Falls short? HA! We'll be lucky to peak at 2.5 degrees!

Co-author of "How Democracies Die" says the GOP is ready to seize power. But they might not be able to keep it
By DEAN OBEIDALLAH, SALON

It can happen here. The "it" ought to be obvious by now: an authoritarian or even fascist regime in the United States. That was a big reason why Harvard professor Steven Levitsky, along with his colleague Daniel Ziblatt, published the 2018 book "How Democracies Die." They wanted to warn Americans of the dangerous signs they saw in Donald Trump's presidency that followed the authoritarian playbook.

So where are we now in terms of our democracy? I spoke with Levitsky recently for Salon Talks, and here's one line that really stood out: Levitsky told me, "Five years ago I would have laughed you out of the room if you suggested our democracy could die." But today, he added, we see the Republican Party apparently focused on breaking our democracy. In a nutshell, Levitsky believes the threat to our democracy is more acute today than when Trump was in the White House, since the GOP is desperate to retain its fading power in the face of hostile demographic change.

Levitsky describes today's GOP as "clearly an authoritarian party." Worse yet, it's no longer all about Trump. He sees the GOP continuing on its anti-democratic path for years to come, saying that even the contested term "fascist" is becoming more defensible given the GOP's defense or denial of the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.

Interview

America is in deep trouble — and I say that not out of hatred but out of love. James Baldwin once explained that he loved America "more than any other country in the world and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually."

With little fanfare, last Monday was World Freedom Day. President Biden offered an obligatory public statement, including the somewhat dubious claim that since the fall of the Berlin Wall 32 years ago, "we have seen great progress to advance human rights and fundamental freedoms as well as to build and consolidate democratic institutions across the formerly communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe and around the world." But democracy, the president admitted, "remains under threat" in many parts of the world where "we see aspiring autocrats trample the rule of law, attack freedom of the press, and undermine an independent judiciary."

Biden's proclamation continues:



It is a statement of what the United States wishes it were, not what it actually is, especially in this era of democracy crisis and ascendant neofascism. In total, there is something apprehensive and sad in this overly hopeful tribute, not to mention a hefty dose of denial. Biden's proclamation almost sounds like the words of a president who knows his country is losing a war, yet tells the public: "Victory is imminent! Do not despair!"

By CHAUNCEY DEVEGA, SALON
PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 15, 2021 6:00AM (EST)
https://www.salon.com/2021/11/15/american-democracy-is-on-the-treadmill-of-doom-how-do-we-get-off/

Denial, I fear, is what too many Democratic officials are engaging in right now, and that has to stop.

WARNING: This video contains a brief clip of Tucker Carlson. Thus, if you have eaten in the past hour, Proceed At Own Risk