THE SOUL OF DEMOCRACY won in the US yesterday. And that is something to celebrate — regardless of which party you were rooting for.
For years I was a professional working with governments, in the US, Sweden, the EU, and internationally. I observed professional neutrality with regard to political parties. It’s a hard habit to break, but I have been open about my own loyalties, and my politics, since retirement (see link to my statement on that below). So let me openly celebrate the results of this US mid-term election.
I have been so moved to see so many women winning historic races, and to see so many candidates winning generally who aspire to integrity and decency in public service. To see diversity itself winning, and to see people whose victories first seemed wildly improbable — because of their gender, skin color, sexuality, or religion — step up to the microphone to claim their title as Senator, Governor, Member of Congress. It’s inspiring. It seems like the country is trying to turn back from a decade-long rise of normalized bullying, billionaire-influencers holding too much power, and a plague of plain old meanness in its politics.
For me, it’s just not about the parties. Born and raised in the US, I was a Republican in my youth, from a staunch Republican family. My views changed, and so did that party — but I still remember it as the party of Lincoln, and I recall with gratitude the principled Republicans I got to know personally back then, such as Congressman Lou Frey, Jr., for whom I had the privilege of interning, for a week in Washington DC as a high school student. Frey left a huge, positive impression on me. (Read about him at the link below, too.)
But I was also raised in a family that would not tolerate political corruption, deception, or bullying. Even my very conservative New England grandmother would sometimes break away from her generations-long political affiliation if she felt integrity itself was at stake. My mother worked alongside Democrats and Republicans alike in her leadership role with Habitat for Humanity: it was their commitment to service, not their party affiliation, that she valued.
So, I am celebrating so many Democratic victories today not because these candidates were Democrats, but because of who they are as people, and because so many of them seem genuinely committed to a set of public service ideals. Even if I don’t always agree with their ideas.
Because regardless of party, in the US or in Sweden, I am first and foremost a life-long democrat with a small “d”. And for me, a commitment to public decency, public service, and to the wellbeing of all, is the true soul of democracy.
That is why I am celebrating today!
🌅
Here is the statement I published earlier on my loyalties in the public sphere: https://alanatkisson.com/2025/10/07/loyalties-a-framework-for-how-i-intend-to-engage-in-the-public-sphere/
And here is a nice summary of the professional life and work of Congressman Lou Frey, Jr., who represented my district in Orlando, Florida, 1969-79. Nice detail: “In his last campaign, he received nearly 80% of the vote in a Democratic district.” https://loufreyinstitute.org/about-us/congressman-lou-frey-jr/
(No AI was used in writing this post. The image is AI-generated from my prompt reflecting the above.)
