David Marshall

(7/2022) The former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright once wrote, "The temptation is powerful to close our eyes and wait for the worst to pass, but history tells that for freedom to survive, it must be defended, and that if lies are to stop, they must be exposed. Therefore, it is not surprising that the majority of those who had testified to date before the Jan. 6th House Select Committee are not Democrats, but Republicans. While they are mostly Republicans who held key positions in former President Trump’s campaign or administration, it takes the notion away that the public hearings are part of a partisan witch-hunt.

Piece by piece the testimonies given before the American people is solidly exposing the lies. Sen. Tim Scott from South Carolina was asked if he had been watching the hearings. "I have not watched the January 6 hearings," Scott said, "I was actually in the Senate when it happened. So I don’t need an education on what actually happened." He continued by putting down the hearings as simply a "made for TV" event aimed more at "diverting the public’s attention and less to do with finding the truth." Nowhere in Sen. Scott’s response did he mention the responsibility of Congress in holding all those involved accountable. This would include members of Congress along with members of the former president’s administration and campaign.

The January 6 insurrection was not simply a "dust-up at the Capitol", but rather a deadly domestic attack on a sacred symbol of American democracy where members inside were proceeding with the lawful transfer of presidential power. Unfortunately for the nation, the senator is not alone in his way of thinking. Many people strongly feel they too "don’t need an education" and are downplaying the attack out of fear or loyalty to the former president. Since Senator Scott used the word education, maybe teaching is part of the solution in defending democracy and opening closed eyes.

But the most effective teaching should come from the top. David Gergen was a former White House advisor who served four sitting presidents – Richard Nixon, Gerald ford, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton. Gergan said, "The role of the leader is to be a teacher." He also cited former President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s belief that moral leadership is "all about the President making choices and trying to bring people along on difficult issues."

Roosevelt was both highly respected and highly criticized. While credited with helping the nation through the Great Depression and for providing strong military leadership during World War II, he had many political detractors who opposed his excessive presidential control. He would often clash with conservatives who disagreed with the growing federal government and national debt. While conservatives were not in favor of his regulations on businesses and his support for labor unions, others were disappointed that Roosevelt was not deeply supportive of civil rights or women’s rights.

Regardless of whether you view him as hero or villain, his leadership skills were unmatched as to how he connected with everyday people. When Roosevelt took office, nearly a third of the nation’s workers were unemployed, a large number of banks and businesses went under and the national income was slashed in half. The nation was literally in fear of an unknown future. During the depression, Roosevelt believed in keeping the people whom he served fully informed. He developed a habit of communicating directly with the public by way of evening radio addresses (fireside chats). It as an opportunity to subdue rumors while using the simplest language to explain complex reasons behind the social changes being proposed. In other words, he was a teacher to the American people.

The political climate was much different in the 1930’s where eventually conservatives accepted the truth from a liberal president. Therefore, his calming manner of communicating was effective in lifting up the public’s confidence and understanding despite the overall differences in political ideology. He was the only man elected U.S. president four times.

Today our nation again faces an unknown future. For Roosevelt, it was an economic Depression, today it is the unknown future of American democracy. About a third of the way through the 2022 primaries, voters have nominated over 100 Republican candidates for state and federal offices who supported Donald Trump’s false fraud claims by saying the 2020 election was rigged. Despite the shocking details being revealed during the Jan. 6 hearings, election-denying candidates are still ignoring the truth.

People in the nation are fearful that the unsuccessful attempts to overthrow the presidential election in 2020 may not be stopped in 2024 due to this year’s midterm elections and the wave of election-denying candidates. Many of these candidates will hold positions with the power to interfere in the outcomes of future contests – to block the certification of election results, to change the rules around the awarding of their states electoral votes or to accept litigation attempting to set aside the popular vote. Democracy must be defended in real time. Today, we see Democrats and Republicans working together and doing their part with the committee hearings. After the complete findings from the Jan. 6 committee are presented to the public, only time will tell if the Department of Justice officials and the president will fully rise to the moment.

David W. Marshall is author of the book "God Bless Our Divided America" and member of Country First. Country First is focused on recognizing that Republicans, Democrats or Independents don’t have to be enemies just because they have different experiences and perspectives. To learn more about Country First visit www.country1st.com