Trump Trial Also A Referendum On Authoritarianism In America

[DonViejo]

02/07/2021 06:00 am ET

A conviction would send a message that Republicans believe that elections and the rule of law are foundational, but so far, leaders prefer to avoid the issue.

By S.V. Date

WASHINGTON — As the Senate readies for yet another Donald Trump impeachment trial and prepares to judge the former president’s conduct, senators also may be voting on a much bigger question: American democracy versus American authoritarianism.

Because, while Trump is charged specifically with inciting the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, his and his allies’ and supporters’ own words show that the assault was the culmination of a monthslong attempt to overturn the election he lost and included a discussion of invoking martial law.

Despite this, Republican senators appear prepared to let Trump go unpunished, thereby allowing him to run for federal office, including the presidency, again — a choice that authoritarianism researchers worry will send exactly the wrong message.

“People have an amazing capacity to incorporate the ‘unimaginable’ and just move on,” said Karen Stenner, author of “The Authoritarian Dynamic,” a 2005 work that warned that Western liberal democracies were at risk from would-be autocrats in an era of rapid demographic changes. “I find it so frightening,”

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https://www.huffpost.com/entry/donald-trump-authoritarianism-trial_n_601da433c5b66c385ef94e86

[OldBaldy1701E]

1. I don't think it is 'rapid demographic changes' Dr. Stenner...

I feel it is more complete citizen apathy (recent election notwithstanding) brought on by complete disillusionment. They don't see any changes so they stop paying attention to any of it. Hell, look what it took to get out the percentage of voters we got in the last election.