You're listening to the Open Democracy Minute, keeping Granite State government by and for the people. This past week, President Joe Biden convened the Summit for Democracy, a virtual meeting of world democracies. Democracy activists in the U.S. are hopeful that President Biden will do what it takes to protect democratic institutions by pressuring the US Senate to pass pending democracy legislation. Here are a portion of his remarks:
“Democracy doesn’t happen by accident. We have to renew it with each generation. And this is an urgent matter on all our parts, in my view. Because the data we’re seeing is largely pointing in the wrong direction.
Freedom House reports, in 2020, that it marked the 15th consecutive year of global freedom in retreat.
Another recent report, from the International Institute of Democracy and Electoral Assistance, noted that more than half of all democracies have experienced a decline in at least one aspect of their democracy over the last 10 years, including the United States. . . . .
And perhaps most importantly and worrying of all — most worrying of all, by increasing the dissatisfaction of people all around the world with democratic governments that they feel are failing to deliver for their needs.
In my view, this is the defining challenge of our time.”
-- President Joe Biden
As Granny D said, “Democracy is not something we HAVE, it's something we DO.”
For the Open Democracy Minute, I'm Brian Beihl.
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