Principle Over Party

Consider this your official summons.

Principle Over Party.

This is a slogan I’ve become known for, based on the idea that when it comes to the ballot box, the principles of democracy must be more important than our party allegiance.

But why, though? Why can’t we care more about party allegiance? Aren’t political parties how we get to our preferred policy outcomes? How are we supposed to enact the changes we want to see, on everything from immigration to education to national security to the economy, if we are not aligned with a political party who has the muscle to move the needle? 

Because, dear gentle reader (OK yes, I’ve been watching Bridgerton – please read that in the voice of Julie Andrews), without democracy, we have nothing.

Democracies that fail generally do so gradually. They don’t collapse like a bridge struck by a cargo ship, in a catastrophic accident in the overnight hours.

They die slowly. And they usually do so, according to Yale political scientist Milan Svolik, “at the hands of elected leaders who enjoy robust support from voters.” Too many Americans think that our nearly 250 year old democracy – currently the oldest in the world – is immune from authoritarianism. Or they think, “If Candidate _________ is an authoritarian, then I am fine with it, because they have the policies that benefit me.”