Choose Democracy …Now! appeared originally in the July – September 2022 issue of Critical Times.
By Florida Veterans for Common Sense Supporter, Dale P. Anderson
Over the past six years we have been watching the slow dismantling of our democracy. Serious damage was done at the federal level under former-president Trump. It continues at an accelerated rate in Republican-controlled states with the passage of hundreds of voter and citizen suppression laws. Powerful backers of the Republican party; billionaires, corporations, white supremacists, and religious nationalists, have decided that democracy no longer serves their purpose and that crippling it is necessary to maintain power.
They know that the violent overthrow of an established democracy by military coup or insurrection is difficult to engineer and risky if unsuccessful. The January 6 attack on congress demonstrated that.
Incumbent Takeover
Instead, the American conservative party has turned to a more modern method of disabling a democracy: “incumbent takeover”. Incumbent takeover, or “authoritarianization”, is a slow process implemented by elected officials who use the powers of state to change the political playing field, ensuring their permanence in power. Tactics include appointing loyalists to the courts, taking control of the security and civil service apparatus, weakening whistle-blower protections, ignoring basic congressional civility, changing election rules, gerrymandering districts, and putting partisans in charge of the election process.
In addition to dismantling the checks and balances built into our constitutional structures, the modern autocratic playbook includes strategies for “cowing” and “confusing” the general public, civic organizations, and businesses. They promote “big lies” and conspiracy theories and then use state power to threaten businesses, schools, universities, and journalists. Tactics include flooding communities with guns and allowing open carry of weapons in public spaces – an intimidation strategy to stop citizens from voting, assembling, or protesting.
Because “authoritarianization” or “incumbent takeover” tactics are so incremental, citizens find it difficult to notice what is happening. Like the frog in the pot on the stove that fails to jump before being boiled, citizens may not recognize the chipping away of legal protections and fail to act as their freedoms and democracy are lost.
Right Here in Sarasota County
Many in the Sarasota community are expressing alarm at the Republican Party’s turn to authoritarianism under Trump and his ilk (DeSantis, Abbott, etc.). Most have never contemplated having to go beyond voting to protect our democratic state and few have experience in the non-violent strategies often required to stop an autocratic assault. But in these upcoming election cycles, contributing to pro-democracy candidates and voting, though doubly critical, will not be enough.
A new website, CHOOSE DEMOCRACY NOW, was launched at the end of July 2022. The purpose of the site is to mobilize citizens to step off the curb and take actions beyond voting. The website will be a coordinating platform for Sarasota and the broader Florida community with resources to understand the GOP assault. It will provide a place for amplifying the voices of those individuals and organizations in the community committed to protecting and strengthening our democracy.
Watch for the new website. Become a democracy activist and volunteer to help preserve a free and democratic future for our community, our children, and our grandchildren.
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this all relate s Steve Bannon’s theory of “managed democracy” in which people can still protest and write letters to the editor, and even vote, so they feel that democratic institutions are functioning but in reality the power is held by the oligarchs.
Well said Bill!
This all relates to Steve Bannon’s theory of “managed democracy” in which people are allowed to protest, write letters to the editor, and even vote, but the real power over everything is in the hands of the he oligarchs.
These are dangerous times that are being exploited by the republican party to embrace white Christianity. Our country founders knew that religion has no place in governing our republic’s business. They saw how religion was used to abuse the public by the English Church.