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Supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump fight with riot police outside the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, in Washington, D.C.
The American Experiment in democracy is being tested to its outward limit.
The word fascism is a relatively new term that has joined the political discussion in the United States as the 2024 election campaigns heat up. As an ultra-nationalist, anti-democratic, far-right movement, it is being driven by Donald Trump, the former president, now the leading Republican presidential candidate running on an anti-government fascist platform. This article brings a brief historical and current perspective to what now seriously threatens democracy in this country.
The population of the U.S. has been steadily diversifying to the point that we are now a multicultural and multiracial society. The total white population has shrunk for the first time in its history. The U.S. is projected to become “minority white” at 49.7% by 2045.
Increasing corruption of our political system has been a major factor in leading us to rising oligarchy and authoritarianism in this country. The Citizens Unitedruling in 2010 unleashed an unlimited amount of money into election campaigns from billionaires as they turned their wealth into political power. Since then, billionaire contributions have increased sharply whereby the ultra-wealthy buy access to legislators and influence over tax policies in each election.
The GOP “freedoms”—to control (eg. bodily autonomy of women), to exploit, to censor, and to menace—are the polar opposites of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s four freedoms as part of the New Deal—freedom of speech and expression, freedom to worship God in individual ways, the freedom from want, and the freedom from fear—all building blocks of a free society.
These are some of the ways in which Big Money interests undermine representative government and majority rule:
These are further threats to American democracy:
These kinds of anti-democratic actions are being carried out in Republican-led states as examples of an extremist far-right agenda:
These GOP “freedoms”—to control (eg. bodily autonomy of women), to exploit, to censor, and to menace—are the polar opposites of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s four freedoms as part of the New Deal—freedom of speech and expression, freedom to worship God in individual ways, the freedom from want, and the freedom from fear—all building blocks of a free society.
These are some major reasons whereby growing fascist movements now seriously threaten American democracy:
Our votes are stolen
The authoritarian policies of fascist movements work to increase their own voting power as they work to reduce that of their opponents by gerrymandering, voter suppression, opposing the Voting Rights Act, and other election sabotage tactics. During the Trump administration, for example, the 2020 Census undercounted 19 million minorities while overcounting whites.
Our elections are corrupted
Because our “system” of campaign finance relies almost entirely on private money, the election process greatly favors candidates with deep-pocketed supporters. Winning a seat in the U. S. Senate now costs more than $10 million. The highest spending candidate wins in 90% of House elections and 80% of Senate races, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
The labor movement is held back
Conservative forces and corporate consolidation have led to a marked loss of union power since the 1970s.
Public dollars are diverted from the common good
With the highest profit margin in 70 years in 2022, U. S. corporations still press Congress to keep their tax breaks coming. Our multinational corporations shift billions of dollars to overseas tax havens to avoid paying taxes in the U. S.Those dollars could make a big difference in alleviating pressing needs of Americans as they struggle under the burden of corporate-induced inflation.
Conclusion
The American Experiment in democracy is being tested to its outward limit. Activated voters in the 2024 elections can reverse the damage done by fascist and other anti-democratic forces, but they will have to be fully engaged and turn out to vote in less than one year!
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The word fascism is a relatively new term that has joined the political discussion in the United States as the 2024 election campaigns heat up. As an ultra-nationalist, anti-democratic, far-right movement, it is being driven by Donald Trump, the former president, now the leading Republican presidential candidate running on an anti-government fascist platform. This article brings a brief historical and current perspective to what now seriously threatens democracy in this country.
The population of the U.S. has been steadily diversifying to the point that we are now a multicultural and multiracial society. The total white population has shrunk for the first time in its history. The U.S. is projected to become “minority white” at 49.7% by 2045.
Increasing corruption of our political system has been a major factor in leading us to rising oligarchy and authoritarianism in this country. The Citizens Unitedruling in 2010 unleashed an unlimited amount of money into election campaigns from billionaires as they turned their wealth into political power. Since then, billionaire contributions have increased sharply whereby the ultra-wealthy buy access to legislators and influence over tax policies in each election.
The GOP “freedoms”—to control (eg. bodily autonomy of women), to exploit, to censor, and to menace—are the polar opposites of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s four freedoms as part of the New Deal—freedom of speech and expression, freedom to worship God in individual ways, the freedom from want, and the freedom from fear—all building blocks of a free society.
These are some of the ways in which Big Money interests undermine representative government and majority rule:
These are further threats to American democracy:
These kinds of anti-democratic actions are being carried out in Republican-led states as examples of an extremist far-right agenda:
These GOP “freedoms”—to control (eg. bodily autonomy of women), to exploit, to censor, and to menace—are the polar opposites of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s four freedoms as part of the New Deal—freedom of speech and expression, freedom to worship God in individual ways, the freedom from want, and the freedom from fear—all building blocks of a free society.
These are some major reasons whereby growing fascist movements now seriously threaten American democracy:
Our votes are stolen
The authoritarian policies of fascist movements work to increase their own voting power as they work to reduce that of their opponents by gerrymandering, voter suppression, opposing the Voting Rights Act, and other election sabotage tactics. During the Trump administration, for example, the 2020 Census undercounted 19 million minorities while overcounting whites.
Our elections are corrupted
Because our “system” of campaign finance relies almost entirely on private money, the election process greatly favors candidates with deep-pocketed supporters. Winning a seat in the U. S. Senate now costs more than $10 million. The highest spending candidate wins in 90% of House elections and 80% of Senate races, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
The labor movement is held back
Conservative forces and corporate consolidation have led to a marked loss of union power since the 1970s.
Public dollars are diverted from the common good
With the highest profit margin in 70 years in 2022, U. S. corporations still press Congress to keep their tax breaks coming. Our multinational corporations shift billions of dollars to overseas tax havens to avoid paying taxes in the U. S.Those dollars could make a big difference in alleviating pressing needs of Americans as they struggle under the burden of corporate-induced inflation.
Conclusion
The American Experiment in democracy is being tested to its outward limit. Activated voters in the 2024 elections can reverse the damage done by fascist and other anti-democratic forces, but they will have to be fully engaged and turn out to vote in less than one year!
The word fascism is a relatively new term that has joined the political discussion in the United States as the 2024 election campaigns heat up. As an ultra-nationalist, anti-democratic, far-right movement, it is being driven by Donald Trump, the former president, now the leading Republican presidential candidate running on an anti-government fascist platform. This article brings a brief historical and current perspective to what now seriously threatens democracy in this country.
The population of the U.S. has been steadily diversifying to the point that we are now a multicultural and multiracial society. The total white population has shrunk for the first time in its history. The U.S. is projected to become “minority white” at 49.7% by 2045.
Increasing corruption of our political system has been a major factor in leading us to rising oligarchy and authoritarianism in this country. The Citizens Unitedruling in 2010 unleashed an unlimited amount of money into election campaigns from billionaires as they turned their wealth into political power. Since then, billionaire contributions have increased sharply whereby the ultra-wealthy buy access to legislators and influence over tax policies in each election.
The GOP “freedoms”—to control (eg. bodily autonomy of women), to exploit, to censor, and to menace—are the polar opposites of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s four freedoms as part of the New Deal—freedom of speech and expression, freedom to worship God in individual ways, the freedom from want, and the freedom from fear—all building blocks of a free society.
These are some of the ways in which Big Money interests undermine representative government and majority rule:
These are further threats to American democracy:
These kinds of anti-democratic actions are being carried out in Republican-led states as examples of an extremist far-right agenda:
These GOP “freedoms”—to control (eg. bodily autonomy of women), to exploit, to censor, and to menace—are the polar opposites of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s four freedoms as part of the New Deal—freedom of speech and expression, freedom to worship God in individual ways, the freedom from want, and the freedom from fear—all building blocks of a free society.
These are some major reasons whereby growing fascist movements now seriously threaten American democracy:
Our votes are stolen
The authoritarian policies of fascist movements work to increase their own voting power as they work to reduce that of their opponents by gerrymandering, voter suppression, opposing the Voting Rights Act, and other election sabotage tactics. During the Trump administration, for example, the 2020 Census undercounted 19 million minorities while overcounting whites.
Our elections are corrupted
Because our “system” of campaign finance relies almost entirely on private money, the election process greatly favors candidates with deep-pocketed supporters. Winning a seat in the U. S. Senate now costs more than $10 million. The highest spending candidate wins in 90% of House elections and 80% of Senate races, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
The labor movement is held back
Conservative forces and corporate consolidation have led to a marked loss of union power since the 1970s.
Public dollars are diverted from the common good
With the highest profit margin in 70 years in 2022, U. S. corporations still press Congress to keep their tax breaks coming. Our multinational corporations shift billions of dollars to overseas tax havens to avoid paying taxes in the U. S.Those dollars could make a big difference in alleviating pressing needs of Americans as they struggle under the burden of corporate-induced inflation.
Conclusion
The American Experiment in democracy is being tested to its outward limit. Activated voters in the 2024 elections can reverse the damage done by fascist and other anti-democratic forces, but they will have to be fully engaged and turn out to vote in less than one year!
