On Friday evening, Congressman Jake Auchincloss, Dean of Rutgers University’s School of Public Planning and Policy Stuart Shapiro, Northeastern Constitutional Law Professor Jeremy R. Paul, and Former Ward 3 City Councilor Emily Norton held a Zoom meeting and Q&A session for Newton residents to discuss the current state of democracy in the United States.
Norton organized the meeting for residents who possibly felt similar to her—concerned and fearful for America’s future. Norton called the event “Democracy in Peril.”
“If you are like me, you are watching the news from Washington DC […] and wondering… is any of this legal? And what can we do about it?” Norton wrote in the event description.
The discussion informed Newton residents of the vulnerability of the democratic system and how they can individually and collectively defend democracy and the rule of law.
Questions and discussion revolved around strategies for civic engagement, preparing for potential constitutional crises, communicating the impact of democratic backsliding, addressing issues with federal funding, concerns about Democratic leadership, and ways to increase youth participation in political action.
Newton resident Sandra Clancy asked Auchincloss how citizens could support Democratic representatives in the appropriations process beyond attending town hall meetings where their impact might not have as much power.
Auchincloss defended the need for Democrats to keep fighting in small areas, even when it seems irrelevant.
“It definitely matters when you get hundreds of phone calls to your office and you get hundreds of people in a town hall,” Aunchincloss responded. “It absolutely shapes the mindset of politicians, sometimes disproportionately to the actual electorate’s opinion on something.”
Auchincloss went on further, touching on the multi-faceted issue of democratic representation in today’s political climate. He believes there are several steps for tackling the obstacles presented to democracy and the limit to presidential power.
“We have to get strong conviction and alignment about what it is that we are asking for,” Auchincloss said. “I think there’s still ambiguity about that, because not only do we need to ask for laws that prevent either empowerment or emergency power abuse, we have to make them enforceable.”
He stressed the importance of holding Democratic leaders responsible for representing people’s interests.
“It’s one thing to write a good law, but we’re dealing with the guy who doesn’t care,” Auchincloss said. “We got to hold the line because we got Senate Democrats voting for stuff that, frankly, they should be getting more heat for voting for.”
Leo Hanenberg, one of the leaders of Rise Up MA, an organization founded after Trump’s first election to secure Democratic majorities in legislative bodies nationwide, asked how citizens in blue states can prepare for a potential lawless administration at the federal level.
He fears blue state interests will be underrepresented with the majority in power being inclined to red interests.
“If we fail, we’re going to have to learn to exist under horrible circumstances,” Hanenberg said.
Shapiro responded that blue state officials should plan for potential issues, and citizens should support independent media and election integrity efforts as part of preparing.
He believes mainstream media is highly biased in favor of who is in power and encourages citizens to support the many other sources not working to sway the people one way or another.
“There’s all kinds of people trying to get the word out, and I think we should support them,” Shapiro said.
Newton resident Marcia Johnson asked what it truly means for the United States to be in a constitutional crisis. She notes that the effect of a “constitutional crisis” on a person’s day-to-day life can be unclear.
“We throw these terms around, and people don’t understand,” Johnson said. “So I think we really need to be really clear to people on what these things mean and how they impact their lives so that people can understand the impact.”
Shapiro helped clarify the issue, providing a spectrum of what a constitutional crisis may look like.
“First, it affects people by taking … food, those Medicaid benefits, etc.,” Shapiro said. “In its extreme case, it means those kinds of benefits are only for people who support the regime and not for those who oppose it. And that’s where the endpoint of the destruction of the rule of law is and so if you value those things, and if you value them being provided fairly to everyone, then the rule of law is crucial.”
Newton resident Daniel Twohig voiced his frustration at the lack of democratic leadership.
“Where’s the leadership?” Twohig said. “Where’s the unity? How are we as constituents supposed to be motivated to fight when our leaders don’t?”
Auchincloss responded with a feeling of defeat rather than a specific answer to Twohig’s question, though he did try to encourage a feeling of unity and perseverance.
“We have to recognize that being angrier is not going to do the trick for us,” Auchincloss said. “We have to be better. We need bigger and better ideas as a party.”
A Newton resident wondered how to get young people involved in political action.
“I work with a lot of young people, 20s, 30s, 40s,” the Newton resident said. “I mean, they’re not happy, but I don’t see any outrage in those age groups, and that concerns me, that we’re talking to the choir here, and I don’t know how to get kids involved.”
Shapiro understood the concern but believes that currently, democrats have to force their way through in any way they can without too much concern over who is leading the way.
“I think you [have] got to look for leadership wherever you can find it,” Shapiro said.
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