IT’S YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TOO

Words for the day: Competitive authoritarianism. Political scientists point out that modern authoritarian leaders are elected. They maintain their power by using the power of the government—arrests, tax audits, defamation suits, politically targeted investigations, and so on—to punish and silence their opponents. They either buy or bully the media and civil society until opposing voices cave to their power. A country that succumbs to competitive authoritarianism still holds elections, but the party in power has so weighted the system in its favor that it’s virtually impossible for it to lose. The way to tell if the US has crossed the line from democracy to competitive authoritarianism is to see if people feel safe opposing those in power. Can they safely protest? Publish criticism of the government? Support opposition candidates? Or does taking a stand against those in power lead to punishment either by the government or by government supporters? Look around you. America has crossed the line into competitive authoritarianism. Ordinary citizens are doing everything we can to let our elected officials know how unhappy we are with the things we see happening. The government is being weaponized against its own citizens, but not in the way that the Trump administration says it is. They are the ones doing the weaponization, against anyone and anything that has displeased them. And they wrap it all in the flag. And the people who have power, the people we put our trust in by electing them to look out for the interests of us and the country, have turned their backs on both. The GOP Congress has, or had, the power to do what your oath of office requires you to do. Do you really want the promise of America smothered on your watch? Will you fearfully allow the erosion to continue while waiting for someone to save us? That someone is supposed to be you.