Staff Reports
In case you weren't previously aware, there is an assault being waged against our democracy. Or at least, that is the topic that Democratic President Joe Biden and a select group of historians convened to discuss over the course of nearly two hours the previous week.
Now, to be clear, the United States of America, as one of the first of its kind, a nation finally agreed on and for the people alone, has almost always been under attack in one way or another. These attacks can take the form of actual wars that have taken place in the past, or they can consist of the knowledge that organizations like ISIS do not approve of our way of life and the freedoms that we offer.
However, individuals who were there at this particular discussion with Vice President Biden claim that the danger does not necessarily come from another country or even from a terrorist organization. According to The Washington Post, the problem is not a rise in totalitarianism on a global scale but rather an increase in tyranny within our own boundaries.
The historical experts who were present emphasized that the current atmosphere is perhaps the most hazardous in recent history, as it poses a threat to shred the fabric of our democracy. This issue was brought up several times during the event.
According to these individuals, the current state of events, both across the world and in the United States, is not particularly different to that which prevailed just prior to the beginning of the American Civil War as well as the period of time that preceded the Second World War. In instance, it was pointed out that the election of Abraham Lincoln in the year 1860 and the election of Franklin D. Roosevelt in the year 1940 both kicked off periods of intense political debate.
Lincoln believed that the nation was already in a condition of discontent because, among other things, there was a widening gap between states that were free and states that had slaves. During Roosevelt's presidency, the United States had its worst economic crisis, which was followed by the Great Depression. In addition, fascist movements were on the rise, which would ultimately result in the Second World War.
Those who met with President Biden the week before last discussed how the current situation is comparable to both of those junctures in history. Because of Biden and the incompetent way he manages the economy, we are currently experiencing a significant downturn.
Additionally, the strength and popularity of fascist regimes all around the world has increased as a direct result of Biden's actions. In previous decades, the strength of the United States of America and her leader, along with the assistance of her primarily democratic friends, was able to keep those movements in check for the most part. However, as a result of Vice President Biden's inane ramblings and his ability to embarrass the United States, our potential adversaries are no longer as hesitant to challenge us.
And if that wasn't awful enough, Americans now seem almost as polarized on a variety of political issues as we were before we decided to split the country in two and battle between ourselves all those years ago.
Therefore, it is safe to say that some of these worries are warranted.
However, there are a few historians present who appear to be somewhat more concerned about the reality that the Democratic Party is experiencing a decline in popularity, which has led to an increase in the popularity of the right wing.
Take, for example, Anne Applebaum, who is a staff writer for the Atlantic.
It is unknown exactly what she contributed to the discussion with Biden; but, this is not the first time that she has written about the dangers that face our democracy. She even wrote a book with the title "Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism" and released it in the year 2020. At its core, this debate centers on the purported weakening of democracy and the ascendance of the extreme right wing.
This way of thinking would inevitably result in dangers for our democracy, such as the so-called red wave that is scheduled to sweep the United States in November and the midterm elections in 2022. I'm sure you can see what kind of problems this could cause. There is no question that liberals are worried that after the failure of their plan and ambitions, Republicans will climb to power and establish their own totalitarian regime, which will pose a risk to democratic institutions.
On the other hand, it is common knowledge that this is a load of hooey.
Yes, we ought to be worried about maintaining the hazardous balance between leaning too far to the right in some circles and not moving far enough to the left in other places. On the other hand, one could say the same thing about the left. And it is quite evident, considering that there is even a reference of a red wave, that the citizens of this nation have been subjected to an excessive amount of that in recent times.
We can count our blessings that our democracy has not been compromised. There is still a voice for "We the People," and at the moment, all we are doing is trying to get the scales back in our favor in the hopes of regaining our national power and, as a result, reducing the number of actual dangers to democracy.
The preceding is a summary of an article that originally appeared on American Retirement Insider.
