The Assault on our Democracy
Since his election four years ago, Donald Trump has taken repeated actions that undermine our democracy. When Congress has not supported his policies, he has turned to using executive orders to get around this intended check on presidential power. He has ignored ethics rules and traditions and invoked executive privilege to prevent his staff from testifying to Congress. Most recently, he used an executive order to make firing and hiring Federal workers easier, eviscerating the protections intended to prevent the politicization of the civil service (thehill.com).
In his final attempt to extend his power, he has refused to accept the results of the election. His baseless but “technically legal” lawsuits to try and overturn the election are aimed at undermining the core process of our democracy: voting. His repeated lawsuits and rhetoric regarding unproven election fraud are an attempt to overthrow the will of the people. He turned first to the courts and then to State election officials to change the outcome of the election. The courts have been clear that they reject his claims as baseless. In contrast, the reactions of State election officials have been mixed, giving at least some minor credence to his claims. These actions, combined with the deafening silence from most Republicans, brought our country to the brink of losing our democracy. It is not clear we are out of the woods yet or exactly what forces were in play that held the line against this assault.
Attempting to change the outcome of the election is a form of a coup and similar actions aimed at subverting democracy have worked for some despots in the past. Not all coups start with tanks rolling down Main Street. In fact, some of the most infamous dictators gained power, at least initially, through legal means. Both Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini (and in modern day, Vladimir Putin) entered government through elections and then used a combination of intimidation, backroom dealing, and authoritarian interpretation of the law to put themselves in positions where they then could ultimately dissolve any remaining democratic components of their government.
The Lesson from History
Hitler’s rise to power began by winning a share of seats in the Reichstag (parliament). In 1930, the Nazi party won 18 percent of the vote and 107 seats in the Reichstag. By 1932, they had grown to 37 percent of the vote (facinghistory.org ). By 1933, the German unemployment rate had hit 24 percent and people were looking for a new government. Hitler leveraged his position in private meetings and a deal was struck to make him chancellor. Just before the swearing in Hitler layered on the condition of having a new election within 6 weeks on the deal. In February of 1933, a communist attempted to burn down the Reichstag. Hitler used this event to convince the President to declare a state of emergency and suspend many civil liberties. (nationalww2museum.org). Under these conditions, when the elections were held in March of 1933, the Nazis polled 43.9 percent of the votes. The new Reichstag adopted the Enabling Act that month, giving Hitler expanded authority. He used the Enabling Act ruthlessly and with an authoritarian interpretation to assure he could thereafter exercise dictatorial power without legal objection (www.britannica.com).
Mussolini’s rise to power also involved a series of legal maneuvers and brokered appointments in the beginning. Starting in 1919. Mussolini became the head of the Fascist party and his power began to grow. In 1921, the king of Italy dissolved Parliament amidst growing violence and chaos. Elections brought a huge win for the Fascists, making Mussolini a deputy in Parliament (www.history.com). In 1922, there was significant unrest in Italy and unions called for a general strike. Mussolini declared that only he could restore order and was given the authority as prime minister. In 1923 Mussolini proposed an electoral reform, known as the Acerbo Law, which gave two-thirds of the seats in Parliament to the party that received the largest number of votes. Although Mussolini insisted that he wanted to save Parliament rather than undermine it, the Acerbo Law enabled the Fascists to take control of Parliament (www.britannica.com). He used his new power to gradually dismantle all democratic institutions. By 1925, he had made himself dictator, taking the title “Il Duce” (www.biography.com).
It Couldn’t/Could Happen Here
We are taught to believe that the checks and balances built into our constitution will protect us from dictatorship. In explaining the rise of Hitler and Mussolini, we emphasize Germany’s and Italy’s lack of expereince with democracy, implying that somehow our history will protect us against a leader who attempts to gain absolute power.
I think it is too early to fully know what forces have prevented Trump from seizing a second term. Currently, it appears that our universal commitment to choosing our leaders through voting is what contained the attempted power grab. Or, perhaps someone quietly made a few call to key Republicans letting them know this was a line not to be crossed. Either way, we are down to our last defenses; and Donald Trump continues his assault. If the Democrats win control of the Senate, they will be able to pass reforms to tighten the checks and balances. Otherwise, our democracy will remain at-risk.