Trump Trial Also A Referendum On Authoritarianism In America
A conviction would send a message that Republicans believe that elections and the rule of law are foundational, but so far, leaders prefer to avoid the issue.
AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File
Then-President Donald Trump speaks at a rally protesting the Electoral College certification of Joe Biden as president on Jan. 6, 2021.
WASHINGTON As the Senate readies for yet another Donald Trump impeachment trial and prepares to judge the former president’s conduct, senators also may be voting on a much bigger question: American democracy versus American authoritarianism.
Because, while Trump is charged specifically with inciting the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, his and his allies’ and supporters’ own words show that the assault was the culmination of a monthslong attempt to overturn the election he lost and included a discussion of invoking martial law.
Impeachment Trial: American Democracy vs. GQP Authoritarianism
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Impeachment Trial: American Democracy vs. GQP Authoritarianism
my edits):
As the Senate readies for yet another Donald Trump impeachment trial and prepares to judge the former president’s conduct,
senators also may be voting on a much bigger question: American democracy versus
GQP authoritarianism.
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Because, while Trump is charged specifically with inciting the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol,
his and his allies’ and supporters’ own words show that the assault was the culmination of a months-long attempt to overturn the election he lost and included a discussion of invoking martial law.
BOOK REVIEW: Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism
Given the right conditions, any society can turn against democracy. Indeed, if history is anything to go by, all of our societies eventually will.
Anne Applebaum
Published in the United States by Doubleday, New York
“The emotional appeal of a conspiracy theory is in its simplicity. It explains away complex phenomena, accounts for chance and accidents, offers the believer the satisfying sense of having special, privileged access to the truth. For those who become the one-party state’s gatekeepers, the repetition of these conspiracy theories also brings another reward: power.”
The Atlantic
Valdary’s Theory of Enchantment elicits unusual openness, trust, and engagement from ideologically diverse observers.
January 31, 2021
Valdary (CC-BY-SA 4.0) / The Atlantic
Chloé Valdary is the founder of Theory of Enchantment, a diversity and resilience training company that the 27-year-old African American entrepreneur runs from Downtown Brooklyn. Its website lists clients including TikTok, WeWork, the Federal Aviation Administration, and Greenwich High School, and asks potential customers a loaded question: “Looking for an antiracism program that
actually fights bigotry instead of spreading it?”
The diversity, equity, and inclusion industry is booming as corporations, government agencies, high schools, colleges, and nonprofit organizations clamor for its services. Advocates insist that formal instruction in anti-racism yields more inclusive, equitable institutions. Skeptics object to what they characterize as coerced indoctrination in esoteric theories,
Liesl Schillinger on The Magnet and The Megaphone
January 7, 2021
Yesterday, on January 6th, one of the darkest days in this country’s history as a democratic nation, the US Capitol was overrun by a pro-Trump mob that had been incited to invade the premises by the defeated president at a rally earlier in the day. His seditious intention was for his supporters to disrupt the confirmation of the 2020 Electoral College vote which traditionally is an undramatic, pro forma step in the orderly transition of power after a presidential election in which the the
fait accompli of Joe Biden’s victory was to be confirmed. Trump’s plan succeeded; the mayhem shut down the confirmation.