Of the 195 countries in the world, some estimate that 72 percent are now under some measure of authoritarian rule and the number keeps growing. Most have fallen under authoritarian rule through carefully orchestrated elections undergirded by fearmongering, bigotry, and empty promises made by a particular party. These modern authoritarians learned their craft from Hitler, using mesmerizing bombastic speech and personal charisma in rallies to gain cult-like followings. Today, the same strategy is being implemented in the U.S. and we allow it to progress at our own peril.
The MAGA Republicans, led by Donald Trump take their tactical cues from Putin and Steve Bannon, a man who is determined to blow up our current government to establish a fascist one-party authoritarian rule like we observed in Germany. Labeling news outlets as fake, disparaging judges, criminalizing groups of people, and banning books are all in the playbook. And now we observed the ousting Speaker Kevin McCarthy because he worked with Democrats to avoid a government shutdown. This was just a start to bring the House under MAGA rule. They are floating Jim Jordan, a staunch Trump ally, as a candidate to become the next speaker. Like Trump, Jordan skirts the truth, detests democracy, and will halt any funds to help Ukraine in favor of helping Putin. It should be crystal clear that anyone who takes that job as speaker will be beholden to the MAGA agenda which at its core supports a conversion to fascist authoritarian rule.
Sadly, too many Americans know very little about our Constitution and how our form of government is designed to function and so they abdicate their duty to participate in it. I hear too many people claim that they aren’t interested in politics, completely devoid of an understanding that political outcomes deeply affect their lives and livelihoods. Too many Americans fail to follow fact-based news and are poisoned by lies, omissions, spins, and outright fearmongering. Others either fail to research candidates or they fail to vote altogether. Too many Americans take for granted the civil liberties we now enjoy and are stunned when basic rights are rolled back because the religious right now operates within our governing bodies.
While the religious right and white supremacists have joined hands in a determined quest to make this a “Christian” nation under white rule, too many mistakenly think of themselves as ultra patriots, draping themselves in the American flag and MAGA hats, attending rallies, and not fully understanding that MAGA Republicans actually seek the destruction of our democratic republic. Their ignorance makes them gullible pawns and when combined with the apathy of busy or distracted people, our country has become vulnerable to the threat of falling under fascist authoritarian rule.
There are markers of an authoritarian government that everyone should know and understand. First, authoritarian governments do not have free and fair elections. In 2020, MAGA Republican leadership showed that they are willing to steal elections by confusing citizens with false claims that a secure election (by all accounts) was stolen. In addition, both MAGA and moderate Republicans continue to work toward limiting the vote of minorities and young people by unlawful gerrymandering and voter suppression tactics. Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy along with some MAGA Republicans in the House suggest raising the voting age to 25 to limit the youth vote. What follows are the remaining attributes of an authoritarian government.
The second attribute of an authoritarian government is a lack of accountability for the use of government finances. Third, citizens are severely limited in their ability to participate in the political process as the government no longer seeks their opinion nor approval for its actions. Forth, freedom of worship is limited to state sanctioned forms of worship, if any. Fifth, there is no freedom of speech to speak out against the government and violators are met with levels of punishment ranging from prison to death. Sixth, information and entertainment content are controlled and disseminated by government sanctioned media outlets. Seventh, laws are made absent the consent of the people. And finally, under fascist authoritarian rule, civil order is maintained through violence.
This should be frightening to every American who values a free press and their civil liberties, including a) due process, b) access to the ballot box, c) access to accurate information, d) freedom of expression in speech, art, media, and music, e) freedom of religion, f) freedom to choose your profession, and g) freedom to marry whom you love. All of these freedoms that we rely on are at stake if MAGA Republicans succeed in winning the 2024 election at the state and federal levels. We have already had our right to choose whether or not to give birth restricted. Books are being banned. History is being hidden or revised. Gun owners and militia groups, the enforcement wing of fascist authoritarian rule, are being encouraged and empowered. Transgender safety and access to healthcare is being restricted. Teachers are being censored and muzzled. Public education is being threatened with starvation of operating funds. Judges are being threatened. And Trump literally threatened to close certain news outlets if he wins.
Every American should understand that Republican concern about the nation’s debt is a ruse to hide their actual intention. Probably 99% of Americans have debt in the form of a mortgage, car payment, student loan, or credit card. The question is whether you take in adequate income to manage that debt, not the debt itself. The same is true of the government. Republicans continuously make the nation’s debt management more difficult by cutting taxes on the wealthiest corporations and individuals thereby starving the government of needed income. At the same time, they want to cut spending that is designed to enable tax collection, protect the border, defend democracies around the world, and invest in the lives of Americans. Pay attention to the programs they want to cut, and you will understand that poor schools will be unable to function, climate change will accelerate, and millions of Americans will be left begging on the streets or turning to crime to survive.
I believe that their ultimate aim is to greatly reduce both the poor and undocumented immigrants who are disproportionately black and brown people through poverty-imposed horrific outcomes (starvation, sickness, disease, drug overdose, and violence). Trump’s plan is to create financial desperation and then shoot shoplifters on the spot. He will throw due process out the window. Remember how he ruthlessly separated children from their parents at the border without bothering to keep track of them? He publicly endorses police brutality. He openly called General Millie a traitor who deserves death. He refuses to defend democracies around the world while praising authoritarian leaders. He verbally attacks the character and credibility of judges. And we just learned that he wanted to bomb Mexican drug cartels in Mexico and make it look like some other country did it. This is the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination. And because of our electoral college system, he has a real chance of winning in 2024.
Despite that, Republicans know that it is becoming increasingly difficult to win elections through the democratic process because their policies continue to favor corporations, the wealthy, and white heterosexual Christian males. They simply do not appeal to an increasingly multicultural American society who value individual civil liberties, social justice, and equal opportunity. As a result, MAGA Republicans are introducing a strategy to maintain power and wealth that includes abandoning the Constitution in favor of authoritarianism. Some traditional Republicans are against this, but they too, may not have a choice.
It’s time to pay attention and to spread the word about the seriousness of the situation. Be registered to vote and make sure those around you are ready to vote in 2024 to preserve our democratic republic and our civil liberties. If we fail at the ballot box, the country we were hoping for will slip through our hands without a shot being fired.