If nothing else, the Enron collapse should make us sit up and pay attention to Abe and George. Our prosperity depends on a sound democracy. We rightly honor both Washington and Lincoln as great war-time leaders who brought us through the conflicts that forged and tested our new nation. But we should honor them equally for their leadership in building democracy.

General Washington's most fateful political decision for our young country was to reject the post-war dictatorship urged on him by his officers and other supporters. In that single act of measured judgment and integrity, he helped make it possible for our three-part government to emerge, however imperfectly. Here in Massachusetts, our own House Speaker Finneran might do well to reflect on Washington's choice and on the price of grasping for personal power at the expense of open government. His little legislative district of Mattapan may one day come to feel as confining as Napoleon's exile on Elba.

If I could choose just one book from the thousands on Abraham Lincoln, it would be Lincoln at Gettysburg: The Words That Remade America. In it, historian Garry Wills unpacks the 272 words of the Gettysburg Address, and shows how Lincoln "completed the work of guns with the power of words". In a political and literary master stroke, Lincoln reshaped his listeners' understanding of their past and the Constitution, and gave them — and us — "a new birth of freedom." The closing words: ".that a government of the people, by the people, and for the people shall not perish from the earth," remain the nation's touchstone for measuring our success in building democracy. 

So how are we measuring up? Future historians will need to judge George W. Bush on both his war record and his contributions to democracy. Here in the Commonwealth, these are but the most recent symptoms of democracy's decline: a stagnating House of Representatives run as a virtual dictatorship by the Speaker Thomas Finneran, a state budget delayed 30 weeks by Finneran and then delivered for legislative rubber stamp with less than 24 hours notice, and the "Clean Elections" law still dangling un-funded between the Supreme Judicial Court and House Speaker Finneran.

What to do? This is where citizen responsibility comes in, and where most of us throw up our hands. If seventy per cent of our legislative seats now go uncontested, how do we demand accountability from the Representatives who keep re-electing Mr. Finneran so that he will keep on squashing campaign finance reform in order to keep us from holding our legislators and Finneran accountable?

Here is one solution, but it isn't easy. First, demand to know if your legislator voted in Mr. Finneran as House Speaker. Second, ask whether he or she is a participant in Finneran's incumbent-protection-program to eliminate Clean Elections. If so, run for office against him or her, and offer yourself as a Clean Elections candidate, whether the law is funded or not. Democracy only functions when people can make informed choices. That's really what it comes down to.

A decade ago, "It's the economy, stupid!" was the prescription given for fighting the last recession. But that single-minded focus on unrestricted growth at all costs helped lead us into the current bust. The Enron collapse is our wake up call, reminding us that the free market doesn't function well without effective regulation. Effective government oversight of the economy just doesn't happen when the elections of our leaders are paid for by private corporations and special interests. Simply put, creating a solid and broadly shared prosperity requires a functioning democracy . and campaign finance reform.

We'll need a new recipe coming out of this recession. One part should convey our commitment to democracy in order to provide a solid base for the next up-cycle of prosperity. Mix that with a dash of George Washington's integrity and Abraham Lincoln's vision. Then create a stir. Agitate well.

Maybe we can all get to work on it once the President's day "sale-abrations" are out of the way. Let's not create anything cheap or tacky. After all, Democracy is only priceless when it's not on sale.

Andrew Baker
Shelburne Falls, MA

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(Andrew Baker was the Democratic candidate for State Representative in the 2nd Berkshire District in 2000. He is Executive Director of the Shelburne Falls Area Business Association.)

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