Will American democracy survive this fascist attack?

[Cyrano]

I really don't know. Neither does anyone else.

What we do know is that that this attack isn't from some foreign "enemy." This is an attack from within. This is an attack on the very concept of American democracy being fought by the Republican Party. And yes, "fought" is the right word. The Republican Party has declared "war" on our freedoms. They've been working up to it for decades and Trump finally pulled the trigger that ripped the mask off their white supremacist "philosophy" and their deeply embedded hatreds.

So what do we do now? How do we stop them? Will Manchin and Sinema help kill the filibuster? Who knows? Will that be sufficient to stop a fanatical, (a virtually crazed), political party? Who knows?

Within the next two to four years, we might find ourselves under totalitarian rule. Or, we may have found a way to avoid the disaster, yet still be fighting daily to hold onto whatever is left of our democracy.

We really don't know if most of the American population, or most voters, are aware of this fork in the road. And even if they are, we still don't know whether we can hold onto our democracy, or if it will be "won" or stolen from us.

So given how dark this post is, and given that none of us own a crystal ball, let me try to end here on a lighter note. What does the future hold for us? Well, Yogi Berra (supposedly) said, "When you come to a fork in the road, take it."

We can only hope that history/fate/luck/, or whatever universal intelligence may exist, makes the right choice.

[temporary311]

1. Maybe if Democrats were united in resisting it

but with people like Sinema and Manchin, I don't think it's likely.

[Colgate 64]

2. Yep. We have 2 years to begin to try and undo

some of the damage Trump and his band of flying monkeys created and we're left staring blankly at our hands as 2 of our supposed Democratic Senators prefer to side with their Rethuglican "coleagues". Go figure.

[Midnight Writer]

3. To me, this boils down to a power grab by the very, very rich.

They are no longer satisfied with having obscene wealth. Now they want unlimited power.

They want it all.

The "grassroots" movements, the RW media, the sowing of disinformation, the cults of personality.

All of this is being done intentionally and strategically by members of the American Ruling Class.

They are striving for a true oligarchy in America.

[Cyrano]

4. It's not just the wealthy. It's also the haters.

[Midnight Writer]

5. And who riles up all this irrational hate?

Who pays for the ads saying vaccines are a plot to destroy America?

Who pays the talking heads on TV who identify and denounce "the others"?

Who pays for the think tanks, the political strategists, the "spontaneous" uprisings over things as innocuous as face masks?

Who props up clowns like Donald Trump or Mike Lee (insert your own list here) and sell them as reasonable, accomplished Statesmen?

Religion, racism, bigotry, the outrage industry, are all tools used to accomplish the goals of the powerful.

Take any conservative, Right Wing position and ask: "Who Benefits?"

[lagomorph777]

13. Exactly: the wealthy exploit the haters for their own ends.

[RegularJam]

6. It's kind of up to our elected representatives and the small group of us paying attention.

This Saturday I went to a local downtown area. It was nothing but a big party. That afternoon I was off to the racetrack. Another big party. Children's museum on Sunday that was hosting a special production brought to town from Chicago. Packed with people having a blast. Restaurant on Sunday night where the wait was over an hour. It's similar to every restaurant in our area, most of which are fully staffed.

My point is that the area I'm in is in serious party mode and money is flowing in a major way.

Then I come read "Can we avoid a civil war" when I open DU Monday morning.

Our democratic republic has undergone massive changes since our inception with respect to representation. Representation is currently more equitable than historically, not less. It is currently under threat. I don't diminish that in any way. We just need to keep fighting. The average person is trying to enjoy life again. That is a great thing.

[Kaleva]

7. What preparations have you made for this attack and living under totalitarian rule?

My guess, if you actually thought this to be serious, is that you are heavily armed, have linked up with like minded people and formed a self defense group, have places scouted where you can go to ground if need be amongst other things.

If you didn't think this would actually happen or that living under totalitarian rule wouldn't be such a bad thing, then my guess is that you haven't done much if anything.

[llashram]

8. WE have to fight

vote, challenge every revisionist view, any Qviews, shun and censor the likes of a MTG or any other RW clown. If we fight we will win. Nov 2 2020 and the 85 million-plus votes that Biden/Harris got proved that. I hope

[doc03]

9. It will come to a head in 2024 and so far

it looks like they are winning.

[PortTack]

10. ☝️☝️☝️☝️☝️☝️

[peggysue2]

11. I have to believe that we can and must survive this

The alternative of slipping into an authoritarian dystopia is unthinkable. I wouldn't be able to sleep at night if I thought that was a legacy we were leaving behind to the next and future generations.

We have to keep remembering: We Are The Majority in this country which means those of us on the same side regardless of our histories need to be standing shoulder-to-shoulder.

It's the only way to push back effectively.

So yes, I think we can survive this anti-democratic, unAmerican movement if we're all on the same page and wake enough to know we're treading really dangerous waters, the kind that threatens to pull us down forever.

And yes again, a little luck should never be refused.

[lagomorph777]

12. We know it receives some support and funding from at least one foreign enemy.

But agreed, we have to deal with its home-grown terrorist agents and organizers.

And we must get serious about Manchin and Sinema (and their timid sympathizers) in the Senate. We have to organize, apply pressure, and intimidate them into doing the right thing for America, despite their obvious Qpublican leanings.