Office Hours: At what point is this a dictatorship?
What must happen for Americans to realize we’re no longer living in a democracy?
Friends,
Almost 100 days into the most loathsome authoritarian regime in American history, and there’s still uncertainty about if and when we call it a dictatorship.
Most Republicans prefer to believe that Trump is merely fulfilling campaign pledges that a majority of voters endorsed. Many Democrats and independents are outraged but prefer to believe we still live in a democracy, albeit one that Trump is testing.
The question I keep asking politicians, political scientists, pundits, and pollsters is what event will trigger their view that we are no longer living in a democracy. To put the question another way: What’s their definition of a dictatorship?
Let me list below the major responses I’ve received. All appear to be growing more probable by the day. Please register your own view in the poll below.
Which of these triggering events would most clearly turn America into a dictatorship?
