The hottest Authoritarianism Substack posts right now

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Top World Politics Topics

Total Degrowth Narrative Victory

From the New World ā€¢ 177 implied HN points ā€¢ 20 Mar 26
šŸŒ World Politics Authoritarianism
  1. China has absorbed a lot of Western culture and policy, but it mostly took the progressive, state-friendly ideas the U.S. government and elite institutions promoted while keeping authoritarian control.
  2. In rich countries like the U.S., demographic aging and large wealth transfers to retirees make it economically implausible for policy to raise birthrates enough to offset the growing burden on working adults.
  3. Doomsaying degrowth and antinatalist ideas remain influential not because they are correct, but because catastrophic narratives and destructive political incentives win attention and power more easily than sober, positive-sum arguments.

The Desire for Terror

Thinking about... ā€¢ 1582 implied HN points ā€¢ 08 Mar 26
šŸ‡ŗšŸ‡ø U.S. Politics Authoritarianism
  1. A war with Iran or related actions could provoke or be followed by a terrorist attack on U.S. soil, which political actors might use as a pretext to cancel or federalize upcoming elections.
  2. Counterterror defenses have been weakened by policy choices, politicized and inexperienced leaders, and misplaced focus on immigration, making both foreign and domestic threats more likely and harder to stop.
  3. Citizens and local authorities must prepare now, avoid being surprised or panicked by an attack, and refuse to let any crisis be used to suspend democratic checks or steal elections.

The World According to Gaza

The Chris Hedges Report ā€¢ 481 implied HN points ā€¢ 15 Mar 26
šŸŒ World Politics Authoritarianism
  1. Powerful states and elites are using overwhelming force with impunity to crush weaker peoples, turning war, resource theft and blockade into tools of control.
  2. Global institutions, courts and media are failing or complicit, leaving the rule of law hollow and enabling authoritarian violence at home and abroad.
  3. Even if risky or unlikely to succeed, resistance is presented as the only moral response to preserve dignity and prevent complete submission to a brutal, unequal order.

Why Attack Iran?

Thinking about... ā€¢ 1752 implied HN points ā€¢ 28 Feb 26
šŸ‡ŗšŸ‡ø U.S. Politics Authoritarianism
  1. A war with Iran can be used to weaken democracy at home by rallying the public, branding opponents as traitors, and shaping election conditions to favor those in power.
  2. The conflict may also serve personal enrichment, since Gulf allies who oppose Iran have financially rewarded the president and his family, creating a motive for using U.S. force to help those backers.
  3. There are nonā€‘military ways to address Iranian repressionā€”like targeted pressure, support for opposition, and help with water and ecological crisesā€”but those options arenā€™t being offered, so citizens must demand scrutiny and ask hard questions during wartime.

Resistance is necessary, but it's not enough

Noahpinion ā€¢ 26353 implied HN points ā€¢ 20 Jan 26
šŸ‡ŗšŸ‡ø U.S. Politics Authoritarianism
  1. Opposing authoritarian actions is essential, but resistance alone won't win long-term political change.
  2. Public backlash is growing against aggressive immigration enforcement and other heavyā€‘handed tactics, yet the broader movement supporting those tactics hasn't fully collapsed.
  3. Liberals need a clear, principled movement and a concrete plan for governing to turn public outrage into durable electoral victories.
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The Secret Police Playbook

Can We Still Govern? ā€¢ 566 implied HN points ā€¢ 13 Mar 26
šŸ‡ŗšŸ‡ø U.S. Politics Authoritarianism
  1. Secret police are often staffed not by ideological monsters but by ordinary officers stuck in their careers who take a ā€˜detourā€™ into repressive units because it offers advancement, pay, and security.
  2. Authoritarian leaders assemble this system by creating a second, fast-growing pyramid ā€” funding it, lowering vetting and training standards, hollowing out traditional institutions, and loudly signaling impunity so people feel safe breaking rules.
  3. A strict meritocracy can make the problem worse by producing a large pool of career-pressured losers who are easy to recruit into repression, and the same pressures that build a coercive force can also create coup risks, so spotting and interrupting the process matters.

Fascist Failure

Thinking about... ā€¢ 1492 implied HN points ā€¢ 25 Feb 26
šŸ‡ŗšŸ‡ø U.S. Politics Authoritarianism
  1. The attempt to turn the country into a fascist state is stalled because it depends on a bloody, popular, victorious war and the political competence to wage it, which the current leader lacks ā€” he can bluster and break things but canā€™t deliver decisive triumphs.
  2. The choices on Iran are limited and risky: doing nothing changes little, while an invasion would likely be catastrophic domestically; he may also try to suppress voting as an alternate route to stay in power, but that faces legal and civic resistance.
  3. Democratic resistance still matters ā€” protests, civil society, local media, and courts have so far checked worse outcomes, and winning the next elections will require extraordinary organizing and broad coalitions to prevent authoritarian consolidation.

The Transitive Strongman

Thinking about... ā€¢ 521 implied HN points ā€¢ 04 Mar 26
šŸ‡ŗšŸ‡ø U.S. Politics Authoritarianism
  1. Strength in strongman politics is mostly a performance that followers grant, not an objective quality. Once people accept that a leader is stronger than them, they often feel compelled to submit and tolerate public humiliation.
  2. Strongmen treat laws and institutions as stage props and then break them to display power, which ultimately weakens the country and hurts ordinary people. The spectacle of force can look like strength while undermining real security and prosperity.
  3. Everyday scenes ā€” like sports stars being baited or courted by leaders ā€” show how the cult of strength normalizes submissive behavior, but resistance is possible and the aura of the strongman is not irresistible.

Chartbook 430 After the thugs.

Chartbook ā€¢ 4391 implied HN points ā€¢ 22 Jan 26
šŸ‡ŗšŸ‡ø U.S. Politics Authoritarianism
  1. A powerful, unpredictable figure at the event created a rupture in normal political norms that pressured others into defensive, coā€‘dependent behavior.
  2. The gathering felt more like a tawdry spectacle of wealth and cronyism, with boastful deals, branded patriotism, and family members hustling in plain sight.
  3. The overall atmosphere left attendees and organizers feeling sick, anxious, and morally uneasy, pushing many toward reluctant compromises to avoid confrontation.

In the Time of the Mad King.

Breaking the News ā€¢ 3719 implied HN points ā€¢ 12 Jan 26
šŸ‡ŗšŸ‡ø U.S. Politics Authoritarianism
  1. A president who canā€™t tell fact from fiction is proposing reckless, unnecessary actionsā€”like trying to seize Greenlandā€”that would offend allies and add burdens the country doesnā€™t need.
  2. Powerful aides and politicians are keeping him in place by lying, manipulating, or becoming true believers, which lets destructive and self-serving policies spread.
  3. This mix of a disintegrating leader and enabling henchmen raises the real risk of institutional breakdown, including split loyalties in the military and harsher enforcement at home, with dangerous consequences for everyone.

Trump and the Putinization of the US Government

Phillipsā€™s Newsletter ā€¢ 200 implied HN points ā€¢ 13 Mar 26
šŸ‡ŗšŸ‡ø U.S. Politics Authoritarianism
  1. A single, odd image of a top official in comically oversized shoes can be deeply unsettling and symbolically damaging.
  2. It's striking and alarming that someone serving as Secretary of State and National Security Adviser can appear pitiable or unprofessional, which undercuts the seriousness of their office.
  3. The fact the shoes are cheaply made in China and worn by a wealthy, powerful figure highlights a jarring disconnect between appearance and the dignity expected of high office.

Huang Frankenstein

Dana Blankenhorn: Facing the Future ā€¢ 79 implied HN points ā€¢ 24 Oct 24
šŸ‡ŗšŸ‡ø U.S. Politics Authoritarianism
  1. Some technologists believe they can create a world where people aren't needed, which raises concerns about everyone's role in society.
  2. There is a mindset that defines a person's value mainly by their monetary contribution, ignoring the importance of art and idealism.
  3. Political and technological systems should serve people, ensuring their safety and happiness, rather than just focusing on control and profit.

Lies and Lawlessness

Thinking about... ā€¢ 1479 implied HN points ā€¢ 25 Jan 26
šŸ‡ŗšŸ‡ø U.S. Politics Authoritarianism
  1. People are dying in camps and on the streets, and those deaths show a political logic of lies and lawlessness that undermines the rule of law.
  2. Turning the whole country into a 'border' is a tactic to make the law stop applying; using border agencies to enforce political whims bypasses legal checks and enables tyranny.
  3. Propaganda and warped terms like 'law enforcement' or 'terrorist' are used to normalize violence, and repeating those lies makes people complicit, so naming the truth and holding officials accountable is essential.

These Abuses Will Continue Until People Force Them ToĀ Stop

Caitlinā€™s Newsletter ā€¢ 2621 implied HN points ā€¢ 09 Jan 26
šŸŒ World Politics Authoritarianism
  1. The current US-led capitalist order keeps producing worsening abuses like growing authoritarianism, militarized policing, expanding wars, rising inequality, and ecological collapse.
  2. Electoral politics alone can't fix this because the system is locked and swapping parties just replaces one set of abuses with another.
  3. The only viable path to real change is mass popular action ā€” people organizing together and using their numbers to force the powerful to stop.

ā€˜This Was About Killing as Many People as Possibleā€™

Common Sense with Bari Weiss ā€¢ 1465 implied HN points ā€¢ 28 Jan 26
šŸŒ World Politics Authoritarianism
  1. Security forces carried out a brutal, lethal crackdown, shooting at crowds ā€” even people who were running away ā€” and causing thousands of deaths.
  2. Mass protests swelled to around a million people, with many ordinary citizens joining for the first time, showing widespread public anger.
  3. Many protesters have fled or been displaced and now depend on internet access to work and plan a return, while communications remain cut off and safety is uncertain.

Australia's Lack Of Speech Protections Means We Should Be MORE Hostile To Speech Regulation

Caitlinā€™s Newsletter ā€¢ 1438 implied HN points ā€¢ 25 Jan 26
šŸŒ World Politics Authoritarianism
  1. Because Australia has no national bill of rights or constitutional free speech protections, governments can more easily pass and defend laws that silence critics.
  2. Recent 'hate speech' laws and prosecutions show those powers are being used to suppress protest and dissent, especially around criticism of Israel.
  3. Australia needs a national bill of rights to protect free expression, and meanwhile people must resist speech restrictions more aggressively than in countries with stronger legal safeguards.

Natan Sharansky: Jimmy Laiā€™s Sentence Tests the Free World

Common Sense with Bari Weiss ā€¢ 792 implied HN points ā€¢ 09 Feb 26
šŸŒ World Politics Authoritarianism
  1. Jimmy Lai, a longtime pro-democracy leader in Hong Kong, was sentenced to 20 years in prison. At 78, that effectively amounts to a life sentence for his activism.
  2. He refused to flee and stayed to stand with his people, showing personal sacrifice and steadfast commitment to Hong Kongā€™s democratic movement.
  3. The harsh sentence reflects Beijingā€™s tightening control over Hong Kong and poses a test for whether the free world will step up to defend democratic rights and support dissidents.

On "Leftists" And "Anarchists" Who Cheer For Regime Change In Iran

Caitlinā€™s Newsletter ā€¢ 1858 implied HN points ā€¢ 15 Jan 26
šŸŒ World Politics Authoritarianism
  1. When leftists or anarchists cheer the fall of governments targeted by the US, they risk supporting the same agendas as the US State Department and undermining their anti-imperial stance.
  2. The US-centered western empire uses war, sanctions, coups, and bases to dominate the globe, so a simple "tyranny bad" view misses how resistant states hold power partly to block imperial interference.
  3. Toppling an authoritarian state without a ready revolutionary vanguard usually creates a power vacuum that the strongest, often US-backed, faction will fill, which can expand imperial control rather than bring real freedom.

Speaker Big Lie

Steady ā€¢ 30052 implied HN points ā€¢ 26 Oct 23
šŸ‡ŗšŸ‡ø U.S. Politics Authoritarianism
  1. Elevation of Mike Johnson to Speaker's position shows Republican party's embrace of extremism
  2. Johnson actively worked to delegitimize a legitimate election in 2020
  3. Republican party's alignment with radicalism poses significant threat to democracy

The Bill of Wrongs

Thinking about... ā€¢ 752 implied HN points ā€¢ 26 Jan 26
šŸ‡ŗšŸ‡ø U.S. Politics Authoritarianism
  1. Basic rights and legal protections are stripped away, so freedoms like speech, privacy, a fair trial, and protection from cruel punishments become conditional on the leaderā€™s will.
  2. All authority is concentrated in a cult-like leader who is immune from prosecution, can declare truth, command militias and soldiers, and even quarter troops in private homes without consent.
  3. Democratic checks and state powers are hollowed out and replaced by financial extraction and oligarchic control, with elections turned into appearances and power handed to wealthy elites and foreign interests.

Let the final battle begin

Robert Reich ā€¢ 26612 implied HN points ā€¢ 24 Jul 23
šŸ‡ŗšŸ‡ø U.S. Politics Authoritarianism
  1. Donald Trump is gearing up for a final battle against democracy and the rule of law.
  2. A potential indictment against Trump will shift focus to him in the 2024 election, making it a referendum on him rather than Biden.
  3. Defending democracy and the rule of law is crucial in the face of authoritarian impulses and the threat posed by Trump and his supporters.

A Claude of the Seven Kingdoms

Some Unpleasant Arithmetic ā€¢ 43 implied HN points ā€¢ 03 Mar 26
šŸŒ World Politics Authoritarianism
  1. The label 'technofeudalism' is misleading ā€” the changes described are still capitalist in form, but the real danger is tech elites trying to fuse their economic power with state power in ways that mirror fascist dynamics.
  2. Big tech is increasingly entangled with government and civil society, creating a personalist, court-like politics where backchannels and corporate influence weaken democratic institutions and the public sphere.
  3. Rising inequality, economic dislocation, and a zero-sum 'peasant' mindset make populations vulnerable to authoritarian appeals, so the political answer needs stronger democratic protections, redistribution, and accountable regulation.

HOISTED FROM THE ARCHIVES: Anchoring Your Thoughts Against the Blizzard of Trumpist Lies Is Very Important for You!

Brad DeLong's Grasping Reality ā€¢ 146 implied HN points ā€¢ 26 Feb 26
šŸ‡ŗšŸ‡ø U.S. Politics Authoritarianism
  1. Practice everyday mental hygiene: ground your thinking in reality, question fearā€‘mongering, and use critical thinking so you donā€™t get pulled into lies.
  2. Trust and amplify careful factā€‘checking (for example reputable reportersā€™ fact checks) to expose false claims and correct misleading narratives, including misleading claims about Ukraineā€™s gratitude.
  3. Know the authoritarian playbook ā€” fear, division, media and court capture, lies, and rewriting history ā€” and actively defend free press, independent courts, freedom of assembly, education, and international allies.

The Media Keeps Trying to ā€œUnderstandā€ Trump Voters Because They Donā€™t Want to Accept the Truth About Them

Bulwark+ ā€¢ 14976 implied HN points ā€¢ 15 Jan 24
šŸ‡ŗšŸ‡ø U.S. Politics Authoritarianism
  1. The media attempts to understand Trump voters but may not fully accept the truth about their motivations.
  2. Guardrails in democracy may not be enough to prevent certain actions of those seeking power.
  3. Google search influences web design, impacting user experience and content creation.

The Iranian Regime Is Stronger Than We Think

Common Sense with Bari Weiss ā€¢ 1061 implied HN points ā€¢ 16 Jan 26
šŸŒ World Politics Authoritarianism
  1. Widespread nationwide protests have been met with brutal repression ā€” shootings, mass arrests, and internet shutdowns ā€” and the real death toll is likely much higher than official counts.
  2. The Islamic Republic survives less by popularity than by a vast, overlapping security apparatus (IRGC, intelligence services, Basij, police) and an ideological framework designed to crush domestic dissent.
  3. Because the regime is willing to use extreme violence and has been built to endure internal warfare, it is more durable and less likely to be quickly overthrown than many outsiders assume.

Grand Illusion

The Chris Hedges Report ā€¢ 1183 implied HN points ā€¢ 08 Jan 26
šŸ‡ŗšŸ‡ø U.S. Politics Authoritarianism
  1. Declining empires turn to war and the worship of strength, believing violence can restore past greatness, but that obsession ultimately demands self-sacrifice and destroys the empire.
  2. Leaders who prefer force over diplomacy gut institutions of soft power and staff key posts with cronies, leaving the country unable to understand others or manage complex alliances.
  3. Constant militarism and imperial overreach erode domestic democracy and invite international blowback, risking isolation, backlash, and eventual collapse.

A New Rule for Social Interactions with Anyone Who Ever Voted for or Thought of Voting for Donald Trump

Brad DeLong's Grasping Reality ā€¢ 499 implied HN points ā€¢ 02 Feb 26
šŸ‡ŗšŸ‡ø U.S. Politics Authoritarianism
  1. People who voted for or even thought of voting for Donald Trump should start interactions by apologizing, repenting, and agreeing to let someone less easily grifted guide all their future voting decisions.
  2. Trumpā€™s plan to close the Kennedy Center leans on vague claims of ā€œhighly respected experts,ā€ but thereā€™s no public record of prior warnings, so the closure looks like a post hoc justification rather than a long-standing necessity.
  3. There are real worries about his mental fitness, and itā€™s alarming that he hasnā€™t been declared incompetent or had a guardian appointed despite actions that raise serious doubts about who should be making major decisions.

Maduro in Minneapolis

Thinking about... ā€¢ 908 implied HN points ā€¢ 09 Jan 26
šŸ‡ŗšŸ‡ø U.S. Politics Authoritarianism
  1. Authoritarian tactics are spreading: security forces carry out extrajudicial killings and then lie that the victims provoked them, which lets killers go free and makes more violence possible.
  2. Political arrests and rhetoric about drugs or immigration can be used to invent international conspiracies that justify repression and silence opponents.
  3. The remedy is truth and accountability. Name the victims, prosecute the perpetrators, and resist presidential paramilitaries and other institutions that normalize state killing.

Venezuela: The Precedents

Thinking about... ā€¢ 1029 implied HN points ā€¢ 04 Jan 26
šŸŒ World Politics Authoritarianism
  1. The U.S. action in Venezuela continues a long pattern of choosing foreign leaders to advance American interests rather than promoting genuine democracy, and the sensible response would be to hold or recognize legitimate elections.
  2. Forcibly removing a leader does not reliably create stability or democracy ā€” the Iraq example shows occupations breed chaos and can force occupiers to cooperate with the very forces they claimed to overthrow; backing violence undermines legitimacy and invites unpredictable resistance.
  3. Ignoring international law and using foreign interventions as tools for domestic political gain makes the U.S. resemble authoritarian powers and risks normalizing violence at home, so courts, journalists, Congress, and elections must check that logic.

Why Deepseek Appeasing Karens is Key to CCP Stability

ChinaTalk ā€¢ 963 implied HN points ā€¢ 09 Jan 26
šŸŒ World Politics Authoritarianism
  1. Local officials proactively fix small public problems to stop complaints from growing into bigger unrest, and they use viral citizen critics and KPI targets to drive fast responses.
  2. The complaint system is a patchwork of many specialized hotlines plus a central government platform, which can be confusing for citizens and very laborā€‘intensive for staff.
  3. Cities are adopting AI like DeepSeek to speed up ticket sorting and dispatch, lowering processing time and staff load, but the quality and coverage of these AI tools vary a lot.

Top Links 993 Coal in Asia. Tobin's race. Saudi Arabia changes course. The authoritarian threat to golf.

Chartbook ā€¢ 572 implied HN points ā€¢ 25 Jan 26
šŸŒ World Politics Authoritarianism
  1. Nearly 70 percent of global coal consumption is now concentrated in China and India.
  2. The featured links focus on major geopolitical and cultural shifts, including pieces on Tobinā€™s race, Saudi Arabia changing course, and the authoritarian threat to golf.
  3. This is a curated digest of links, images, and recommended reading that mixes free and subscriber-only content supported by reader contributions.

The Fourteenth Amendment Wasnā€™t a Creative Writing Exercise

Bulwark+ ā€¢ 9552 implied HN points ā€¢ 31 Jan 24
šŸ‡ŗšŸ‡ø U.S. Politics Authoritarianism
  1. The Fourteenth Amendment was drafted in response to specific concerns about real-world actions from the past.
  2. The Fourteenth Amendment's Section 3 was written to prevent individuals like John B. Floyd, who violated their oath of office, from holding government positions.
  3. The progression of authoritarianism in America reveals the fragility of our system's guardrails when confronted one by one.

Wikipedia Editors Are Helping Iran Rewrite History

Common Sense with Bari Weiss ā€¢ 704 implied HN points ā€¢ 21 Jan 26
šŸŒ World Politics Authoritarianism
  1. A coordinated campaign is using Wikipedia edits to rewrite and sanitize Iranā€™s human-rights record and historical events.
  2. This online propaganda runs alongside violent repression and internet blackouts that stop people from documenting and sharing evidence.
  3. Years of pro-regime editing make it harder for outsiders to learn the truth and let the regime shape the international narrative.

Liberalism is the rebellion now

Noahpinion ā€¢ 29882 implied HN points ā€¢ 15 Nov 24
šŸ‡ŗšŸ‡ø U.S. Politics Authoritarianism
  1. Liberalism, which values individual freedom and dignity, is losing its presence in politics today. People are beginning to feel that discussing freedom is not as popular or important as it used to be.
  2. Societal freedoms are decreasing, with fewer leaders advocating for individual rights. Issues like abortion and freedom of speech are increasingly under threat from both political sides.
  3. In today's world, believing in liberal ideals feels like joining a rebellion against powerful authoritarian influences. People who support freedom and dignity are now faced with many challenges and obstacles.

CROSSPOST: JOSH MARSHALL: Thinking Clearly About the Global Authoritarian Movement

Brad DeLong's Grasping Reality ā€¢ 246 implied HN points ā€¢ 12 Feb 26
šŸ‡ŗšŸ‡ø U.S. Politics Authoritarianism
  1. A global authoritarian movementā€”anchored by wealthy elites, petroā€‘states, tech moguls, and rightā€‘wing networksā€”exists beyond any single politician and aims to weaken democratic accountability.
  2. Small, membershipā€‘funded newsrooms that treat readers as partners in reporting offer a healthier, realityā€‘based alternative to adā€‘driven, outrageā€‘maximizing media.
  3. Human brains evolved for small social groups struggle inside billionā€‘person online feeds, producing strong parasocial ties that fuel manipulation and anger, so protecting democracy means repairing the mediasphere and supporting civic information spaces.

The Machinery of Terror

The Chris Hedges Report ā€¢ 821 implied HN points ā€¢ 11 Jan 26
šŸ‡ŗšŸ‡ø U.S. Politics Authoritarianism
  1. The government is building a repressive machineryā€”militarized immigration enforcement, mass detentions, and aggressive raidsā€”that is gradually eroding civil liberties.
  2. State terror and fear tacticsā€”kidnappings, brutality, and a culture of denunciationā€”are used to silence critics, break solidarity, and leave institutions unwilling or unable to hold agents accountable.
  3. Collective, urgent resistance is needed now: organizing protests, legal aid, strikes, community defense, and civil disobedience can disrupt the machinery of repression and protect vulnerable people before freedoms disappear.

The return of liberal authoritarianism

Wrong Side of History ā€¢ 574 implied HN points ā€¢ 15 Jan 26
šŸŒ World Politics Authoritarianism
  1. The UK is showing signs of democratic backsliding as authorities postpone elections, reshape the House of Lords, and push rules that could sideline opponents, weakening normal democratic checks.
  2. New laws and proposals ā€” like tighter online regulation, possible platform bans, and candidate vetting ā€” are being sold as fighting hate and misinformation but risk censoring dissent and concentrating control over public debate.
  3. Mainstream fear of a populist right is making illiberal tactics more acceptable, with leaders framing opponents as dangerous and using that threat to justify restrictive measures on politics and speech.

Good Trump-related News!

Nonzero Newsletter ā€¢ 485 implied HN points ā€¢ 31 Jan 26
šŸ‡ŗšŸ‡ø U.S. Politics Authoritarianism
  1. Grassroots protest and bipartisan political pushback forced a pullback from aggressive federal tactics, showing that popular feedback can check a slide toward authoritarian escalation.
  2. That de-escalation looks partly cosmetic and contingentā€”leaders often back down only after real blowback, and future incidents could produce very different outcomes.
  3. Workplace AI adoption is rising and may already be boosting productivity, which could help explain the mix of low inflation, weak hiring, and solid GDP growth, so watching those metrics and AI-use surveys matters.

The Last Election

The Chris Hedges Report ā€¢ 531 implied HN points ā€¢ 19 Jan 26
šŸ‡ŗšŸ‡ø U.S. Politics Authoritarianism
  1. A powerful leader is trying to rig, delay, or cancel U.S. elections to concentrate power and push the country toward authoritarian rule.
  2. Longstanding structural problemsā€”big money in politics, gerrymandering, weakened voting rights, and an empowered security stateā€”have hollowed out democracy and made takeover easier.
  3. Preventing this will be very difficult and may require mass protests or strikes, but those actions would likely face severe state repression and high personal risk.