. Together, we put an end to Nazi tyranny. Our nation confronted Jim Crow, split the atom, eliminated the anguish of polio, planted our flag on the moon, and tore down the Berlin Wall. Rising above partisanship, we made historic gains in feeding the hungry and housing the homeless. To make a more perfect union, we swung open the doors of economic opportunity for women who were ready to rise to their fullest potential and leave shattered glass ceilings behind them.”

Bob Dole also brought humor to our political life. President Biden, who served with Dole in the U.S. Senate for 25 years, joked about Dole being the deciding vote to continue funding Amtrak, which Biden used to commute between Delaware and Washington, D.C. Dole was asked, , “Why, in God’s name, did you vote to continue to fund Amtrak?” He replied, “If I didn’t, Biden would stay overnight and cause more trouble.” Biden says, “Dole would have made it as a stand-up comedian.”

Our current political life does not reflect the values Bob Dole represented so well. He lived in an era, not very long ago, when American politics worked. Let us hope that we will rediscover the values that he represented so well.
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