Democracy

A Year After the Capitol Riot, Nothing Useful Has…

After the January 6 violence at the Capitol, Americans got a bigger national security state. What they didn’t get was solutions to any of the underlying forces that helped bolster right-wing extremism. It’s been a year since the Capitol riot, when Donald Trump supporters, whipped into a frenzy, ransacked governmental buildings, led directly to several

Democracy

When American democracy crumbles, it won’t be televised

Don’t expect a dramatic fascist storming of the Capitol building or a military takeover when our crisis comes to a head. Americans are not exactly known for nuance. Maybe it shouldn’t surprise us then that the rightwing protests that turned into a riot at the US Capitol building on 6 January 2021 were immediately described

Democracy

One-party rule is now the credo of Trump and…

An illiberal democracy, similar to Viktor Orbán’s Hungary, is increasingly the model for Republicans. The first anniversary of the invasion of the Capitol approaches, our cold civil war grows hotter by the day, and the numbers tell the story. A majority of Republicans view the attack as a defense of freedom (56%) and just under half (47%)

Democracy

The true meaning of 6 January: we must answer…

6 January will be the first anniversary one of the most shameful days in American history. On that date in 2021, the United States Capitol was attacked by thousands of armed loyalists to Donald Trump, some intent on killing members of Congress. About 140 officers were injured. Five people died. Even now, almost a year later,

Democracy

Republicans are plotting to destroy democracy from within

Opportunism and cowardice has more than sufficed to make Republicans espouse a noxious falsehood as an axiomatic truth. At hand is a plot to destroy American democracy from within. Its organizers have infiltrated the highest echelons of state and federal government, and have instigated and condoned acts of violence directed against our elected officials. This