The Stranglehold on Democracy

It's not supposed to be this way. Let's set aside for a moment the policy content of the Trump Administrations recent activities: slashing the federal workforce, freezing of budgets, eviscerating agencies, stifling climate action, imposing indiscriminate tariffs, floating tax cuts for the wealthy, and on and on and on. In this moment, it matters less if these policies are popular – unpopularity has been a given for a long time with the Republican Party – and we've highlighted for years about how both parties are largely unrepresentative in their policy selections for the American people.

However, these last few weeks have seen something diffe​rent happening from the normal unrepresentative goings-on of government. The actions of the Trump Administration show it’s seeking to explicitly rewrite the balance of powers within the country, dispensing with even the skeletal forms of democratic representation that currently still exist through entities like Congress.

The administration is taking a swing directly at the separation of powers claiming that the presidency has the right to determine the existence of different federal agencies established by Congress and what money shall be spent neither of which are powers that exist currently within the executive branch. These blatantly illegal actions cross into practical absurdity when considering the actions of the unelected nazi-saluting, billionaire, Shadow-President, Elon Musk and his young goons at DOGE breaking into federal buildings and illegally seizing government systems and data.

It might seem odd to make this sort of procedural argument for governance, but what's clear here is that this is part of a core step in project 2025 to transform the presidency into a dictatorship with the “right” to supersede the laws passed by the duly elected representatives of the people.

Sometimes, given all the criticism that we level each week at our government, it might feel like this sort of transformation is not that big a deal, or not so different from the practices previously in place. This, however, mistakes entirely how important forms are in shaping the norms and that such a consolidation of powers in the executive branch is a direct assault on representative government.

As the initial shock of the blitz begins to wear off, certain sectors, including the courts, are beginning to push back.  Right on cue with these actions, we've already seen indications that the Trump Administration wants to ignore the Judiciary as well, effectively claiming the President is above, not just the law, but any check on his power that currently in exist within our governmental system.

As the government continues its authoritarian backsliding, the veracity and durability of Trump’s claims to power will rest on how the rest of us react. He and Musk want you to believe that they are unstoppable and inevitable, that nothing can stand in their way. History would suggest otherwise. Since 1900, over 50% of countries that have lost their democracies have regained them within 10 years, and that number jumps to 70% in the last 30 years.

Regaining our democracy is possible, but it won’t happen on its own. It will take community organizing and people power, coupled with labor unions and economic protests to create enough pressure to threaten Musk and Trump.

So join us each Tuesday in growing solidarity as we reach across class, geography, race, and gender to join together in our shared issues building a political and economic movement that supports the goals and material needs of the many and demands that the government begins to represent the people.

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