Caging Anti-democratic Forces Requires Eternal Vigilance

Democrats are winning the current battle to save our democracy. However, our anti-democratic adversaries are still with us and there will be more battles we must rally to thwart.

They’re Not Going Away

As John Dean wrote in 2006 in Conservatives Without Conscience:

“Probably about 20 to 25 percent of the adult American population is so right-wing authoritarian, so scared, so self-righteous, so ill-informed, and so dogmatic that nothing you can say or do will change their minds.  … And they are so submissive to their leaders that they will believe and do virtually anything they are told. They are not going to let up and they are not going away.”

That was 2006, before the election of DJT and his re-galvanizing of our anti-democratic forces.   In 2020, Dean wrote on page 106 in his latest book, Authoritarian Nightmare: Donald Trump and His Followers:

“And even if Trump accepts the will of the majority and the Electoral College and leaves the White House, his backers will remain a very powerful force, ready to give undying loyalty to him for as long as he wants, and then to the next dictator-in-waiting. And the next one will almost certainly be smarter than Donald Trump. You can be sure someone is watching Trump closely, planning to step into his place. Thus, if you want to remain free, you will probably have to outvote today’s ardent Trump followers , not only in November 2020 but for some time in future elections. You may have heard that the price of freedom is eternal vigilance.” 

Anti-democractic Support Grows

Relative to the first quote, “about 20 to 25 percent of the American population,” Deans newest book includes the results of a 2019 national survey. This survey indicates this anti-democratic part of the population has grown to 35 percent or more.  The study also shows this segment of the population is highly prejudice and votes for authoritarian Republican candidates.  

Our Historical Struggle Continues

This American dichotomy has been with us since before our founding.  It created the electoral college and the second amendment to get the support of the southern states.  This dichotomy assured disenfranchisement for decades.   It lead to our civil war.  This dichotomy expanded gerrymandering in 2010 to empower a minority to stay in power.  It has left us with a US Senate that has a clear and pronounced partisan small-state bias.  This dichotomy led to more voter suppression after the reversal of a key part of the Civil Rights Act.  It brought us a Destructor-in-Chief in 2016.   

But democracy has fought back.  We’ve amended the constitution to allow women and others to vote. However, voting is still not a right and is still suppressed.  Those who oppose anti-democratic authoritarian rule won the Civil War. They also passed the 13th (Abolishing slavery), 14th (citizenship for persons, including former slaves, born in America), and 15th (right to vote regardless of race, color, or previous condition of servitude) amendments to our constitution.  Under FDR, democracy fought back against the massive economic inequality brought to us by oligarchs. FDR stopped their purchase of our government, which is happening again.  Democracy has now elected a replacement for the Destructor-in-Chief.  But more must be done. Massive public  pressure from citizens who support our new president is how it gets done.  Democracy needs your support to survive.

A Real Never-ending Authoritarian Threat

Understand the authoritarian threat to our democracy is still with us and very real:

“Someone smarter than Trump and championed by Fox News and the right-wing media echo chamber, could pose a much greater threat down the road. You can bet that various Double Highs have already begun thinking how to get incarnated as the next messiah. You can also bet the “king-makers” are studying the field right now too, including the leaders of the religious right who might sense Trump losing a bit of his hold on their believers.”  – John Dean, Authoritarian Nightmare, page 279

The Next Battle

Our democracy requires eternal vigilance and massive participation to keep the ever-present anti-democratic forces corralled.  In the near-term, we need two Democratic Senators from Georgia.  In the long-term, democracy needs your vigilance.