by Emily Rooney, Ag Council president
Published on Jan. 12, 2021
| The essence of resilience is the ability to recover after difficulties or severe challenges. What we saw in Washington, D.C. last week demonstrates not only the fragility – but also the resiliency – of our democracy. In words credited to Chinese philosopher Confucius, “Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” Violent acts to undermine the foundation of our liberty and attack one of the greatest symbols of freedom in the world, did not deter the mission on January 6. Congress got back to work immediately after activists stormed the U.S. Capitol in a misguided attempt to disrupt the counting and certification of Electoral College votes. The tenacity of congressional members to pivot back to fulfill a duty to certify the election is a clear demonstration of resiliency and those decisionmakers should be thanked for finishing this critical work to affirm Joe Biden as the next president of the United States. I wish we could say this is the first time our democracy has been threatened. Of course, many of us remember 9/11. I was a staffer on Capitol Hill during 9/11, and I was personally in the U.S. Capitol during the shooting in 1998, which led to the deaths of two police officers. Among the most important actions surrounding those events was getting back to work afterward. In both cases, we were in our offices the very next day. Our country is resilient, our people are resilient, as is our democracy. Historically, tragic events such as these have triggered a series of very public investigations. Questions include a look into what happened, what can we learn and how can we improve our system. Unique to last week’s insurrection, is that the catastrophe was both encouraged by individuals in the highest levels of our government and facilitated by a domestic political group of extremists. This cannot be tolerated. Our democratic system is imperfect. However, when politicians turn a blind eye to violence, or even encourage it, they are not serving the principles of their political party or the people of the United States – they are degrading the institution and sanctity of our republic. Democracy thrives and prospers from our constitutional freedom of speech, exercising our right to vote and a peaceful transition of power. In just a few days, a transfer of power will occur. Our nation under President-elect Biden will look a lot different than today. Under a Biden Administration, we have the promise of more traditional trade agreements, a focus on climate change, an improved Farm Bill, long awaited immigration reform legislation and possibly most important of all, stability in our democracy. We certainly cannot assume we will support all policies initiated by the Biden Administration or Congress. However, I am hopeful we can expect stronger civil discourse and a thorough debate of policy issues. While our country grapples with very deep societal challenges and distrust in the electoral system, we know President-elect Biden is an “old school” politician, with deep and strong relationships in Washington, D.C. His penchant for collaboration will serve our country well and provide much needed stability during this turbulent time. If you know congressional members and their staff, or members of the media, who were in the U.S. Capitol during last week’s events, thank them for their resilience and resolve. It takes a rare form of focused bravery to maintain composure and conduct the work of the people during an act of domestic terrorism. Last week was a dark time for our country, but I am confident we will come through the other side and be stronger as a result. I know tough conversations and much-needed public policy actions lie ahead. It is our obligation to reach out to fellow Americans and help bridge the many gaps that have been revealed and exacerbated in recent years. Now let’s get to work. |