The question is not how this started, or even what it does, but how the resistance will be manifested. There is still a sizeable amount of support for all the actions indicated above, and that probably won't change, even if further steps are taken towards totalitarianism. Some will welcome it. So, as you indicated, the real test is in how the resistance takes form, and in what it says and finally in what it does.
"Trump’s poll numbers are cratering, which may well translate into mass unrest – the kind that destabilizes a regime from within as individuals begin to shield themselves from future indictments. The administration’s own lack of discipline – its incompetence and corruption – may accelerate its decline. This ain’t the High Command." In the best case scenario, the fruit of evil negates itself before it has a chance to take hold.
I look at the political divisions in Czechia, though, and think how fragile any kind of consensus or commitment to commonweal is. Perpetually vulnerable to apathy, even without the leader.
I'll repeat what I've said elsewhere, which is that even if Trump and Co. get the boot, they alone are not responsible for the eroding trust in institutions. I agree with Bernie and with Mark Lilla before him: Democrats turned their backs on working Americans. We're still in crisis mode -- fair enough -- but I would find it more restorative to start thinking about what the new coalition might look like that could bring back a sense of the commons. Without that, the totalitarian leader never goes away because the underlying anguish that enables him is never addressed.
I'm thinking about young people who have no reasonable shot at owning their own home. LinkedIn chatter about how the only insurance anyone can have these days is a side hustle -- even the purported "good jobs" aren't sure things anymore. If people cannot invest time, energy, and money into building a durable future for themselves and a better life for their kids, there's no hope of escaping the totalitarian trap.
Mark, excellent essay. We can’t change the minds of the true believers. They have always been there. But the liberal couch potatoes, youth, and downtrodden when mobilized can be a force to battle with Trump power grab. There are signs even on Cape Cod. But it will take much more unfortunately.
That said, I believe the American people - including the groups you mention - are waking up to what's happening, and there are 340 million of us, so it matters.
We're at a crucial pivot point - the next few months will tell us a lot.
The question is not how this started, or even what it does, but how the resistance will be manifested. There is still a sizeable amount of support for all the actions indicated above, and that probably won't change, even if further steps are taken towards totalitarianism. Some will welcome it. So, as you indicated, the real test is in how the resistance takes form, and in what it says and finally in what it does.
"Trump’s poll numbers are cratering, which may well translate into mass unrest – the kind that destabilizes a regime from within as individuals begin to shield themselves from future indictments. The administration’s own lack of discipline – its incompetence and corruption – may accelerate its decline. This ain’t the High Command." In the best case scenario, the fruit of evil negates itself before it has a chance to take hold.
I look at the political divisions in Czechia, though, and think how fragile any kind of consensus or commitment to commonweal is. Perpetually vulnerable to apathy, even without the leader.
I'll repeat what I've said elsewhere, which is that even if Trump and Co. get the boot, they alone are not responsible for the eroding trust in institutions. I agree with Bernie and with Mark Lilla before him: Democrats turned their backs on working Americans. We're still in crisis mode -- fair enough -- but I would find it more restorative to start thinking about what the new coalition might look like that could bring back a sense of the commons. Without that, the totalitarian leader never goes away because the underlying anguish that enables him is never addressed.
I'm thinking about young people who have no reasonable shot at owning their own home. LinkedIn chatter about how the only insurance anyone can have these days is a side hustle -- even the purported "good jobs" aren't sure things anymore. If people cannot invest time, energy, and money into building a durable future for themselves and a better life for their kids, there's no hope of escaping the totalitarian trap.
Mark, excellent essay. We can’t change the minds of the true believers. They have always been there. But the liberal couch potatoes, youth, and downtrodden when mobilized can be a force to battle with Trump power grab. There are signs even on Cape Cod. But it will take much more unfortunately.
I believe it will, John, and I'm sorry for it.
That said, I believe the American people - including the groups you mention - are waking up to what's happening, and there are 340 million of us, so it matters.
We're at a crucial pivot point - the next few months will tell us a lot.