Ok so a few things:
@Zombie and
@Red Have you guys read the book "How Democracies Die" by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt? It's a fantastic read.
Amazon product ASIN 1524762938
Basically, these two authors explain that democracy depends on both liberals and conservatives tolerating each other and respecting the rules of the game. When one side views compromise or losing an election as a zero sum game, then democracy begins to unravel and abuse of the rules begin to occur. They point out to Newt Gingrich in the 1990s and the inflammatory language he used (and encouraged republicans to use) which made democrats and liberals out to be "enemies/traitors" of the country. Throughout the 90s, Gingrich and republicans dedicated their very existence to impeaching Clinton. Impeachment was once considered a "last resort" politically and far too heavy for Congress to carry unless under dire circumstances (like Johnson or Nixon or potentially against a Russian colluder) not under something ridiculous like what happened under Clinton.
As Fox News and AM radio adopted Newt's language, polarization continued.
Under Bush, Democrats fought back by being slow to approve his judges. He fought back with executive orders.
Under Obama, Republicans just flat out refused to work with him. From day 1 they were determined to make Obama a one term president. Reid responded with the nuclear option and Obama responded with executive orders.
But clearly, republicans were the primary party halting democracy. This included outrages of:
- Shutting the government down and downgrading our credit rating
- Writing a letter to Iran discouraging them from working with the Obama administration
- Using the filibuster more under Obama than all other presidents combined
- Refusing to give Garland even a hearing.
As a result, democracy is grinding to a halt. This creates a perfect environment for authoritarians. Trump might not be it. But if respecting traditions, norms, and rules (both implicit and explicit) is not restored, then our democracy will continue to fail and we will reap its consequences.
I read this the other day and found it very interesting:
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/10/5/17940610/trump-hitler-history-historian
If the US has someone whom historians will look back on as the gravedigger of American democracy, it is Mitch McConnell. He stoked the hyperpolarization of American politics to make the Obama presidency as dysfunctional and paralyzed as he possibly could. As with parliamentary gridlock in Weimar, congressional gridlock in the US has diminished respect for democratic norms, allowing McConnell to trample them even more. Nowhere is this vicious circle clearer than in the obliteration of traditional precedents concerning judicial appointments. Systematic obstruction of nominations in Obama’s first term provoked Democrats to scrap the filibuster for all but Supreme Court nominations. Then McConnell’s unprecedented blocking of the Merrick Garland nomination required him in turn to scrap the filibuster for Supreme Court nominations in order to complete the “steal” of Antonin Scalia’s seat and confirm Neil Gorsuch. The extreme politicization of the judicial nomination process is once again on display in the current Kavanaugh hearings. ...
Whatever secret reservations McConnell and other traditional Republican leaders have about Trump’s character, governing style, and possible criminality, they openly rejoice in the payoff they have received from their alliance with him and his base: huge tax cuts for the wealthy, financial and environmental deregulation, the nominations of two conservative Supreme Court justices (so far) and a host of other conservative judicial appointments, and a significant reduction in government-sponsored health care (though not yet the total abolition of Obamacare they hope for). Like Hitler’s conservative allies, McConnell and the Republicans have prided themselves on the early returns on their investment in Trump.
This is the key point that people often miss when talking about Hitler’s rise. The breakdown of German democracy started well before Hitler: Hyperpolarization led Hindenburg to strip away constraints on executive power as well as conclude that his left-wing opponents were a greater threat than fascism. The result, then, was a degradation of the everyday practice of democracy, to the point where the system was vulnerable to a Hitler-style figure.
At this point, comparing McConnell to Pelosi or Reid is just plain ridiculous. McConnell is one of the most divisive characters in American political history. However, unlike Trump he's very competent. His "scorched earth" policy might be what triggers the end of American democracy.