If you read nothing else: Read this article.
writes this article in the New Yorker
Magyar divides the autocrat’s journey into three stages: autocratic attempt, autocratic breakthrough, and autocratic consolidation. The attempt is a period when autocracy is still preventable, or reversible, by electoral means. When it is no longer possible to reverse autocracy peacefully, the autocratic breakthrough has occurred, because the very structures of government have been transformed and can no longer protect themselves.
The threat.
This is a giant and, now, aggrieved movement, capable of carrying Trump or, more likely, one of his children, back into office in 2024 or 2028.
Masha concludes with
Nothing short of reinventing American democracy, spiritually and institutionally, can protect us.
This sums up the Republican Party objectives over the last 40 years or so, and they found their ideal leader in Trump, either by design or accident. Note their relative silence and whispered denial with respect to the election results by their leaders, whereas their media arms and “the base” have been screaming like stuck pigs, fraud.
The Democratic Party relies on a fragile alliance what they like to call a large tent from small “c” conservatives and capitalists through progressives to democratic socialists [my lot]. I wouldn’t term it so much as a large tent but an ideological gulf.
The Democrats have made [once again] wide-ranging promises to the Latino community [not only BTW] and this time they better keep them, Biden has admitted so much.
The fudged and fuzzy on the most important issue of climate change and the Green New Deal.
At least their response to Covid-19 seems coherent.
Some are heralding a mere 3% margin as some form of massive and decisive victory, I would argue that any other President who fiddled while some 250,000++ Americans died would have seen both he and his Republican enablers annihilated at the polls. Just remember how a war criminal G.W. Bush has become a warm and fuzzy Ex-President, I’m amazed at the short term memories on display.
Just a warning.
Update
This article updates the actuality
Joe Biden Will Face This Overlooked Crisis on Day 1
All these regulatory changes, and the complexity of reversing them, will be like sand in the gears in the implementation of any action on climate, student loans or health care, as well as to the ordinary functioning of government.
