WESTMINSTER WEST — I appreciated Tim Kipp's thoughtful analysis of our current situation, but the idea of resiliency of our democratic structures as Mr. Kipp presents struck me as overly optimistic.
Mr. Kipp wrote, “We will never become a pre-World War II authoritarian regime, but any further erosion of our democratic structures will only bring further harm to our most marginalized citizens.”
After evaluating the health of American institutions at present, I believe Mr. Kipp misses an important point, and that is the undermining and eventual transformation of those institutions into a simple foil, becoming a spectacle the demagogue uses for his own aggrandizement. The expression “fake news” is one way.
Propaganda creates a spectacle and creates a contrast. It projects false narratives and creates a constant din of chaos in the war on a free press.
“Marginalized” is the key word in Mr. Kipp's depiction of class structure in the United States today. American fascists don't have to wear uniforms and funny hats to get what they want. All they have to do is monger fear and spread chaos.
The corporatization and monetization of life in this country is well under way and has created chaos for the majority of Americans. The erosion of democratic principles has been constant since the rise of the ideology of greed and classism, the legacy of neoliberal (corporatist) policy of both parties for 50 years.
Profit-driven health care and pharmaceuticals are an example of that ideology. The Democratic Party's centrism set the stage for other failures, and in 2016 the Democrats failed by not representing the people. Democrats achieved more success in 2018 by appealing to their needs.
The vulnerabilities of our voting “system” is another weakened institution.
Donald Trump recently commented about “the tough people” who will remain by his side if he doesn't get his way.
The phrase “I have the support of the police, the support of the military, the support of the “Bikers for Trump” might sound correctly like the ravings of a maniac, but it should ring a very loud historical bell.