For a long time, too many people took it for granted that, here in America, liberal democracy is a given. The thinking seemed to be, “We’re the world’s oldest and proudest democratic republic. Democracy is just what we do here.” They could be forgiven for thinking so.
But recent history has shown us that democracy doesn’t just run on good vibes and a healthy reverence for the founders. It’s made up of lots and lots of norms, values, principles, and institutions that have been built up over time to preserve our liberty. Lots of those things are invisible, unspoken, and operate on the honor system.
That means they only work if we all agree to them, and they’re only as strong as the people who are willing to stand up and defend them.
Unfortunately, since Trump re-entered office, a staggering number of our so-called “elites” have chosen to abandon these bedrocks of democracy wholesale. They have walked away from their civic obligations, put themselves at the disposal of our authoritarian president, and abandoned their fellow countrymen in favor of hoarding money and power for themselves.
Here are just some of the worst examples of what that looks like in practice.
Freedom of the press: Abandoned by billionaires like Jeff Bezos and mega-corporations like Paramount and Disney, which need to stay on Donald Trump’s good side to have their business deals blessed by his administration.
A sane Department of Defense: Corrupted by Pete Hegseth, a former weekend TV show host who likes to play-act being a “warfighter” and share state secrets with the entire world, all the while receiving scant pushback from military brass and the rank-and-file.
An independent legal system: Handed over to clowns and conspiracy theorists like Kash Patel and Dan Bongino, who rush to prosecute the president’s enemies, while law firms stand silent or lend material support to the administration.
Congressional independence: Willingly sacrificed by Congressional Republicans, so much so that they can say—with a straight face—“If Donald Trump says jump three feet high and scratch your head, we all jump three feet high and scratch our head.”
Fiscal responsibility: Buried under the weight of Trump’s explosive deficit spending to fund tax cuts for the wealthy, the costs of which will be passed along from one generation to the next, until the bill inevitably comes due.
American leadership: Hollowed out from within as the administration pursues its myopic “America First” policy, leaving the US more isolated and less secure in a world that no longer counts us as a reliable partner.
Academic freedom: Shredded to ribbons by an administration that holds America’s top universities in contempt, enabled by the acquiescence of those very universities and the cowardly administrators who run them.
Freedom of speech: Made a mockery of by the president who claimed he “brought back free speech,” but who actually uses the full force of the federal government to silence critics and punish them for exercising their First Amendment rights.
Corporate neutrality: A thing of the past, as large companies of all stripes line up to ingratiate themselves to Trump, fully aware of the fact that he is prepared to sabotage them for showing insufficient loyalty.
Our elites chose to abandon these principles. We can make different choices. Here at Home of the Brave, we aren’t kidding ourselves that we can simply bring back all of these principles that have been lost. Not overnight, anyway. But we can dedicate ourselves to building better institutions that will take their place and actually take a stand for democracy.
As we lament what’s been lost, we also must keep sight of the opportunities before us. Support for Trump is cratering. Americans are souring on his thirst for war and ICE’s thuggery. Millions of Americans are waking up to the full gravity of the threat we’re facing.
Let’s give them something to hope for, rather than just something to lament.
Home of the Brave is an initiative dedicated to exposing this administration’s corruption, cruelty, and lawlessness.
