Why autocracy is rising in America, and how to stop it before it's too late

Boston Globe

3 days ago

These two examples are but a sample of the laser-focused and ever-intensifying
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'This is about how do you dismantle democracy, in real time, in plain sight,' Stacey Abrams, voting rights activist and former Georgia state legislator, said in an
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It can all feel overwhelming, as if it is too much coming at us too fast to wrap our arms around, let alone fight. But that isn't true. There are things we all can do to push back against and mitigate the autocratic turn our nation has taken.
But first, we have to be clear about how and why authoritarianism can so easily take over a democracy like America's.
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It's not just the Supreme Court's continued targeting of the Voting Rights Act or the flagrant partisan gerrymandering to keep increasingly purple states like Texas bright red.
Democracy is dying by a thousand cuts, though many feel more like machete wounds. They include
Then there's the plan, straight out of Project 2025, to
There is also the federal
And so much more.
Ask yourself: If Republicans were so confident that their policies were popular, why would they be working so hard to rig the electoral system to hold onto power? They give their own game away.
But they couldn't do it unless a significant portion of Americans (far short of a majority) were willing to go along with it.
I'm often shocked at the willingness of so many Americans to watch our democratic guardrails crumble with barely an 'oh, hum.' But Abrams raised an important point: The way autocrats win over supporters is by telling them the lie that democracy cannot give the people what they need, and that they should embrace an alternative. That was exactly how Rodrigo Duterte rose to power in the Philippines and Viktor Orbán in Hungary. And now it's happening here.
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Republicans have been successful in making their supporters think, as Abrams said, that 'it's this community of people [Democrats] who are the reason you don't have anything, and so we will let you [Republicans] oppress an entire population if it justifies our convenience and guarantees us what we need.'
Add a healthy dose of fear-mongering (the entire basis of the Trump administration's militarized attack on immigrants and cities like Washington, D.C.) and otherwise sensible people's tolerance for democratic backsliding skyrockets.
But there is reason for hope: We are not without power to push back in real, meaningful ways.
'We need your investment,' Abrams said. 'This is not just about money. It's about time, talent, and treasure.'
Give money to pro-democracy causes and candidates if you have it to spare, but that's not the only way. Contact advocacy organizations — from immigrant support groups to organizations dedicated to keeping elections free and fair — and ask what they need. Often it isn't just money but also volunteer time and effort.
Contacting members of Congress is useful, but so is showing up at your local town council and school board meetings and demanding they fight against local-level autocracy like book banning and conservative takeovers of school curricula. Talk to your neighbors, your family, and your friends about how much we have to lose if we don't take action.
'We've got to show up and show that democracy can still deliver, even if it's being delivered by individuals,' Abrams said. 'Your church, your organization, your Girl Scout troop, whatever coalition you have, has to step into the gap.'
It was a wonderful reminder to me that we are not powerless. I want to remind you of that, too.
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Kimberly Atkins Stohr is a columnist for the Globe. She may be reached at