By Flora Lucero
“Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.” ~ Frederick Douglass
The November 3, 2020 election will likely be the most consequential election of our lifetime. Millions of voters will cast ballots to elect representatives to local, state, and federal offices as well as choose the next leader of the United States of America. We the people are striving for a more perfect Union. The power to elect competent leadership is crucial. The power to influence our leadership is monumental. One of the forces we are up against is political greed.
Political greed hoards power for the few who already have power, taking advantage of our trust and expecting us to accept what is being said without question. In September 2002, President George W. Bush’s Administration hit the media circuit laying the groundwork for a sinister message that led the vast majority of Americans to connect dots between Saddam Hussein and the 9/11 terrorist attacks – a connection that Bush later acknowledged was false. Political greed moved the masses to suspend critical thinking and accept a narrative created by those already in power. The powerful wanted subordinates to believe their story without question. They still do.
Messaging which resonates with the majority will call us to action. Not necessarily the action sculpted by and for the powerful few but action that comes from and works on behalf of the many. Now more than ever, we need that call to action. Political greed is rampant today and it is driving a narrative that lulls the masses to sleep. In the midst of this current crisis, we must find our collective power and awaken ourselves to change our course. We must demand of one another that we rise up to elect and influence competent leadership. We must organize and win.
We are building the bridge to an inclusive representative democracy while crossing it.
Yours in service,
Flora
Bernalillo County Democratic Party Chair