kemajic said:So you think our degrading democracy is due to right of center influence? Who is in power in the US and trying every means possible to grab more? Who is closing off free speech in universities? Who is indoctrinating school children with political narrative? Who is destroying cities with rioting and looting? Without consequences. Who is defunding police to destroy rule of law? Tells us all we need to know about you.Ursa Major said:The erosion of Democracy is happening globally, not just here. Take a look at the right-wing strongmen in Poland, Hungary, India, Turkey and Brazil. The rise of neo-nazism and the far right in Western Europe. Much of it fueled by xenophobia, hatred and fear toward immigrants, outsiders and domestic political enemies.
They all use the same playbook to tear down the fundamental institutions of democracies: degradation of the rule of law, restrictions and denunciation of a free and vigorous press, attack and manipulate free and fair elections, using the judiciary to go after their domestic enemies, and, attacking the nation’s intelligentsia, replacing subject-matter experts with apparatchiks that will follow the party line.
Democracies are incredibly fragile.
I encourage anyone who doesn’t believe me to read Twilight of Democracy by right of center historian and journalist Anne Applebaum. It’s an important book that records the decline of democracy in the US and Western Europe.
I dare any of you doubters to read the book and come back here and debate its contents.
We’re heading to a barbecue, depending on my post-event sobriety, I will try and respond to other posts.
So your response to the erosion of democracy and threat of authoritarianism in this country is to parrot Fox News culture war arguments?
We’re talking about a president that routinely called the press the enemy of the people. A guy that fired an FBI Director who was investigating his relationship with Russia and fired five inspector generals investigating the actions of his administration.
Attempted to involve foreign countries in American elections in both 2020 and 2016.
Refused to accept the results of a free and fair election and then incited a group of his supporters to march on the Capitol.
Those are the actions of an illiberal authoritarian. If we elect another leader like that, regardless of party, it very well could be the end of the American experiment.