Monday, March 24, 2025

Down and Up

The Guardian has put into words what many of us have been fearing for some time: “(Trump) is leading the world’s oldest continuous democracy to a once unthinkable destination.

“Eviscerating the federal government and subjugating Congress; defying court orders and delegitimising judges; deporting immigrants and arresting protesters without due process; chilling free speech at universities and cultural institutions; cowing news outlets with divide-and-rule. 

“Add a rightwing media ecosystem manufacturing consent and obeyance in advance, along with a weak and divided opposition offering feeble resistance. Join all the dots, critics say, and America is sleepwalking into authoritarianism.”

The Guardian article is very long and goes into great detail before ending on a surprising and welcome positive note.

Norm Eisen, a lawyer and founder of State Democracy Defenders Action, says “There is reason for hope but nobody knows. Will we go the way of Brazil, Poland, Czech Republic, where I was ambassador, all of which pushed out autocratic regimes in recent years? Or will we go the way of Hungary and Turkey, which failed to oust autocrats? It remains to be seen but I, at least, am hopeful.”

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