Today we speak with some reverence about the U.S. Constitution, the document remarkable for its time

that established our democracy and still guides and informs our rights and freedoms to this day.

But when the U.S. Constitution was

presented to the founding fathers for ratification, they weren't universally enthusiastic about it.

In 1787, Ever the Optimist, 81-year-old Benjamin Franklin delivered his final speech to the

Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. He had to convince several delegates to sign on

to the Constitution. Many of them harbored hesitations. In fact, Franklin had a few himself.

He acknowledged that the Constitution was indeed flawed and left space for the possibility that

over time, as society and opinions changed, so would this document. But despite its faults, Franklin believed this Constitution

was better than the alternative, living under a monarchy without representative democracy.

It was the no-king's movement of the time. Franklin was able to persuade the holdouts. The

constitution was signed, and the United States of America was born. It is said that on the way out of the convention, Benjamin Franklin was signed, and the United States of America was born.

It is said that on the way out of the convention, Benjamin Franklin was asked what sort of government the delegates had just created. He responded, quote, a republic, if you can keep it.

Our Constitution, and more broadly our democracy, has been resilient, more of a cactus than a rose. But it does require some attention, even in easy times. This democracy needs care. And we're not in easy times.

Right now it's in dire need of defense and it needs defenders who are willing to do whatever it takes.

True democracy also requires the competition of ideas. When that does not exist,

political parties stop functioning properly, and when even one of our two major parties stops

functioning, democracy itself is put at risk. We all know by now that the Republican Party is no

longer a functioning political party in America. It is a fully captured vessel of authoritarianism,

which makes it even more vital that the Democratic Party rise to this moment in defense of our

democracy. But whether national democratic leadership is unwilling or simply unable to do so,

they are largely not rising to this moment.

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