Commentary: Ignore democracy at your peril, cautions Morristown High School senior

Editor’s note: Morristown Green invited some local high school students to share their reactions to Wednesday’s siege at the Capitol. As with all commentaries here, the opinions are the authors’, and do not necessarily reflect those of this publication.

By Nicholas Voltaggio

Few would challenge the declaration that democracy, as an ideal and a system, is precious.

But to be precious is not merely to be valuable or worthy of esteem. In fact, Oxford gives us this definition: “Not to be wasted or treated carelessly.”

We often forget this fact. In our lifetimes, there are few instances where a careless attitude towards democracy would seem of material consequence. We often overlook the reality that democracy’s value is derived from its scarcity and volatility, from the blood that has been shed to earn and keep it.

Wednesday’s events, which should be labeled an attempted coup, prove that we no longer possess this luxury.

In the aftermath of the horror, many are asking themselves how something like this could have happened. How could a beacon of liberal democracy, in the world’s oldest active republic, get besieged by anarchic insurrectionists?

Yet careful observers of politics may categorize this incident as a fulfilled inevitability.

Well before his decisive loss in 2020, Donald Trump has been sowing the seeds of distrust in the legitimacy of the electoral process. He told his throngs of supporters that any unfavorable election outcome was proof of “rigging” by an ambiguously defined “deep state,” and that any real “patriot” would act courageously to rectify such electoral theft by any means necessary.

This was, of course, after spending years deeming the news media “the enemy of the people,” planting himself as the only credible source in supporters’ minds.

When he says jump, they invariably query “how high?” On Wednesday, he instructed them to leap.

We may be generous to Trump and assume he, morally, knows no better. The same argument cannot be made for the GOP senators who pledged to object to certification of the Electoral College vote prior to Wednesday’s joint session of Congress.

To blame, specifically, are Senators Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas), both probable presidential candidates in 2024. They were among the first senators to announce their objections. Both Cruz and Hawley boast lengthy careers at various levels of academia and public service — and they know exactly how secure and legitimate this election was.

Their baseless objections are transparent attempts to endear themselves to the most extreme corners of the GOP base ahead of the ’24 primary.

Two days ago, I would have called their objections frivolous and purposeless. Now, our nation has been besieged, and a woman – Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt – has been shot and killed on Capitol grounds. A Capitol police officer, Brian D. Sicknick, also has died from injuries sustained at the riot.

So, where does this all leave us? At the behest of a defeated president, a mob of deceived Americans took control of one of the nation’s most sacred buildings. Public confidence in our democracy is shaken, and five people are dead.

As we heal, we must be compassionate and civil in our discourse, but firm in our value. Those involved in the chaos must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Prosecutors may have an easier-than-usual time achieving this goal: Many of the Capitol invaders felt such entitlement that they documented and posted to social media their treasonous behavior.

In the face of this assault on democratic values, remaining passive in the political process is tantamount to “treating democracy carelessly.” The burden of preserving what we so often take for granted now falls imminently to each of us.

To those who (perhaps understandably) have viewed politics as the folly of those with too much time on their hands, I implore you: Look what happens when too many stay at home on Election Day. A faux-populist, wannabe autocrat may stake his flag in the Oval Office, with half of the United States Congress falling in line.

To meet this moment, Americans must participate, organize, and vote.

As a high school senior who is attending a lot of 18th birthday parties (outdoors and socially distanced, of course) I dare to proffer a warning to people like Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz. Young people are getting angry, Senators. My generation is engaging in politics every day; we are learning, discussing, organizing, agitating. And yes, as soon as we are eligible, we are registering and voting.

In my peers’ passion I see hope. We overwhelmingly believe that our engagement can and will yield results, as it has for so many generations past. We have seen what happens when voters grow apathetic. Extremism rises as inequity persists. We can recognize the warning signs. Most importantly, we know that our voices cannot be silenced.

The Hawleys and Cruzes of this country should be getting nervous.

Morristown High School senior Nicholas Voltaggio is a National Merit Semifinalist, co-captain of the school’s Mock Trial Team, and a cellist in the school orchestra. He’s also a correspondent for Morristown Green. In the fall, he’s bound for Georgetown University.