OPINION: Are we witnessing the fall of American democracy?

Each day Americans wake up to the news of yet another federal agency under attack. Its data is being breached or hijacked and hundreds of its employees fired. One by one, but in rapid succession, governmental agencies are being crippled by design. It’s as if a conquering nation’s soldiers have taken control of the entire system and decided to wreck it all. Nothing seems to slow or halt the process. 

We realize many lawsuits have been filed, but wonder if the courts will act in time to save American democracy. For example, the health of the nation could be more than crippled from illnesses and diseases before real professionals can be ordered in to intervene. (Remember the Covid outbreak?) Many people can have suffered economic disasters from the collapse of Social Security, the banking system, and even weather emergencies in the absence of sufficiently staffed agencies. These kinds of things can occur in a matter of days, before the courts can pull the plug on the Trump executive orders. 

It is apparent the Republican majorities in the two houses of Congress plan on doing nothing to stop the destructive drive of Donald Trump and Elon Musk, which is destroying democracy. For some of them, racial, ethnic, and religious hatred outweigh everything else and Trump’s agenda is right down their alley. Some of them may not give a care one way or the other so long they are on the winning side. Likewise, as in cases similar to mob rule, many congresspersons are physically afraid to oppose Trump on anything. No matter the reason for the congressional paralysis, the bottom-line is that genuine democracy will have taken a serious blow as a result.

The Supreme Court could eventually step in. The question is whether that will be too little and too late. The question is also whether Trump and his MAGA “goon squad” will comply with the court’s rulings at that point. Like Andrew Jackson, they may thumb their nose, feeling that nobody and nothing can stop them. 

Many people realize that without massive civil disobedience, Trump will plow ahead successfully, with his dictatorial tactics. Many also realize that without effective organizing and messaging from major entities, including the Democratic Party, blue state governors and state legislatures, civil rights and civil liberties organizations, and the news media, the MAGA revolution WILL succeed; that American democracy will fall, completely.

At this point in time there are some who would argue that American democracy has already fallen and that it is a matter now of whether things can be reversed before Trump’s absolute power can be made permanent. Their position is to somehow get more pro-democracy legislators in Congress, in the state legislatures, and on the bench before Trump can do so. That, at any rate, is a horse race because one can for sure realize that the Trump team will try to come up with ways to rig upcoming elections or even block them altogether, if they cannot win.

The matter of American democracy falling is one that should have been taken seriously by more people during the presidential election because it has now gotten to be much more of a difficult task with Trump sitting as the president. 

Not only is he living out his ultimate fantasy of being a dictator. A host of other people and groups are happy to ride along with him, living out their fantasies. It does not matter that they may not be fully rational in their thinking, many southerners are thrilled to believe the old idea of the Confederates that the south will rise again. Many oligarchs believe they will be in charge of the world; that they are God. Lower-level mobsters will think they are untouchable, behind the man they secretly and blasphemously call “Orange Jesus.” Finally, white supremacists everywhere will feel they are “back in their rightful place.”

Whether American democracy has fallen or is just on the brink, more of us need to get busy, personally, publicly, and collectively. Time waits for no one.