It's election day, a day that was on my mind as I wrote PERCEPTION. If you've read it, you may remember a scene in which Ellis and Jean discussed Haitian politics. Here's an excerpt.
Jean turned up his radio for the suddenly breaking news. General Henri Namphy had stepped in as Haiti’s new leader. He’d proclaimed that Haiti had only one voter—the army.
When I said I’d never understand Haitian politics, Jean sighed and switched off the radio. “It’s like this,” he said. “What if a powerful American general decided he wanted to be president? And what if the army agreed?” I shook my head at the notion. “Okay, then say your Ronald Reagan chose to be president for life?”
“That’s impossible. The people wouldn’t stand for it,” I said.
“Is it impossible? He could just make the decree.”
“We have fair elections,” I said. “Democracy.”
“Democracy. Ha! No such thing. Men want power, Ellis.”
“We have a solid constitution. Term limits. Oversight. And an objective supreme court,” I said.
Jean raised an eyebrow and chuckled. “How long do you think that will last?”
His little jab disturbed me. Was American democracy so fragile? What would its demise mean to the rest of the world?
I wonder what Ellis would think of the presidential choice before us?
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