By Sosamma Samuel-Burnett, J.D.
Founder & President, G.L.O.B.A.L Justice
Today is Constitution Day. When the Constitution was adopted in September 17, 1787 by 39 of the 55 delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia , those delegates could not have imagined the range of issues and opportunities that lay ahead for this document and for the rights, freedoms, and responsibilities it embodies. Nor could they have envisioned how these provisions would shape, be shaped, and applied to our country 225+ years later.
Yesterday was the second Republican debate. Like the first debate, it was a spectacle. The media was sloppy in its moderation. The candidates paid little or no mind to decorum or time limits. But below the surface of the campaign chaos, there was something very significant for the Constitution Day that followed it – the will of the people.
The Constitution starts in its Preamble “We the People…” and then ends with “to Ourselves and our Posterity” before ordaining this document. Even in 2015, We the People of the United States need to realize that it is still we who ordain and uphold this document, elect officials, make decisions, are the consumers and customers, and are the will of the nation for ourselves and our next generations. But “We the People” of the United States have functioned with a dual perspective to our government and to our politics. And this dualism is not only about left/right, liberal/conservative, Democrat/Republican, atheist/religious, haves/have nots, black/white. The real divide is between those who want to ensure the principles of America as we know it and those who want to overhaul it.
Take the examples of Donald Trump and Dr. Ben Carson – the GOP frontrunners. The current popularity of each of these candidates demonstrates the dual perspectives in our country. Trump, the brash showman/businessman has been at the top of various polls. But the fact that he is doing well in the polls does not really demonstrate any personal popularity and appeal, but rather is an indicator of the attitude of a particular segment of Americans. These Americans just want something different in the political realm. They don’t trust government, they aren’t interested in the nuances of issues, and they are irritated with the state of our country and with various key topics like immigration, healthcare, and the economy. They don’t want political correctness, they don’t want careful reasoning, they want someone to say the blunt, and perhaps even rude, comments they have already been thinking. Trump provides that segment with an alternative, even if just for the amusement. Trump’s “success” then is largely because, as a businessman, he understands how to market his “brand” to that segment of Americans.
By contrast, Dr. Ben Carson’s campaign is also steadily gaining, not because of his own charisma or experience but from his messaging to another segment of Americans. This segment supports Carson because they support reason, logic, and a higher perspective on what was, is and what could be. Carson to them represents general American principles and values that they are concerned are being swept away in recent years. Although Carson is sometimes labeled an “outsider”, to this segment, he is a modern example of the citizen-statesman that resonates with those who hold onto traditional perspectives on government, politics, and potentials. The Trump crowd and the Carson crowd, are not unlike similar segments in the left/ liberal/Democrat. And as such are representative of our American dualism and the varying perspectives about our government.
But, if we consider the fact that even when the Constitution was being drafted, we had division and conflict within our country, and such divisions and conflicts continued through the Civil War, Civil Rights era, Vietnam, Cold War, post 9/11, etc, we might consider this dualism as much like these other times in our history where citizens felt differently. However, the distinction between “then” and “now” is more one of attitudes rather than arguments. Throughout those other eras of conflict and division, people cared deeply about the issues and the approaches – even if they disagreed on them and even if they were not well informed. Today, many people are less interested in issues and approaches or even debate. They want what relates to them – nothing more, nothing less. And our social and news media perpetuate that by providing news and updates that relate only to that viewer rather than the broader issues. As a result, many in our country have lots of information to support their particular perspective, but very little awareness of the bigger picture. And, everyone seems to have something to say about many issues, but very few have real solutions and approaches to address those issues.
Perhaps in this context, Constitution Day is that much more significant. It’s a reminder of a time when conflict and division actually resulted in something greater than ourselves and our self interest. It reflects the fact that ideas that endure are those that are flexible with time and society, but sturdy enough to withstand time and society when needed. If in a hot summer in Philadelphia, a government could be formed out of divided perspectives and then endure for more than 225 years, then perhaps our dual America can also see that it is possible to still to do what is right and just now to ensure blessings of this country for ourselves and our posterity.