This is what Trump meant when he said he’d “run the country like a business.” Now he thinks he’s the landlord of multiple sovereign nations.
#iranwar #Trump #PresidentTrump #democraticbacksliding #politicallandlord #democraticbreakdown #democracy #cubaembargo #greenland
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This article can help readers understand MAGA’s double standards when it comes to peaceful protests. #democraticbreakdown
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Democracy itself has always been loud and raucous, but when its rules are followed, it eventually creates consensus. The modern debate does not. Instead, it inspires in some people the desire to forcibly silence the rest.
— Anne Applebaum
#DemocraticBreakdown
FOUR KEY INDICATORS OF AUTHORITARIAN BEHAVIOR:
—————————————
Can we identify a would-be authoritarian?
INDICATOR 2️⃣ :
Denial of the Legitimacy of Political Opponents
Book:
“How Democracies Die”
—Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt
#DemocraticBreakdown
FOUR KEY INDICATORS OF AUTHORITARIAN BEHAVIOR:
—————————————
Can we identify a would-be authoritarian?
INDICATOR 1️⃣:
Rejection of (or weak commitment to) democratic rules of the game
Book:
“How Democracies Die”
—Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt
#DemocraticBreakdown
FOUR KEY INDICATORS OF AUTHORITARIAN BEHAVIOR:
—————————————
Can we identify a would-be authoritarian?
INDICATOR 1️⃣:
Rejection of (or weak commitment to) democratic rules of the game
Book:
“How Democracies Die”
—Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt
#DemocraticBreakdown
The emotional appeal of a conspiracy theory is in its simplicity. It explains away complex phenomena. For those who become the one-party state’s gatekeepers, the repetition of these conspiracy theories also brings another reward: Power.
(Anne Applebaum)
#DemocraticBreakdown
Concepts and practices moved from east to west. The word “fake news” was used in Russia long before it began its career in the U.S. It meant creating a fictional text that posed as journalism, both to spread confusion about a particular event and to discredit journalism.
#DemocraticBreakdown
The illiberal one-party state is a mechanism for holding power. It works because it clearly defines who gets to be the elite—the political elite, the cultural elite, the financial elite. In recent decades, many states have turned into de facto one-party states.
#DemocraticBreakdown
In the 1990s and in the 2000s, influence flowed from west to east, in the transplant of economic and political models. In the 2010s, influence flowed from east to west as Russian political fiction penetrated beyond Russia. Concepts and practices moved from east to west.
#DemocraticBreakdown
The only modern clerics who have gained real political power in Western democracies are members of the movements called the “right”, which is a specific kind of right and different the past political right. They want to overthrow existing institutions, to destroy what exists.
#DemocraticBreakdown
The fall of liberal democracy in our time will not look like as it did in the 1920s or 1930s. But it will require a new elite, a new generation of clerics, to bring it about. It will need intellectuals, journalists, bloggers, writers, and artists to undermine our current values.
#DemocraticBreakdown
Given the right conditions, any society can turn against democracy. No contemporary authoritarian can succeed without the writers, intellectuals, pamphleteers, bloggers, spin doctors, producers of television programs, and creators of memes who can sell his image to the public.
#DemocraticBreakdown
Populists are anti-establishment politicians—figures who claim to represent the voice of “the people”, deny the legitimacy of established parties, and tell voters that the existing system is rigged. When populists win elections, they often assault democratic institutions.
#DemocraticBreakdown
Political demagogues exist in all democracies. Although mass responses to extremist appeals matter, what matters more is whether political elites, especially political parties, serve as filters. Put simply, political parties are democracy’s gatekeepers.
(Levitsky & Ziblatt)
#DemocraticBreakdown
Once a would-be authoritarian makes it to power, democracies face a critical test: will the autocratic leader subvert democratic institutions or be constrained by them? Constitutions must be defended by political parties and citizens, but also by robust democratic norms.
#DemocraticBreakdown
Constitutional hardball is playing the rules but pushing against their bounds and “playing for keeps.” It is a form of institutional combat aimed at permanently defeating one’s political rivals and not caring whether the democratic game continues.
(Levitsky & Ziblatt)
#DemocraticBreakdown
Contemporary elected autocrats do not wipe out all traces of dissent. They make an effort to ensure that key players are sidelined or bribed into throwing the game. Key players might include opposition politicians, business leaders, major media outlets, and cultural figures.
#DemocraticBreakdown
Good afternoon, Friends!
Please check out my posts under the following hashtags #️⃣
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🟦 Democratic Breakdown
#DemocraticBreakdown
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#OnFascism
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#Strongman-in-Action
Collective abdication—the transfer of authority to a leader who threatens democracy—flows from one of two sources:
1️⃣ The misguided belief that an authoritarian can be controlled
2️⃣ The authoritarian’s agenda overlaps sufficiently with that of mainstream politicians.
#DemocraticBreakdown
An essential test for democracies is whether political leaders and political parties work to prevent extremist demagogues from gaining power. When fear, opportunism or miscalculation leads established parties to bring extremists into the mainstream, democracy is imperiled.
#DemocraticBreakdown
The idea of the strongman who brings his nation to greatness is a foundation of authoritarian history. It justifies his claims of absolute power and his narratives of saving the nation from domestic and foreign enemies. Eradicating political left becomes his crusade.
#DemocraticBreakdown
Elections have become the way a new generation of strongmen would come to power. Once in power, they create an inner circle of loyalists. The strongmen use antidemocratic tactics, erode democratic institutions, and rarely face prosecution or punishment. (Ruth Ben-Ghiat)
#DemocraticBreakdown
As in Italy, the action of conservative elites, rather than popular acclaim, got the strongman into power. German conservatives thought Hitler would be their tool. But in less than two months into power, Hitler became the totalitarian dictator without any checks on his power.
#DemocraticBreakdown
Forming coalitions between conservatives and fascists was fateful for Italy and Germany. In Italy, the Fascists would have gone nowhere without forming a coalition with the conservative political forces. Once in power, fascists demolished democracy in both countries.
#OnFascism
#DemocraticBreakdown
Elites are the authoritarian’s most important promoters. Afraid of losing their privileges, elites bring the strongman into the political system. Once the ruler is in power, elites strike a bargain that promises them power and security in return for loyalty to the ruler.
#DemocraticBreakdown
If a political candidate tests positive on any of these four indicators, citizens be aware: your democracy may be in trouble!!!
#DemocraticBreakdown
Four key indicators of Authoritarian behavior:
1️⃣ Rejection of democratic rules of the game
2️⃣ Denial of the legitimacy of political opponents
3️⃣ Toleration or encouragement of violence
4️⃣ Readiness to curtail civil liberties of opponents, including media
(Levitsky & Ziblatt)
#DemocraticBreakdown
The American system of checks and balances requires that public officials use their institutional prerogatives judiciously. A range of powers (👇), if used without restraint and if weaponized, could easily result in deadlock, dysfunction, and even democratic breakdown.
#DemocraticBreakdown
Good afternoon 🌞, friends!!
Please tap/click the hashtag #️⃣ to see my posts on
Democratic breakdown:
👉🏼 #DemocraticBreakdown
On Fascism
👉🏼 #OnFascism
( I will continue to post!! )
