One year ago, the environment was utterly different. Prior to the US presidential election, considerate residents could acknowledge America's significant faults – its unfairness and imbalance – but they still could see it as America. A democracy. A country where constitutional order meant something. A country led by a honorable and ethical leader, despite his older age and declining health.
Nowadays, this autumn, many of us scarcely know the country we live in. Individuals believed to be unauthorized foreigners are rounded up and forced into vehicles, at times denied due process. The eastern section of the “people’s house” – is being destroyed for a grotesque event space. The president is harassing his political rivals or perceived antagonists and demanding the justice department transfer an enormous amount of citizen dollars. Armed military personnel are being sent to US urban areas under fabricated reasons. The defense headquarters, relabeled the Defense Ministry, has – in effect – rid itself of day-to-day journalistic scrutiny as it spends possibly reaching close to a trillion USD in public funds. Colleges, law firms, news companies are yielding under the president’s threats, and billionaires are handled as nobility.
“The US, only a few months ahead of its 250-year mark as the world’s leading democracy, has fallen over the edge into authoritarianism and extremism,” a noted author, wrote this past summer. “Ultimately, faster than I thought feasible, it transpired in this country.”
Every morning starts amid recent atrocities. And it is challenging to understand – and agonizing to acknowledge – how severely declined we are, and the speed at which it unfolded.
However, it is known that the president was properly voted in. Even after his deeply disturbing first term and despite the alerts associated with the understanding of the conservative plan – following Trump himself declared plainly he would be a dictator solely at the start – a majority of citizens elected him instead of his Democratic opponent.
Frightening as the present situation may be, it's more daunting to understand that we’re only three-quarters of a year into this presidential term. How will an additional three years of this decline leave us? And if that timeframe transforms into an prolonged era, since there is not anyone to restrain this president from opting that another term is essential, perhaps for defense purposes?
Certainly, there is still hope. There will be midterm elections in 2026 that could create a new political equilibrium, if Democrats regain one or both houses of parliament. There are elected officials who are attempting to impose some accountability, like Democratic congressmen who are launching an investigation regarding the effort to cash appropriation by federal prosecutors.
And a presidential election three years from now could start our journey to healing exactly as last year’s election placed us on this unfortunate course.
There exist countless citizens demonstrating in the streets of their cities, like they performed last weekend at democracy demonstrations.
Robert Reich, wrote recently that “the dormant powerhouse of the US is rising”, just as it did following the Red Scare during the fifties or amid anti-war demonstrations or in the Watergate scandal.
During those times, the tilting vessel finally returned to balance.
The author states he recognizes the signals of that revival and observes it occurring now. As evidence, he cites the widespread marches, the extensive, multi-faction opposition to a television host's removal and the largely united defiance by media to agree to the defense department’s demands they report only authorized information.
“The slumbering entity always remains dormant till specific greed turns extremely harmful, a particular deed so contemptuous of the common good, certain violence so noisy, that he is compelled other than to stir.”
It's a hopeful perspective, and I respect Reich’s experienced view. Maybe he’ll prove to be right.
In the meantime, the crucial issues persist: will the nation ever recover? Is it possible to restore its standing internationally and its devotion to constitutional order?
Or do we need to admit that the 250-year-old experiment functioned for a period, and then – abruptly, completely – collapsed?
My negative thoughts indicates that the second option is correct; that all may indeed be lost. My hopeful heart, nevertheless, advises me that we need to strive, through all methods we can.
In my case, as a media critic, that means encouraging reporters to live up, more completely, to their mission of scrutinizing authority. For others, it might involve working on election efforts, or organizing rallies, or finding ways to safeguard ballot privileges.
Under twelve months back, we existed in an alternate reality. Twelve months later? Or in several years? The fact is, we don’t know. The only option is try to persevere.
What’s Giving Me Optimism Currently
The engagement I encounter with students with young journalists, who are equally idealistic and realistic, {always
