Are Our Responses Matching the Risks?

By Mike Koetting June 24, 2025

Our country is drifting toward an authoritarian state. This is a fact, not a matter of opinion. One might argue about the speed of the drift or, in theory, even whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing. But one can’t really argue in good faith about the direction.

I am guessing most of the readers of this blog are troubled by this. The question that I can’t get out of my head is how should I feelabout it. And, then, what should I do about it. Asking these questions raises a lot of philosophical questions about what does the abstraction of democracy or, even, of country, mean, none of which have simple answers.

But it seems to me that there are fundamental reasons to believe that democracy is superior to authoritarianism, so much so, I would submit that standing up for it is a moral imperative.

Unfortunately, that doesn’t tell us how worried we should be about current circumstances and, more importantly, what we should be doing. I don’t think the Trump administration has crossed into full-blown fascism. But when it comes to authoritarianism, that’s not the measure. Trajectory is what’s crucial. By the time an administration actually crosses that threshold, democratic safeguards have already been left behind. Obviously better to stop it before it gets there.

We find it intellectually easy to condemn the people of pre-Hitler Germany. But we need to pay attention to how it all went down. In two 1932 elections, the Nazi party received 37% and 33% of the votes. Clearly there was no initial majority support, probably even diminishing support. But, when the Parliament was paralyzed by the impasse between the Nazi and the Communist Parties, Hindenburg, the President, was persuaded by business interests to appoint Hitler chancellor. (This has a vaguely familiar odor.)

Shortly after, a fire in the  Reichstag was blamed on Communists, leading Hindenburg, at Hitler’s urging, to sign the Reichstag Fire Decree  that suspended basic liberties and allowed the Nazi to make mass arrests of Communists, thereby taking their most viable opposition off the table. There wasn’t another free election until after the war.

The moral is clear: voting against the Nazis wasn’t enough to stop their rise.

Once authoritarians had access to the levers of power, the average citizens had limited options. In a very short time, the Nazis went from a minority party to the only authority, with the ability to make the costs of opposition high. Do we think more people should have taken to the streets when Hitler started to make arrests? How many would it take to make a difference? Dissidents in China or Russia, don’t seem to make much difference. It would be asking a lot to expect enough Germans take the risk of getting arrested by a group with questionable scruples to make a difference. And who wants to go first?

From where I sit, there are really only two, maybe three, groups in America who have immediate power to reverse the slide. I believe most power now rests with Republican Congressman and the ultra-rich. I don’t have much access to either of these two groups, but I do have some advice for them: While an authoritarian Trump is good for them in the short term, this is not a long run winning strategy for either group. If they don’t step up now, they are not only going to have to apologize to history, they are also sewing the seeds of their undoing. Authoritarian regimes inevitably wind up eating their own, a la Musk.

A third possibility is the courts. It is hard to know whether Trump will pay attention to the courts. So far, he has mostly avoided direct confrontations with the courts, but neither has he been particularly compliant. This is a big part of the concern about authoritarian tendencies.

Republicans in the House included a provision in the Budget Bill that would have the effect of making it virtually impossible for the courts to hold anyone in contempt for failing to follow court orders, a measure clearly aimed at reducing the power of the courts. That measure has been removed—for now—but it further illustrates the concerns.

Steps to Take

While all this is playing out, there are some things we should clearly being doing.

Continue to participate in demonstrations, of whatever sort. Even those of us not inclined to demonstrate, should get out. It is the only tangible way of reminding Trump and the Republicans that there is significant unhappiness. It also shows that people are not alone in their opposition, thereby freeing individuals, even in deep Red areas, to speak up. The Trumplicans will have multiple ways of denying the significance of protests—and, to be fair, they will not result in immediate changes. But making it so visible that it is hard to ignore makes it hard to ignore. This will be especially powerful if the size of the demonstrations continues to increase. Republicans and oligarchs alike will take note, even if only begrudgingly.

So if you are concerned, you need to be on the street. No excuses. Low risk, modest inconvenience and the pleasure of solidarity.

Another thing we all need to be doing is contributing to those trying to strengthen the safeguards, most particularly those involved in the legal struggles. It is not clear how much attention Trump is paying to the courts, but like the demonstrations, the continuing scoring against him accumulates. Public sentiment strongly supports the president being bound by court decisions. I think all of us need to review our giving and, for the duration, send more to groups fighting in court than we would be normally inclined to do. As I have said several times, once the thresholds are crossed, it is too late. It is important to continue showing at every turn in the bend that this is something to which we will not give passive assent.

Still, I don’t find this a very satisfying set of steps. It certainly feels like the severity of the threat demands more.

Should more of us be joining in physically impeding ICE abductions? Perhaps, but that’s a big step. Still, the closest to home example I can find of people overturning totalitarians are the Civil Rights struggles of the 50’s and 60’s, where the persistent willingness of people to put themselves in harm’s way upended a well-established hierarchy. There are many differences between that situation and the current, but it is something that should be considered. There is no Plan B for democracy.

On balance, even with the above steps, it seems we’re condemned to waiting and hoping the Trumplicans don’t cross the thresholds and there is an election in 2028. There are people who may think I’m exaggerating the risks. If that turns out to be the case, I won’t be embarrassed about my concerns. The threat is real and we should all be doing whatever we can to make sure it doesn’t happen. The stakes are too high.

Of course, If the worst happens, future history will regard all of us with the same jaundiced eyes we look at 1930’s Germany.

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Pictures from No Kings Rally, June 14, 2025