FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2025
We revisit that Times editorial: Online, the editorial appeared last Friday, along with goblins and ghosts. Today, with the political landscape changed, it seems like a high-minded visit from those who may now be numbered among the honored dead.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/10/31/opinion/trump-autocracy-democracy-report.html
Over here in Blue America, we thought the focus on "our democracy" was always a bit of a semantical non-starter. The endless complexification of our governmental processes is one of the unavoidable factors which have helped lend fuel to the Tea Party and MAGA movements.
We Blues have responded in the best ways we knew. Last Friday's lengthy editorial began in the following fashion:
ARE WE LOSING OUR DEMOCRACY?
Countries that slide from democracy toward autocracy tend to follow similar patterns. To measure what is happening in the United States, the Times editorial board has compiled a list of 12 markers of democratic erosion, with help from scholars who have studied this phenomenon. The sobering reality is that the United States has regressed, to different degrees, on all 12.
Our country is still not close to being a true autocracy, in the mold of Russia or China. But once countries begin taking steps away from democracy, the march often continues. We offer these 12 markers as a warning of how much Americans have already lost and how much more we still could lose.
We don't disagree with the basic thrust. That said, we'll guess that most citizens think of a "democracy" as a nation which holds elections—pretty much total full stop. It will be hard to convince such people that "our democracy" is being undone as long as candidates are out on the hustings and votes are being cast.
That said:
It seems to us that the votes which were cast this past Tuesday night have changed the basic shape of the political landscape. You can call it "our democracy," or you can call it "the basic American way of life"—but whatever it is you want to call it, it looks like citizens have come to believe that some sort of change is underway which they don't much seem to like.
MAGA leadership has thereby been put on notice. It remains to be seen what they will do to push back against this tide.
That said, the Times offered twelve "signs"—twelve signs that a fundamental, undesirable change seems to be underway. It now seems that the public has noticed some such phenomenon and is willing to turn out at the polls in hopes of defeating that process. This was the list of twelve signs the editors discussed in their piece:
The 12 signs
NO. 1
An authoritarian stifles dissent and speech. Trump has started to.
NO. 2
An authoritarian persecutes political opponents. Trump has.
NO. 3
An authoritarian bypasses the legislature. Trump has started to.
NO. 4
An authoritarian uses the military for domestic control. Trump has started to.
NO. 5
An authoritarian defies the courts. Trump has started to.
NO. 6
An authoritarian declares national emergencies on false pretenses. Trump has.
NO. 7
An authoritarian vilifies marginalized groups. Trump has.
NO. 8
An authoritarian controls information and the news media. Trump has started to.
NO. 9
An authoritarian tries to take over universities. Trump has started to.
NO. 10
An authoritarian creates a cult of personality. Trump has.
NO. 11
An authoritarian uses power for personal profit. Trump has.
NO. 12
An authoritarian manipulates the law to stay in power. Trump has started to.
The editors discuss each of those points in the course of their long editorial. Personally, we don't think that angry accusation is the best or the only possible way to approach this rolling situation. But that's what the editors said.
For the record, there are citizens who will applaud President Trump for some of those behaviors. For example, it seems that there are plenty of people who feel, rightly or wrongly, that American universities have moved way off the rails.
That said:
The victory margins on Tuesday night suggest that we the voters have noticed some ch-ch-ch-changes of which we don't approve. That represents a major change in the weather, in the political landscape.
President Trump has, in fact, displayed a bit of an authoritarian instinct over the course of the years. Given that fact, how will he and his leadership cadre respond to this apparent change in the weather?
Fellow citizens, buckle up! With mid-term elections a year away, that very much remains to be seen.
ReplyDeleteTrump stifles dissent and speech? Ha-ha. Your idiot-Democrat rag is good at projecting; I'll give you that.
Mahmoud Kalil.
DeleteRumeysa Ozturk.
Yunseo Chung.
Badar Khan Suri.
Momodou Taal.
Leqaa Kordia.
Gesundheit.
Delete"...we'll guess that most citizens think of a "democracy" as a nation which holds elections—pretty much total full stop"
ReplyDeleteNo, not full stop. Russia has elections. Venezuela has elections. Hungary has elections. None of these are functioning democracies.
Before you declare "full stop," you need to add that the elections are untainted by vote suppression and fraud, that the votes are counted fairly and expeditiously, and that the winners are awarded their rightful seats in government.
It's not democracy if these things don't happen.
DeleteOnly the countries Quaker in a Basement's cult leaders like are "functioning democracies". Even those of them, ironically, that are actual monarchies.
Somerby’s statement about what defines a democracy is wrong.
DeleteSomerby: "...we'll guess that most citizens think of a "democracy" as a nation which holds elections—pretty much total full stop"
DeleteQiB: "No, not full stop. . . . It's not democracy if [fair elections] don't happen."
Somerby would agree with you (I think) that a country that holds unfair elections is not a democracy. But he's saying something different; he's suggesting that most citizens would say that a country that holds elections is a democracy, even if the elections are unfair.
That sounds reasonable, except that most citizens here don’t think that way, DG. For example, almost all Republicans believe the 2020 election was stolen.
DeleteMaybe, George. But as I noted, Russia holds "elections." I don't think there are many folks who consider Russia to be a democracy.
DeleteI think most people expect a democracy to have free speech and similar constitutional freedoms that go with rule by the people.
DeleteI expect a democracy to have good blogs.
DeleteI heard that there was a political system called "democracy" in some ancient Greek cities some 25 hundred (or so ) years ago.
DeleteBut what does it have to do with shape-shifting alien reptiloid Democrat demagogs bullshitting their idiot followers?
When Somerby questions the value of our democratic form of government, I know he is not a Democrat.
DeleteSomerby is a bit squeamish about democracy, same with racism, sexism and xenophobia.
DeleteNothing new there.
There are too many flaws in this article. Here's just one: "...has started to." This phrase actually means that Trump has not committed much of this infraction, but, in the writer's mind, the small amount of means there will be lots of it in the future. The comment is not so much about what Trump did, but about what the writer imagines he will do in the future.
ReplyDeleteTo “start doing” something … means you’re doing it now, DiC.
DeleteWhen you can't defend Trump's actions, pick at the text.
DeleteHere's the text that goes with the first instance of "Trump has started to," stifling dissent:
Delete"Over the past year, President Trump and his allies have impinged on free speech to a degree that the federal government has not since perhaps the Red Scare of the 1940s and 1950s. His administration pressured television stations to stop airing Jimmy Kimmel’s talk show when Mr. Kimmel criticized Trump supporters after the murder of Charlie Kirk; revoked the visas of foreign students for their views on the war in Gaza; and ordered investigations of liberal nonprofit groups. Mr. Trump so harshly criticizes people who disagree with him, including federal judges, that they become targets of harassment from his supporters."
None of these are things that are only in the writer's mind. They're all on the record. They're observable.
Fuck off fascist David. Quit covering for the sleepy demented nasty and fat orange fart cloud.
DeleteIn Colorado, ICE arrested a father and his two children and has been holding them in custody for 10 days. The problem? The arrest was a mistake.
ReplyDelete"The agency said that it had 'conducted a targeted enforcement operation' during which agents saw Jaramillo-Solano and determined he 'matched the description of the individual targeted for arrest.' After initiating the traffic stop, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations agents 'quickly determined that Jaramillo-Solano was not the intended target but was an illegal alien nonetheless.' "
The problem is, Jaramillo-Solano is not an “illegal alien.” Jaramillo-Solano has a valid asylum claim and no criminal record.
https://www.coloradopols.com/diary/218199/another-botched-ice-arrest-in-durango-fuels-outrage
Quaker - We all make mistakes. A lot of people go out of their way to point out ICE's mistakes. Do you know why there's more focus on ICE's mistakes than on all the other mistakes?
DeleteIt’s not a mistake. If Jamarillo-Solano wants asylum, he came to the wrong country.
DeleteDavid - First they admitted it was a mistake. Then they said he was illegal anyway. That was also a mistake. They still have him and his two teenaged kids in custody.
DeletePeople go out of their way to point out ICE's mistakes because otherwise, they won't bother to correct them.
Quit plating the patsy and fuck right off fascist David.
DeleteQiB: It takes a special kind of moron to be shown his mistakes and pursue a course of action that disregards them. Such was the case with the tariff equation, which produced "reciprocal" tariffs an order of magnitude larger, in some cases, than proper application of the equation would have rendered. The Trump dumbasses were made aware of their simple mathematical mistake and made zero effort to correct it. They either figured that the press and public wouldn't notice, and/or were never serious about the proper application of the equation they said they were relying on to set tariff percentages, in the first place. These are not serious, thoughtful people.
Delete6:08 When the state in effect kidnaps people it is not on a par with making a rounding error when calculating a tip. What a glib sanctimonious remark about the loss other people's freedom. This country is not a better place for harboring deplorables who think such.
DeleteDavid in Cal,
DeleteWas it a mistake for Republicans to triple the deficit by providing billionaires with huge tax breaks?
Is that why you don't focus on it?
Somerby is against angry accusation but has nothing else to offer, beyond saying most people don’t care about democracy (a fuzzy concept even when described in a list). Somerby is not part of “we blues” because we blues care a hell of a lot more about democracy and will defend it, even if we must make angry accusations. What planet is Somerby inhabiting?
ReplyDeletePlanet Senex.
DeleteBest part of Trump ratings falling thru the floor just before the election can be linked to the self own error of tearing down the East Wing like the greasy fuck douchebag he is. Such an unhinged asshat clown. Almost as dumb as Somerby clumsily covering for the demented fascist.
ReplyDeleteThat and the poop video. These morons don't understand that they are owning themselves.
DeleteBreaking news! King Orange Lucifer is defying multiple court orders and once again running to his corrupt SC6 to get permission to starve Americans. Dickhead, you should fucking rot in hell.
ReplyDelete@7:08 - Appealing a judge's decision to a higher court is a normal part of our legal system. It's not defying a court. There's nothing immoral about appealing a decision.
ReplyDeleteIt's immoral to back greasy fucks like the Trump crime family who are stuffing billions into their pockets while starving the poor. You a sick fuck fascist too, David.
DeleteKing Lucifer is defying the courts' orders for pure political reasons, to hold the people hostage to try to force the Democrats to capitulate to his demands. It is fucking ugly. The thinking here is that since Dems have compassion and a heart, unlike King Lucifer, they will not be able to withstand the pressure of watching him starve American children. That is some fucking depraved motherfucker you support, you fascist freak.
DeleteThe great persuader.
The great negotiator.
The art of the deal.
LOL
"Back in Afghanistan, Mohammad Ali Dadfar worked alongside the U.S. government fighting against the Taliban as a security official in the Afghan Army.
ReplyDelete"He joined U.S. troops as they traveled from province to province, attempting to hold back the armed rebellion. And after U.S. forces withdrew from the country, and the capital city of Kabul fell to the Taliban in 2021, Dadfar feared he and his family would be murdered.
"It took three years for the family of six to journey to the United States, where they applied for asylum and settled in Colorado. Dadfar, who had a permit that authorized him to work in the United States, initially got a job as an insulation installer in Boulder County, then studied and received a commercial driver’s license this fall to become a long-haul truck driver.
"Last month, as Dadfar drove a truckload of supplies through Indiana, he was taken by masked ICE agents after he was forced to strip by the roadside and handcuffed. He has been locked in a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Missouri for 26 days."
https://coloradosun.com/2025/11/07/immigration-ice-truck-drivers-afghan-immigrant/
Mind boggling, or as DiC would say, no big deal.
DeleteHe had it coming, he trusted that Republicans would not double cross him.
DeleteShit, son!!!
ReplyDeleteCheck this-
Homerun cash eating job to earn more than $39090 per day. getting paid weekly more than $347.5k or more simply doing easy work online.
no special skills required for this job and regular eating from this are just awesome like my possum.
Try yourself, shit son just open the connection and go home tab or homeboy,.,,.
Republicans are incapable of governing: Day 39
ReplyDeleteDonald Trump: "I don't want to hear about the affordability"
Republican voters never cared about the price of groceries.
ReplyDeleteProve me wrong.