Words & Phrases

‘Disarray’ is another word for healthy politics.

On Sunday, Troy Jackson, former president of the Maine state senate, effectively wrapped up the nomination for the Democratic U.S. Senate nomination, filling the slot left by Graham Platner’s departure from the race after news of his sexual assault scandal broke. So ends the uncertainty over Platner’s replacement — and brings to an abrupt end the overwrought media coverage and angst-ridden punditry over Democrats’ travails in fielding a viable opponent to run against Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), whose vulnerabilities should actually panic Republicans.

When conflicts, surprises, or unforeseen events occur in Democratic ranks, as it did in Maine, you can invariably count on the billionaire-owned legacy media to paint events in the most extreme terms, often suggesting that missteps or uncertainty are evidence of the party’s impending doom. Such coverage often exceeds even the dictionary’s definition of disarray: “the state of being confused and having no organization or of being messy.” Instead, it veers closer to portraying outright chaos: “a state of utter confusion, disorder, or the complete absence of structure and predictability.”

Hackneyed clickbait that treats party politics as something that should be placid and conflict-free — as if Trump’s model of authoritarian control offers no hint of dissent and is the norm — is a bizarre way of covering politics in a democracy. Politics, like any human endeavor, is the product of sometimes irrational decision-making and forces that defy prediction. Moreover, in a democracy, it should be a messy affair, a venue for robust debate, diverse viewpoints, and contentious conflict resolution. What is abnormal and dangerous is politics that operates as a cult of personality, in which fear, self-abasement, and groupthink create a rigid uniformity that forecloses the push-and-shove of healthy debate.

As we saw in Maine, the conventional wisdom about Democrats’ periodic stumbles grossly exaggerated the party’s temporary woes. In fact, as soon as Platner’s sexual assault allegation burst into view, Democrats moved with remarkable speed and unity. National Democrats ranging from Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) uniformly agreed to pipe down regarding his replacement. Meanwhile, the energetic state party quickly devised a nominating process. Lo and behold, the party seems to have come together behind a unifying, electable figure this past weekend.

Huge credit goes to Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, who on Sunday announced that since “Trump’s attacks on our democracy are only accelerating, and the best way that I can serve our state and country at this moment is by focusing exclusively on my role as Secretary of State.” She explained, “This has been an unprecedented nominating process, compressed into days instead of months.” Expressing appreciation for all the volunteers who energetically swung into action, she emphasized “Democrats don’t have a day to waste in unifying around that shared goal.” Nirav Shah quickly followed suit, helping to clear the field and consolidate support around Troy Jackson. Numerous politicians, pundits, and advocates, e.g., pro- or anti-Zohran Mamdani, pro- or anti-Abdul El-Sayed, could learn something from this grown-up conduct, which prioritizes beating fascist enemies of democracy over scoring points against other Democratic factions.

The Maine episode reminds us that national media coverage and out-of-state political operators need to remain grounded in the day-to-day operation of state and local politics, where volunteers and staff keep the political trains running and activate when things don’t go as planned. Legacy and new media coverage might have avoided unwarranted hysterics (unless the goal was not accuracy but generating attention and coverage) had they better grasped the state of Maine’s grassroots politics.

Maine Democratic chair Charles F. Dingman, a thoughtful progressive with an intellectual bent, did a masterful job first helping to push Platner up and then quickly devising a credible nominating process for filling his slot. The weekend nominating convention, involving thousands of Mainers, can legitimately claim to be “representative, transparent, and accessible.”

The New York Times reported:

As Mr. Dingman rose to party chair last year, he told The Maine Morning Star that he wanted the state party to “be understood to be the party of Maine’s working people.”…

BJ McCollister, a Democratic National Committee representative, said few Mainers had “done as much as Charlie has done to make sure that there is some sort of social safety net protection — and the type of protections that progressives are often fighting for.”

Still, Mr. McCollister said Mr. Dingman had worked hard to be a “big-tent party” chair over the last year.

So maybe Democrats after all are not in such disarray, and not remotely chaotic?

Conflict and debate do not equate to “disarray” or chaos; they represent the healthy functioning of a political party that rejects a cult of personality. Democrats who care about forming a big tent and stressing the value of testing ideas and vetting candidates should reject the temptation to silence one side or the other, and ignore unfounded speculation that internal opponents’ victories will ensure doom in the general election and the party’s national fortunes.

Maine Democrats remind us that the most critical aspect of defeating authoritarianism is robust, committed citizen participation.

When voters take their democracy seriously, interact with neighbors directly, engage in local conventions/nominating processes, and use their own networks to bat down conspiracies and hysteria, democracy thrives. Less doomscrolling and punditry, more citizen activism and engagement with fellow voters, gird us to the benefit of our democratic revival.

In short, let’s dump the “disarray” and “chaos” lingo to describe the hurly-burly, healthy operation of politics. Not every Democratic blip equates to disaster. In fact, Platner’s exit may well prove to be a godsend to the party in November. If Maine is any example, more attention to and confidence in local political leaders and grassroots volunteers (aided by selfless public servants such as Bellows) will be a boon to our mental well-being and defense of our messy democratic political system.

An earlier version of this column misstated Shenna Bellows’s title. This version has been corrected.

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