David Frost asked Richard Nixon whether the president could do something illegal in certain situations such as against antiwar groups and others if he decides "it's in the best interests of the nation or something". Nixon replied: "Well, when the president does it, that means that it is not illegal, by definition."
Looking back at that statement from today’s perspective it seems we didn’t realize then what Nixon’s answer could portend for the future. What should have happened after that interview was that steps could have been taken either to fix the language in the relevant Articles in the Constitution or to add another Amendment. Either way a national dialogue would have taken place.
Now a faction in the Supreme Court cemented rule by an autocrat who is immune from prosecution for the commission of federal crimes. That means a president can choose to be a dictator from day one. To overturn that ruling will take a lot of time. Representative democracies are fragile.
Yeah, fragility is what the GOP is counting on. The D’s have allowed their internal squabbles to take precedence over fighting for democracy. For 50 years, or more.
The two Authoritarian Playbooks from Protect Democracy are essential references. I keep them both on my desktop. The authoritarian tactics and threats as described are all around us for all to see. In my own writing, I also refer to historical references. Two books I highly recommend are "February 1933: The Winter of Literature" by Uwe Wittstock. This book documents 1933 when so many writers predicted restricted press freedoms that some thought were impossible. The other book by Timothy Ryback, “Takeover: Hitler’s Final Rise to Power," chronicles a single year, 1932, during which Hitler didn’t grab power. He was given power....in so many words for "Freiheit und Brot" [Freedom and bread]. We can all see the parallels in these times and I am thankful for this article, which encourages us to speak out about authoritarianism as an essential to protecting democracy and addressing political violence.
David Frost asked Richard Nixon whether the president could do something illegal in certain situations such as against antiwar groups and others if he decides "it's in the best interests of the nation or something". Nixon replied: "Well, when the president does it, that means that it is not illegal, by definition."
Looking back at that statement from today’s perspective it seems we didn’t realize then what Nixon’s answer could portend for the future. What should have happened after that interview was that steps could have been taken either to fix the language in the relevant Articles in the Constitution or to add another Amendment. Either way a national dialogue would have taken place.
Now a faction in the Supreme Court cemented rule by an autocrat who is immune from prosecution for the commission of federal crimes. That means a president can choose to be a dictator from day one. To overturn that ruling will take a lot of time. Representative democracies are fragile.
Yeah, fragility is what the GOP is counting on. The D’s have allowed their internal squabbles to take precedence over fighting for democracy. For 50 years, or more.
The two Authoritarian Playbooks from Protect Democracy are essential references. I keep them both on my desktop. The authoritarian tactics and threats as described are all around us for all to see. In my own writing, I also refer to historical references. Two books I highly recommend are "February 1933: The Winter of Literature" by Uwe Wittstock. This book documents 1933 when so many writers predicted restricted press freedoms that some thought were impossible. The other book by Timothy Ryback, “Takeover: Hitler’s Final Rise to Power," chronicles a single year, 1932, during which Hitler didn’t grab power. He was given power....in so many words for "Freiheit und Brot" [Freedom and bread]. We can all see the parallels in these times and I am thankful for this article, which encourages us to speak out about authoritarianism as an essential to protecting democracy and addressing political violence.
Thank you