Anyone who’s paying attention has got to ask him or herself whether America can do the hard work of retaining a vibrant democratic system.  It requires constant tending and adapting by its citizens.  We must maintain a level of commitment to making the laws fair, bringing all citizens into the process, providing a foundational understanding of what a democracy really is and serving on local boards and voluntary organizations committed to the complex web of demands that go into of this.  As our guest points out, to cut to the quick, at its root having a democracy means ‘no boss.’  I doubt you ever thought of it that way.  Our chief executive, known as a President, really has limited constitutional authority to act.  The system was designed to involve a range of actors in all branches and at all levels of government.

Given the threats that we have seen to our democracy, we ask Brook Manville, our guest, who along with co-author with Josiah Ober, wrote “The Civic Bargain: How Democracy Survives”, whether our democracy is in trouble and, if so, why. Clearly it is being tested as more groups demand their right to participate in a little tested concept of a multi-racial, multi-ethnic democracy.  He offers a guide to a democratic renewal, calling on citizens to recommit to a “civic bargain” with one another to guarantee civic rights of freedom, equality, and dignity.