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Rejoicing in Democracy

© Ken Goldstein

A few days ago, in the "Conservative Politics" topic here at Suite101, Frank Monaldo wrote about the Iraqi election of last January 30. He wrote that the Iraqis, "undeterred by threats of violence... must have believed in the words of Thomas Paine's Common Sense, 'We have it in our power to begin the world over again.'"

After expressing his joy at seeing the birth of a new democracy, Mr. Monaldo went on to say that, "What is disheartening is how people here on the left can not bring themselves to rejoice fully in the election even if they have legitimate and honest questions about American Iraqi policy. You do not have to be a Bush supporter to recognize that something very good happened on January 30, 2005."

Well, Frank, my friend, I'll be one on the left to rejoice with you. Yes, as you say, I have legitimate and honest disagreements with the administration's policies in Iraq, and I'm no Bush supporter, but I'll celebrate the election with you and raise a glass to toast to the best hopes of the Iraqi people for their future.

To my friends on the left, I have not abandoned you. Yes, there were problems, yes, there was violence, and yes, the election took place under the watchful eye of a foreign military force. But it was an election never-the-less, and that's a positive step towards the day when our soldiers can come home.

And, with all of the serious concerns we may have about the legitimacy of the election in Iraq, didn't we have some questions about the legitimacy of our own recent election?

In Iraq, voter turnout was higher than it was here in November. In Iraq, there were more than two parties representing more than two slightly different variations of the same point-of-view. In Iraq, voters actually believed that participating in the electoral process would make a positive difference in their lives.

Let's save our critiques of foreign elections until we're able to get it right here at home. Here are a few goals I have for U.S. elections:

• Consistently high voter turn-out, not just in presidential elections, but across the board.
• Representation in our elected bodies (Congress, State Legislatures, etc.) by more than two political parties.
• Modern voting methods that are unassailable, and provide a verifiable paper trail in the event of recounts.
• Elections that are free of voter intimidation.
• Campaigns that are free of candidate scare tactics and character assassination.