We have been in political doldrums since the 2022 midterm elections. Our initial euphoria over how well Democrats did in the midterms was quickly dispelled when it became clear that Democrats did not do well enough. Democrats failed to maintain their majority in the House of Representatives and thus opened themselves and the country to continued anti-democratic challenges from a branch of Congress. Although democracy won the last two election cycles, we do not know what those victories mean. Authoritarians do not believe in elections nor adhere to their outcomes when they lose.
Consequently, we cannot be confident that we have beaten back the authoritarian threat we face. The violent insurrection in Washington, D.C., on January 6 was a response to Donald Trump’s 2020 Presidential loss. The domestic terrorist shootings into the homes of four Democratic officials in Albuquerque, New Mexico, followed the midterm loss of Trump supporter Solomon Peña for a state House seat. Will we face further political terrorism, especially if authoritarians continue to lose elections?
Consequently, we cannot be confident that we have beaten back the authoritarian threat we face. The violent insurrection in Washington, D.C., on January 6 was a response to Donald Trump’s 2020 Presidential loss. The domestic terrorist shootings into the homes of four Democratic officials in Albuquerque, New Mexico, followed the midterm loss of Trump supporter Solomon Peña for a state House seat. Will we face further political terrorism, especially if authoritarians continue to lose elections?
Whether we are moving toward a robust democracy or authoritarianism is a critical question that eludes much of the mainstream media (MSM). Instead, the MSM is engrossed with George Santos’ lies, Biden’s mishandling of classified documents, and the ineptitude of House Republicans. The MSM is fascinated by how Santos created a persona based on lies but was still able to win a congressional seat. A few pundits have linked Santos’ creation of a fictional persona to Trump’s propensity to lie about his life and accomplishments. These pundits argue that Trump’s willingness to lie has made lying acceptable in the Republican Party.
Besides Santos’ lies, the MSM focuses on the discovery of classified documents from President Biden’s days as Vice-President in his home and interim office. The reason for the MSM focus on this story seems to be an expectation of voter outrage at Biden. Except for hardcore Trump supporters, voters see little similarity between how Biden and Trump handled classified documents. While Trump’s handling of classified documents may have national security implications, few neutral observers believe that the same potential for national security exists in the mishandling of the Biden documents.
A third continuing story has been the ineptitude of the House Republicans. To gain the Speakership in a divided House, Kevin McCarthy negotiated away key powers previous Speakers had. For example, instead of five, now one member of the House can call for a vote by the entire House to retain or remove the Speaker. Nonetheless, McCarthy could not garner the needed 218 votes by House members on the first vote. Indeed, McCarthy could not gain the support of 218 members until the fifteenth vote. Also, the Republican majority has announced that it will start a series of investigations and other actions aimed at punishing Democrats, partly for their opposition to many of the policies and actions of Donald Trump. The MSM has been mesmerized by the unhinged comportment of House Republicans and has covered their antics extensively.
The MSM has presented these three stories as a disconnected series of interesting flaws. However, they share a narrative of institutional failure mainly precipitated by anti-democratic Republicans. When these stories are connected, they support authoritarians’ call for scrapping democratic institutions. Santos’ lies undermine the perceived integrity of Congress and, thus, our entire political system. By equating Biden’s mishandling of classified documents with Trump’s deliberate theft of classified the efficacy of the Presidency is called into question. And the ineptitude of House Republicans helps to destabilize the effectiveness of Congress and help to weaken our political system.
Moreover, once institutions are perceived to be failing, people depend on those institutions. Once these institutions fail, the privations people suffer tend to lead to resentment. Antidemocracy forces will use these failures and deprivations as a basis for attacking democracy.
These institutional failures and the disinformation barrage they engender represent an existential danger to democracy. This threat will not be fixed by elections alone. Authoritarians do not believe in their legitimacy of them and have shown themselves unwilling to abide by them. Instead, two steps, at least, will be needed. First, pro-democracy lawmakers must recognize that the anti-democratic forces attempting to undermine our institutions are attacking democracy. They are neither nihilists seeking chaos nor performance artists seeking attention. They have an agenda; it is to establish an authoritarian nation. Second, lawmakers must be willing to fight for democracy aggressively. They cannot trust that their moderation will lead the authoritarians to lessen their antagonism toward democracy or weaken their efforts to overturn our institutions.
Depending on the outcome of biennial elections, especially those not overwhelmingly won, defeating authoritarianism is a defeatist strategy. Until pro-democracy leaders demonstrate that they fully understand the threat we face from authoritarians and declare a robust plan to confront it, we will be adrift. After all, low voter turnout due to bad weather in one or two states could spell disaster for democracy.
Besides Santos’ lies, the MSM focuses on the discovery of classified documents from President Biden’s days as Vice-President in his home and interim office. The reason for the MSM focus on this story seems to be an expectation of voter outrage at Biden. Except for hardcore Trump supporters, voters see little similarity between how Biden and Trump handled classified documents. While Trump’s handling of classified documents may have national security implications, few neutral observers believe that the same potential for national security exists in the mishandling of the Biden documents.
A third continuing story has been the ineptitude of the House Republicans. To gain the Speakership in a divided House, Kevin McCarthy negotiated away key powers previous Speakers had. For example, instead of five, now one member of the House can call for a vote by the entire House to retain or remove the Speaker. Nonetheless, McCarthy could not garner the needed 218 votes by House members on the first vote. Indeed, McCarthy could not gain the support of 218 members until the fifteenth vote. Also, the Republican majority has announced that it will start a series of investigations and other actions aimed at punishing Democrats, partly for their opposition to many of the policies and actions of Donald Trump. The MSM has been mesmerized by the unhinged comportment of House Republicans and has covered their antics extensively.
The MSM has presented these three stories as a disconnected series of interesting flaws. However, they share a narrative of institutional failure mainly precipitated by anti-democratic Republicans. When these stories are connected, they support authoritarians’ call for scrapping democratic institutions. Santos’ lies undermine the perceived integrity of Congress and, thus, our entire political system. By equating Biden’s mishandling of classified documents with Trump’s deliberate theft of classified the efficacy of the Presidency is called into question. And the ineptitude of House Republicans helps to destabilize the effectiveness of Congress and help to weaken our political system.
Moreover, once institutions are perceived to be failing, people depend on those institutions. Once these institutions fail, the privations people suffer tend to lead to resentment. Antidemocracy forces will use these failures and deprivations as a basis for attacking democracy.
These institutional failures and the disinformation barrage they engender represent an existential danger to democracy. This threat will not be fixed by elections alone. Authoritarians do not believe in their legitimacy of them and have shown themselves unwilling to abide by them. Instead, two steps, at least, will be needed. First, pro-democracy lawmakers must recognize that the anti-democratic forces attempting to undermine our institutions are attacking democracy. They are neither nihilists seeking chaos nor performance artists seeking attention. They have an agenda; it is to establish an authoritarian nation. Second, lawmakers must be willing to fight for democracy aggressively. They cannot trust that their moderation will lead the authoritarians to lessen their antagonism toward democracy or weaken their efforts to overturn our institutions.
Depending on the outcome of biennial elections, especially those not overwhelmingly won, defeating authoritarianism is a defeatist strategy. Until pro-democracy leaders demonstrate that they fully understand the threat we face from authoritarians and declare a robust plan to confront it, we will be adrift. After all, low voter turnout due to bad weather in one or two states could spell disaster for democracy.