Make no mistake, Project 2025 is a blue print for some of this revolution, but it is certainly not the beginning or the end.
Its tendrils touch all manner of systems that have been the strength of our liberal democracy.
They have spent decades building a legal ecosystem of like-minded fanatics that are beginning to bear fruit with high court judges and justices who are fully bought in
They have created media empires; they are in the process of consolidating entertainment and news. they have higher education writ large under assault
All in a concerted effort to destroy representative democracy.
The surrender of the legislative branch is no accident, the SC making the President a king is no mistake, unitary executive theory is not fringe. these are the essence of the assault
The unwritten laws of shame and decency are either gone or being thrown out and they are using the system and its imperfections to seize control with the goal of permanent control
And this isn't a phenomenon limited to America, across Europe and Latin America right wing freaks, out right fascists are winning elections. Putin's war on Ukraine is setting up for a winter of disaster causing massive migration, further destabilizing the western democracies, combine that upheaval with the migration from the coming famines and look for even more rightwing backlash to "open borders"
I had always taken to heart King's quote about the arc of history bending towards justice.
I no longer see things that way. The world is fighting the same fight it has fought for millennia-bigoted tribalism and fascism vs freedom and liberal democracy. the fight between those who believe people are to be ruled and those who believe people should rule
That fight has been won for a long time by the rational, liberal, progressives but I fear that is coming to an end. The strength that liberal movement that underpinned those beliefs is under siege, from authoritarians, from economies designed to disempower the majority of people, of oligarchs and fascists, of nihilists exploiting the system.
There have been times when the regressives seems ascendent-pre civil war, early 20th century Europe but can we come together to fight them?
I am heartened by one thing, it is a theme from the TV Show Andor. When discussing the likelihood of the rebellion succeeding freedom has the advantage. Control, fascism essentially, is not a natural state, as such it must expend effort everywhere all at once, because freedom being natural is always striving to break out. that tension always advantages the natural
That gives me a sliver of hope
But, I am also a student of history and for freedom to rise from fascism usually takes violence (war) or massive economic pain (depression) or a massive disaster (famine on a global scale)
Times when fascism and oligarchy are seen as the luxury they are. People-the vast spectrum of people stand up and say no-whether it is royal heads rolling in the streets, Atlanta burning or European skies full of bombers. There is always a time when the 99% say enough is enough
I just hope I live long enough to see it
Trump is a long way from being finished with his destruction of the midterms. He could do something so heinous that it would stir up torch bearing riots all across the country as justification for using the Insurrection Act . . . or even declare Martial Law.
What might that heinous(s) acts be? One can hardly imagine. Personally, I would recommend that a certain former President start wearing a Kevlar vest.