Four strategies that may help save American democracy

First, if American democracy is to survive this era, the most important first step is to put aside naiveness and self-satisfaction that “doesn’t happen here.”

Wake up and smell the threat – it’s happening here.

And it’s happening all over the world – there are notable casualties. Some of the former Democrat countries (Türkiye, Hungary, Venezuela) are now democratic. Their leaders secured power through democratic elections, then overthrew the opposition and dismantled the democratic institutions.

James Madison warned that “whether all powers, legislation, enforcement, and judicial accumulation, whether genetic, self-appointed or selective, whether it is the same hand, one, a minority, or many, can be pronounced clearly as the very definition of tyranny.” Essentially, freedom is protected by structures that restrict government authority.

Second, democratic defense against authoritarianism is not a battle between liberals and conservatives. This is a struggle between constitutionalists and anti-constitutionalists. To save our democracy, we need to put aside our party affiliations and form the most broad coalition of Democrats, non-magical Republicans, NPAs and independents.

Third, we need to get through propaganda designed to drive the opposition. It’s clever marketing, with unpopular goals covered behind engaging slogans. Like:

Ending Voter Fraud: Systematic voter fraud false claims have been used to justify voting restrictions for decades, and compensate for policies that make voting more difficult.

We have heard ironic homage to democracy that dishonestly encourages leaders to vote for everyone. Now we can recognize that some groups see benefits when reducing voters. Each vote becomes difficult, requires unreasonable ID requirements, and can block felons who are sentenced from the vote.

Fighting Anti-Semitism on Campus: If more evidence is needed, the list of requests the Trump administration sent to the Harvard administration revealed that “eramination of anti-Semitism on university campuses” is a cover for the government’s strategy to control curriculum and university faculties.

Waste, fraud, abuse: While government programs can always be implemented more efficiently and there seems to be too many bureaucracies, elimination of “waste, fraud, abuse” is being used as a cover to cancel denunciated public programs like Medicaid and government-funded health insurance.

Awakening: There are countless issues surrounding the DEI policy of “wake up”, but concerns are being misused to streamline censored library books and university courses, dismantle civil rights protections, and “reinterpret” anti-discrimination laws.

Murderous Aliens: The lie behind President Trump’s claims is that he protects us from “illegal aliens,” who are all rapists and murderers, is exposed to his racism and legal or other hostility of all immigrants. Beneath the surface is a fear of population change. Increased diversity in our population, a decline in the proportion of white people, and forecasts that the country will have a majority non-white population by 2050.

Finally, individual and collective action is required.

Each of us can use traditional tools of component lobbying to make an impact. You will be contacted regularly with your legislative representatives. Attended City Hall and Board of Education meetings. Write a letter to the editor. He is actively involved with local democratic organizations and supports frontline people.

Of course, there is no substitute for voting, so be sure to register. If you are signing up for each vote, make sure your requests are up to date.

Collectively, we can learn from people in the countries that have been mobilized to reverse the slide to authoritarianism.

When the South Korean president recently declared martial law, so many people took him on the streets, which forced his bullet each. In Israel, Prime Minister Netanyahu’s attempt to rule the judiciary sparked massive protests. That story is not over yet.

The French have given us valuable lessons on effective organizing. Competing parties have set the differences aside to form a temporary coalition that would prevent Marine Le Pen’s code-fascist national assembly from gaining power.

The dictators push the boundaries of their power, as long as they think they can escape. In our country, abuse of administrative authorities is often challenged in courts, and some of these challenges ultimately end in front of the US Supreme Court.

The courts, even the Supreme Court, should be aware of what is happening on the streets. That’s why protests across America (“Hands Off” on April 5th and “King” on June 14th) are extremely important.

It will be displayed if possible.

Dr. Howard L. Simon was executive director of the ACLU in Florida from 1997 to 2018. He lives in Gainesville and is president of the Clean Okeechobee Waters Foundation.