Democracy: Can We Keep It?

On June 18^th, at a Connecticut forum former President Barack Obama warned that the United States is moving, in his words, “dangerously close to autocracy.” So, when does a democracy devolve into an autocracy, and how does it happen? Sometimes it occurs externally when an outside group, with guns blazing, overturns a government and declares itself the undisputed leader. More often a country slowly evolves internally. There is no violent overthrow of the government. Instead, democratic principles erode over time, and the nation is transformed into unitary rule. Like the frog in boiling water, when the country realizes its plight, it is too late to reverse course.

In the 21^st Century it is often hard to recognize authoritarian regimes because many are elected. They then use the power of the government to repress opponents and bully the media and civil society. This tilts the playing field to favor the ruling party. Steven Levitsky and Lucian Way, two political scientists writing in Foreign Affairs, call this “competitive authoritarianism.” They note that when citizens are fearful about criticizing or opposing the government because they may face retribution, they no longer live in a full democracy.

According to the Economist Democracy Index, the US now ranks 28^th out of the 167 United Nations countries – just above Chile. How did our “bright, shining democracy on the hill” fall so far? One reason is the Trump Administration’s weaponization of government agencies and punitive actions against critics which has raised the cost of opposition and created fear for a wide range of Americans. This includes law firms, the media, donors to the Democratic party, educational institutions, and even Republican officials. Also, the Supreme Court’s decision to grant President Trump presumptive immunity for his official acts as President has provided cover for his authoritarian actions.

The Administration has targeted law firms for retribution. It has prohibited federal agencies from hiring Perkins, Cole, Paul Weiss, and others because they were perceived as friendly to the Democratic Party. They threatened to cancel their government contracts and suspend their security clearances, thus risking their economic livelihood. Law firms may now think twice before taking on cases challenging the government.

Donors to the Democratic party and progressive causes face political retribution. The Administration has directed the Attorney General to investigate the fundraising practices of Act Blue, the Democratic Party’s primary fundraising platform. The motive is to weaken their fundraising infrastructure. The result is reduced donations and scaled back operations because donors fear tax audits, Congressional investigations, or lawsuits.

The Administration has also targeted the media with lawsuits specifically against ABC and CBS news, Meta, and the Des Moines Register. They are also proposing to cut funding to National Public Radio. All of this is designed to stifle criticism and free speech because these organizations know that a prolonged legal battle with a sitting President would be costly and harmful to their very existence.

The Administration has declared war on universities for their part in diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. They have suspended millions of dollars from Columbia, Brown, and the University of Pennsylvania. In addition, they have frozen $2.2B in government grants to Harvard and threatened to revoke their tax-exempt status. The message: step out of line and you will face financial ruin.

Even Republicans in Congress have faced threats of violence if they oppose the Administration. Fear of violence from President Trump’s supporters dissuaded some lawmakers from voting for his impeachment. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) said recently, “We are all afraid…and I’ll tell you I’m oftentimes very anxious about raising my voice because retaliation is real, and it’s not right.” The result is a supine Congress which should be acting as a watchdog and a check on the Executive Branch, but is instead sitting on the sidelines.

To combat this descent into authoritarianism societies must act collectively. We have learned this lesson from other countries like Poland and Brazil who fought for democratic governance against their repressive regimes. Every sector of society must work together to resist and defend democratic principles. So far most of the energetic opposition has come from ordinary citizens showing up at town halls and rallying across the country. Their leaders need to follow that example because so far, they seem to have no clue how to harness this energy.

Democracy is not a right. It must be earned. We all know what Benjamin Franklin said in 1787, “It is a Republic, if you can keep it.”