Bill Clinton geeft scherpe waarschuwing op 4 juli over bedreigingen voor de Amerikaanse democratie

Two hundred and fifty years ago in Philadelphia, our Founders embarked on a radical experiment and declared a new nation rooted in the ideal of equality, with an elected government charged to advance life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Since then, our government of, by, and for the people has become the longest-lasting continuous democracy in the history of the world. Our road from 1776 to today has been, in Abraham Lincoln’s words, “piled high with difficulty.” At every turn, there have been forces of reaction seeking to claw back the extension of our rights and liberties to more people. But by and large, thanks to celebrated leaders and everyday Americans alike, we have stumbled in the right direction—widening the circle of opportunity, deepening the meaning of freedom, and strengthening the bonds of our community. Today, we celebrate this milestone amid another period of deep division, renewed questions about America’s future and role in the world, and serious threats to our own institutions and to our democracy itself. The people in charge have unleashed masked agents on American communities to seize people from their homes, workplaces, and the street. They have started an unconstitutional war on a whim, with no clear objectives or exit strategy, and zero regard for the consequences to the lives of millions of people around the world. With the help of lifetime appointees to the Supreme Court and a compliant Congress, they have weaponized government to settle personal scores, prosecute enemies, stamp out free speech, and made the federal government a new profit center for themselves and their allies. Their New Deal is socialism for the super-rich (and their own enrichment) even if it means increasing poverty, inequality, and illness at home and around the world. They also want to rewrite history to ignore and outright deny our past flaws while banning books that say otherwise from our libraries. And they select even our military leaders based on their version of political correctness over ability. But this isn’t the first time we’ve come close to the edge. Throughout our history, we’ve fought about what it means to make our union more perfect and who belongs. So far, at every major turning point, we have chosen inclusion over division... There is still nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what’s right with America.