06-29-2024, 11:31 AM
No country starts off electing a dictator. It happens when a power-mad authoritarian has a willing base of supporters,, legislature, judicial system. and enough of the military supporting him to trample people's rights
They take over democratic norms by small cuts with too many people ignoring what is going on either because they agree with that move or because things aren't affecting them...yet. By the time they do, it is too late
This is why people sound the alarms when SCOTUS allows public officials to be bribed in forms of "gratuities", or allows dark money in politics by giving anonymously funded groups equal rights to individuals, or turns their heads and allows blatant political gerrymandering (on both sides) essentially allowing the party in power to stay in power forever. Far too many states have single-party rule with legislative supermajorities. In those states, political minorities have no power whatsoever.
It is why we sound the alarm when places like Florida remove the ability to properly teach "controversial" subjects or the freedom to access any book. It is why people fight laws forcing religious teaching into the public schools or vouchers which take public tax money from the public schools and give it to religious private schools.
It was why the idea of gutting the civil service system to place loyalists to an individual into government jobs as outlined in Project 2025 is so frightening.
We fear Trump's dictator narrative because we listen to what he says, what his primary supporters (the ones who will be in positions of power) say, and what his voters say. We fear because we've actually read ALL of Project 2025 and understand the implications of his blueprint. We fear because we've seen the judicial rulings of the judges he appointed in his first term. We sound the alarm because we studied history and have seen it happen to other countries.
So far Trump has been successful in undercutting people's faith in elections, the media, the Justice system. He has set neighbors against neighbors with his rhetoric. He demonizes his detractors and portrays them as enemies who must be vanquished. "if you aren't with ME you are against America" He has taken Republicans from a party loyal to conservative ideas to a party lhere loyalty to Trump first and foremost
Trusting the system not to fail is a dangerous mindset
They take over democratic norms by small cuts with too many people ignoring what is going on either because they agree with that move or because things aren't affecting them...yet. By the time they do, it is too late
This is why people sound the alarms when SCOTUS allows public officials to be bribed in forms of "gratuities", or allows dark money in politics by giving anonymously funded groups equal rights to individuals, or turns their heads and allows blatant political gerrymandering (on both sides) essentially allowing the party in power to stay in power forever. Far too many states have single-party rule with legislative supermajorities. In those states, political minorities have no power whatsoever.
It is why we sound the alarm when places like Florida remove the ability to properly teach "controversial" subjects or the freedom to access any book. It is why people fight laws forcing religious teaching into the public schools or vouchers which take public tax money from the public schools and give it to religious private schools.
It was why the idea of gutting the civil service system to place loyalists to an individual into government jobs as outlined in Project 2025 is so frightening.
We fear Trump's dictator narrative because we listen to what he says, what his primary supporters (the ones who will be in positions of power) say, and what his voters say. We fear because we've actually read ALL of Project 2025 and understand the implications of his blueprint. We fear because we've seen the judicial rulings of the judges he appointed in his first term. We sound the alarm because we studied history and have seen it happen to other countries.
So far Trump has been successful in undercutting people's faith in elections, the media, the Justice system. He has set neighbors against neighbors with his rhetoric. He demonizes his detractors and portrays them as enemies who must be vanquished. "if you aren't with ME you are against America" He has taken Republicans from a party loyal to conservative ideas to a party lhere loyalty to Trump first and foremost
Trusting the system not to fail is a dangerous mindset
Fueled by the pursuit of greatness.
