Candidates in cities across Georgia, including here in White County, are qualifying this week for municipal elections, signing their names to paperwork that will put them before voters in the fall. This is a small but critical procedure, the beginning of democracy in action. It’s also a reminder of something bigger, and longer lasting — that campaigns are not just about winning office, but also about how we argue our principles in public.
The timing of qualifying week happens to coincide perfectly with one of the most consequential political campaigns in American history: the Illinois U.S. Senate race between Stephen A. Douglas and Abraham Lincoln was a national reckoning over slavery, drawing massive crowds, and pitting an established politician against a relative unknown.
Today marks the anniversary of the first of the seven Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1858, which framed the conflict that would rip the nation apart just a few short years after. For hours at a time, without microphones, they debated the central question: could the nation endure “half slave and half free?” Douglas pressed for popular sovereignty, while Lincoln argued slavery was a moral wrong that must not be allowed to spread.
Ultimately, Lincoln lost that Senate race. But the debates were published two years later, turning him into a national political celebrity, which led him to the White House.
Almost 170 years later, the debates remain an enduring lesson in the power of a good argument: moral, measured, principled, pragmatic, and respectful of the public’s ability to handle hard truths. It’s a lesson in honesty we should hold close as new campaigns begin.
As voters, we deserve more than simplistic slogans or social media skirmishes. We deserve candidates who will engage responsibly, and debate openly, making their case with clarity and conviction, even on tough issues.
We would be wise to take a cue from Honest Abe, whose example demonstrated that the strength of democracy is in the willingness of leaders and citizens alike to confront hard questions, openly and honestly and gracefully.