Democracy, A Flag That’s Still There

The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ASPA as an organization.

By Lisa Saye
August 30, 2024

Good leaders will take us anywhere we want to go. And, good leaders do so with thoughtful planning, discipline and management. Whether it was incidental or if it was done on purpose, the U.S. Constitution happens to be our nation’s first DEI document. If there is a problem with the structure of that document, blame the framers. The well-pleated amending power of the U.S. Constitution makes it apparent that expansion and growth of the electorate is to be expected. The amendments are the constitution’s continuous improvement mechanisms. They allow the changes that life requires as a nation or as a country matures. Good leaders understand this and embrace its many and leveled possibilities. Bad leaders don’t.

Most of the world knows that the United States is quickly approaching a presidential election this year. An election that many believe will test the enduring history of democracy, order, stability and national growth for U.S. citizens. That there is a groundswell of new excitement and energy around the Harris-Walz ticket is undeniable. What is different in this election is apparent, so I won’t bore you with descriptions. However, the most stark difference in this presidential election is that people are at a point where they really want to believe the familiar theme of the hope for a better today and tomorrow and the relief that comes with renewal. This is an outcome that cannot be disguised through fear or through weak rhetoric.

There is quite a bit that can get lost in the fog of politics that surround or engulf a national election. Most notably for us is the loss of that history that makes the U.S. both challenging and unique. Elections, a country’s most sacred possession, can also be lost if exclusivity becomes policy. Elections inform us that we’re never complete, that we still have work to do and that policy’s content must always represent the moral voice of governance. We know what is moral and we know what is manufactured. Public administration is the application, at great cost, of societal morality through policy design and program implementation. Elections are another way to correct and adjust because policy does not get a replay in real time when we get it wrong.

Political conditions often mirror social conditions. Societies that refuse to hold on to negative social formations are those in which democracy thrives. Decency in these environments is not an afterthought or one that needs to poll well in order to be practiced and accepted. Decency and integrity are central to policy progress and success and should be a country’s default posture. Leadership that is convinced it is right is boring. Leadership that understands how to manage talent desires the challenge that comes with developing that knowledge and resist the myths of control. Leaders know how to define stability and know even more how to get their organizations there. Shattering the confidence of public sector employees, battering union led efforts for pay and healthcare equity and paving only the streets where you get the most applause are not leadership skills.

Admittedly, government is a romantic ideal. Blessedly, I am still a romantic, but I am not alone. We all dream of the conditions where equality and justice overcome corruption and we all know that a good constitution allows that to happen for all of its citizens. The U.S. Constitution could be its own art installation. For many people around the world, it already is. Our constitutional founders anticipated growth and built and formalized the structure for predictable and unstoppable change that they knew would always march through time. We are not constitutionally adjacent, we are constitutional and democracy is our country’s longest note of confidence. Democracy is more than a symbol, more than a notion, more than a slogan, more than a spin, more than a brand, more than a logo, more than a city, and much more than any one personality. Democracy is our flag. Democracy is everybody’s flag. And friends, through our longest days and especially through our darkest nights, Our Flag Is Still There!

The Changin’ Metal  image was taken and titled by Lisa Saye.

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Author: Dr. Lisa Saye served as Fulbright Specialist in Phnom Penh, Cambodia and as International Consultant for the United Nations Development Program in The Maldives. She also served as Chair of the Division of Social Sciences and Humanities and as Associate Professor of Public Administration at American University Afghanistan. Dr. Saye can be reached by email at [email protected].

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