The short answer is yes. We have lost the ability to sort through disinformation and determine what is true. We have allowed a drum beat of lies to make us an angry people and lose our optimism. And now, we are teetering on a tight rope between maintaining freedoms verses reaching for the illusionary protections of an authoritarian rule.
We have limited patience and ability to read and digest quantitative information
Ok, the truth is understanding data was never a strong suit for us, but we seem to be blindly following the conservative media’s feed on the economy. Gallop (Gallop.com) reports survey data from November 2023 showing that about 32 percent of the country thinks economic problems are our top issues. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports unemployment in October 2023 was 3.9 percent (BLS1). The 12 month inflation rate for June 2022-June 2023 was 3 percent (BLS2). For the economy, things are about as good as it ever gets[1]. Despite this good news, economic problems top voter’s issues list, along with lack of leadership (18%) and immigration (13%)[2].
The threats to democracy are multi-pronged, complicating the defense
Democracy is being threatened on multiple fronts by multiple, and often coordinated, groups.
- Leading the pack is Donald Trump with his disregard for the Constitution, the law, and anyone who does not support him.
- He has said he will be an authoritarian leader, will purge government agencies, cutting many of them severely and replacing remaining employees with his supporters. He will pursue and punish those who have opposed him. He told Fox News he would not be a dictator upon returning to office “other than Day One”. (Politico1).
- Second, is the MAGA movement that has taken over the Republican Party who have no interest in governing but rather want to dismantle the government.
- They want to cut the budget, cut programs (including core programs such as social security and Medicare), and cut agencies.
- Third, and most disheartening, is our population’s tilt to authoritarianism.
- Perhaps because we have never lived under an authoritarian regime, we have false pretenses of what it would be like. Matthew C. Macwilliams, a political researcher, collected data on American’s views on authoritarianism starting before the 2016 election and continuing to 2020 using panel surveys (Politico2) He found that “approximately 18 percent of Americans are highly disposed to authoritarianism, according to their answers to four simple survey questions used by social scientists to estimate this disposition. A further 23 percent or so are just one step below them on the authoritarian scale. This roughly 40 percent of Americans tend to favor authority, obedience and uniformity over freedom, independence and diversity. He goes on to conclude “when combined with fear, authoritarian-leaning Americans are predisposed to trade civil liberties for strongman solutions”.
About 40 percent of Americans find aspects of authoritarianism appealing and as compared to non-authoritarians, are more likely to believe:
- our country should be governed by a strong leader who doesn’t have to bother with Congress or elections.
- the freedom of the press should be limited
- the President should have the power to limit the voice and vote of opposition parties, and
- those who disagree with them are a threat to our country
Last, Trump is a master at disinformation and turning the tables on his critics attacking them by claiming they engaged in the behaviors and crimes for which he has been accused or indicted. He is now claiming Biden is the great threat to democracy.
There are no institutions more core to our democracy and freedom than the balance of power between the three branches—Executive (President), Congressional, Judicial, having a non-partisan civil service, a free press, and elections in which your vote is counted. Trump threatens all of these.
As a result, in this election the economy, immigration, or any other domestic issue does not matter. Who we are as a nation is being seriously threatened. So no matter what you think of Biden personally, or if you disagree with him on some policies (or even on most policies), he is the candidate to vote for to save the soul of the country.
Footnotes:
[1] The current rate of inflation at 3% is relatively low rate when one compares rates over the past 40 years. Under Reagan the rates ranged from 2.9 to 12.8%. however, the rates are still higher than the October to October annual inflation rates under Trump (which ranged from 1.2 to 2.5%) and the rates during the Obama- Biden years (which ranged from 0.2 to 1.7%) second terms. These historical rates were calculated using the data and tools at: https://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/surveymost?bls
[2] The threat to democracy should be the number one issue and, on some polls it is, as the responses one gets is sensitive to how the survey questions are framed.