http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/10/trump-american-democracy-could-break-down-214383
Yes, American Democracy Could Break Down
It might not be Trump, but our system is more vulnerable to a demagogue than you'd think.
Donald Trump’s startling refusal to
promise he’d accept the election results was just the latest in a series
of seemingly casual dismissals of long-held American political norms.
Trump has suggested widening libel laws in a way that would blatantly
infringe the freedom of the press; he’s also flouted the First Amendment
in his vow to ban Muslim immigrants and to close down mosques.
Meanwhile, his threat to jail his opponent if elected has raised the
specter that he might use his office to quell legitimate dissent.
As much as his critics wring their hands, however, a consensus has
emerged that even if Trump were elected, the American system would
survive it. We have the rule of law. We have checks and balances. If
Trump overshot the bounds of his authority, the system would constrain
his actions in much the way it has on occasion done to past Presidents
from John Adams to Barack Obama.
But would it? The uncomfortable truth is: We can’t be so sure. For
the past three years, I’ve been studying the way in which populists use
democratic elections to undermine liberal protections like the rule of
law—and what I’ve found is that modern democracies, including America’s,
are far more vulnerable to hostile takeover than you might think.
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/10/trump-american-democracy-could-break-down-214383
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment