How do we protect our Democracy?

[samsingh]

Regardless of the fact that we managed to vote Trump out of office, i think the country just had a near death experience. Democracy only barely survived. A few thousand votes here and there and the outcome would have been different and then there was nothing standing in the way of trump and his miserable senate enablers from dismantling the remaining Democratic institutions in the country.

How do we reengage and protect our Democracy? We should'nt have to worry that the next repug president will again try to dismantle Democracy. Can we never have another republican president? In fact, are repug Senators just waiting to destroy Democracy?

[I_UndergroundPanther]

1. They want to destroy the government.

They are all seditious traitors.

I hope we never have another tyranny of a minority ever again.

[I_UndergroundPanther]

2. They want to destroy the government.

They are all seditious traitors.

I hope we never have another tyranny of a minority ever again.

[Mike 03]

3. We have an enormous problem.

It deserves more space than is possible in a post.

i think the country just had a near death experience

I couldn't possibly agree more with that statement.

Europe is facing a similar crisis. We should see how, or even if, they can beat back the proponents of autocratic systems in nations like Hungary, Poland, Moldova, Georgia and Russia. Even in nations that have managed to preserve Democracy, they face the rising popularity of far right parties and factions (Germany is one example). Italy had a crisis with Matteo Salvini.

The Dictator Playbook is ancient, but it still works. How is it even possible that those old tricks still work on modern people? How gullible and uneducated have we become?

For most of us it seems like a no-brainer: Human beings should naturally prefer Democracy to autocratic forms of government, but it's simply no longer the case.

I've learned from reading the book Unholy by Sarah Posner that the Alt Right and the Christian Nationalists have found common ground, and part of that common ground is a growing rejection of Democracy. It's also global, with Christian Nationalism drawing succor (and outrageous financing) from allies in both Eastern and Western Europe. Russia figures into this crisis too.

IMHO, this issue of protecting Democracy and Global Warming are the two issues of our time.

[cilla4progress]

4. Watching The Rise of the Nazis

Last edited Thu Nov 19, 2020, 02:00 PM - Edit history (1)

On PBS gives a lot of insight.

Some of it is mere alchemy - the perfect combination of elements (craven actors; economy; primed populace) at a specific point in time.

Protecting democracy requires constant vigilance.

I'm not certain what that looks like beyond voting and actively supporting democratic candidates.

Awaiting further instruction.