All In The Game, Yo…

Where exactly is America headed? Steven Levitsky and Lucan A. Way are professors who write about something called competitive authoritarianism. It’s not quite a a dictatorship, but it’s not quite a normal democracy, either. In Foreign Affairs: What Comes After Democratic Breakdown. “Competitive authoritarianism will transform political life in the United States. As Trump’s early flurry of dubiously constitutional executive orders made clear, the cost of public opposition will rise considerably: Democratic Party donors may be targeted by the IRS; businesses that fund civil rights groups may face heightened tax and legal scrutiny or find their ventures stymied by regulators. Critical media outlets will likely confront costly defamation suits or other legal actions as well as retaliatory policies against their parent companies. Americans will still be able to oppose the government, but opposition will be harder and riskier, leading many elites and citizens to decide that the fight is not worth it. A failure to resist, however, could pave the way for authoritarian entrenchment—with grave and enduring consequences for global democracy.” Hopeless? No. Tough? Yes. “Trump will be vulnerable. The administration’s limited public support and inevitable mistakes will create opportunities for democratic forces—in Congress, in courtrooms, and at the ballot box. But the opposition can win only if it stays in the game.”