“Protecting Democracy”
Tune in to “Be Bold America!” Sunday, September 29 at 5:00pm
Our democracy is in danger and Protect Democracy (protectdemocracy.org) is watching and indexing the threats not seen in generations. In partnership with the “Authoritarian Warning Survey”, they currently rank the threat level as: “Substantial Erosion.” What does this mean and how do we fight the significant threats to our already teetering democracy?
Protect Democracy has identified six threats to our ability to save our American democracy: Politicizing Independent Institutions, Spreading Disinformation, Executive Power Grabs, Quashing Dissent, Delegitimizing Communities, and Corrupting Elections. Please join in by listening to Ben Berwick, Councel for Protect Democracy, and Mike Rotkin, five-time Mayor of the City of Santa Cruz, as they discuss more fully what these threats are and how we may fight to save the Republic.
Ben Berwick, Counsel, Before joining Protect Democracy, Ben worked for 6.5 years in the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) – spending most of the time as a Trial Attorney with the Civil Division, Federal Programs Branch. In that capacity, Ben defended against challenges to federal statutes and actions of the Executive Branch. He litigated cases involving a variety of statutes and agencies, including as the lead attorney in cases challenging the Department of Education’s and DOJ’s interpretation of Title IX as prohibiting discrimination against transgender students.
Mike Rotkin is a former five-time mayor of the City of Santa Cruz and served six terms on the Santa Cruz City Council between 1979 and 2010. Mike retired after teaching 42 years in the Community Studies Dept. at UCSC, where he served as Director of the Field Studies Program, supervising student interns working on social and environmental issues in Santa Cruz and around the globe. Mike currently does part-time organizing and grievance work for the University Council of the American Federation of Teachers. He has been recalled to teach part-time at UCSC and serves on the Board of Directors of the Coastal Watershed Council and the Democratic Women’s Club of Santa Cruz County.
