Dear Fellow Marylanders,
From Alexander Hamilton’s and Aaron Burr’s duel 220 years ago this month, to the assassinations of Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., to the more recent murder of Washington County Circuit Court Judge Andrew Wilkinson, and most recent assassination attempt on the former president, political violence has been an unfortunate part of American history. Political violence is indicative of a strained political climate and often happens in the context of a country that is seemingly pulling itself apart, at all levels of government, with Americans “picking sides” and declaring the other side an “enemy.” Today, once again, our democracy and even the basic rule of law is under increasing strain and pressure.
Abraham Lincoln’s assassination followed the end of the Civil War and slavery in America with the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation and adoption of the Reconstruction Amendments to the Constitution. The country was on the brink of a nuclear war with Cuba and in the midst of the Civil Rights Movement when John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Ronald Reagan’s assassination attempt followed campaign rhetoric of extinguishing a modern cultural shift and desire to move the country backwards to the ‘50s and ‘60s.
Today is no different. The recent instances of political violence – from school board meetings to national political rallies – reveal the deep rift and tension in the country because another generational shift is happening.
We are more polarized than ever before. Mass shootings are an increasingly common occurrence. The planet is growing hotter by the day due to climate change. There is a generation of young people crushed by student loan debt. Home ownership is becoming more unattainable, even rents are skyrocketing. Tolerance, equity and reproductive rights are being chipped away. It seems like the progress we’ve made as a society in striving for a “more perfect union”, as promised in the Constitution’s Preamble, is being eroded.
The frustrations of the American people are understandable but never an excuse for violence in our nation or anywhere.
The most effective opposition isn’t through violence; it’s with your voice and your vote.
The reality is that Americans have been electing more diverse people at every level of government who are creating a bigger, more inclusive tent, attempting to level the playing field for those systematically disenfranchised and creating a better future for the next generation.
In the Senate, my colleagues and I fought for the Affordable Care Act and fought against partisan attempts to repeal it. As a result, more people receive health care coverage than ever before.
We voted to pass President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, the most significant action Congress has taken on clean energy and climate change in the nation’s history.
With legislation like the Right to Contraception Act, we’re working to codify the right to contraception and pushing back on further restrictions to essential reproductive health services, after the Supreme Court rolled back the clock on reproductive freedoms.
In the last Congress under President Biden’s leadership, we enacted historic legislation to repair our nation’s crumbling infrastructure. We also invested in the high-technology industries of the future to make American more competitive. We passed once-in-a-generation gun safety legislation to help address mental health problems that can lead to violence and keep guns out of the hands of individuals that should not have them. We came together on a bipartisan legislation to help prevent another January 6 insurrection by clarifying the rules on how to properly count Presidential ballots cast in the Electoral College.
This doesn’t happen with just an individual taking action or through violence, but with a collective voice.
Violence doesn’t create change. It’s a rejection of change. Unfortunately, it’s usually a rejection of change that advances progress for the American people and democracy. Rather than celebrate that more people have opportunities and broader rights as citizens, some group feels aggrieved.
We must break the cycle of violence. Progress is an inevitable part of our future, but political violence doesn’t have to be. Progress is what defines us as Americans and keeps our country strong.
As history has shown, change can create deep fractures within our society. But as we continue to grow as a country, we should always remember President Biden’s words, “In America, we resolve our differences at the ballot box…The power to change America should always rest in the hands of the people…”
The First Amendment protects the “right of the people peaceably to assembly, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
I encourage Marylanders to reach out to your friends and neighbors and work to build bridges in your communities to bring individuals together for the greater good. We can disagree with each other without becoming disagreeable and your opponent does not need to become your enemy. We are blessed to live in a democracy under the rule of law, and to have a right to vote for our elected representatives, and to praise or criticize them as we see fit. Let’s remain engaged together in working on our never-ending quest to create a “more perfect Union”.
In this forum, I won’t tell you who to vote for, but I will tell you that voting is one of the most effective ways to have your voice heard by policymakers.
Thank you for your time. Please feel free to reply to this email with your thoughts on this topic or any other. I appreciate all the feedback we receive.
In solidarity,
Ben Cardin
