During the last town hall, Trump agreed to a peaceful transfer of power after flip flopping on the issue in recent debates (after initially saying he would back in June.)
Constitutional crisis averted.
If he sticks to his word, America is not destined to become a dictatorship- at least, not with Trump at the helm. He was elected the 45th president of a Democracy and he will exit the 45th president of a Democracy. (And I can’t imagine a world where Joe Biden becomes a dictator.)
In theory, our Democracy should be safe. But there are still a few threats on the horizon.
Antifa
The director of the FBI, Christopher Wray, says Antifa is an ideology.
But that doesn’t mean they pose no threat. According to Wray, The FBI has undertaken “any number of properly predicated investigations into what we would describe as violent anarchist extremists.”¹
In this case when he says “violent anarchist extremists” he’s referring to Antifa (The fact that it’s necessary to specify the political stripe of the violent anarchist extremists Wray is referring to shows how bizarre things have gotten)
There are a lot of cis, white, men in politics. Antifa- which has a lot of cis, white, men- doesn’t like cis, white, men. And they don’t love the constitution.
The constitution was written by cis, white, men for cis, white, men. But you can’t always judge the contents of a book by its author. While the rights and values enshrined in the constitution have not historically applied to everyone, they are important. America wouldn’t be America without freedom of expression.
But Antifa infringes on people’s liberties. They’ve tried to stop political commentators from speaking on campus through aggressive, sometimes violent, means. Since what is and isn’t fascist is subjective, Antifa can use the “fascist” label as a bludgeon to silence dissent.
Antifa would never create a fascist dictatorship. They would call it something else. But a fascist dictatorship by a different name is a fascist dictatorship the way a fascist by a different name is still a fascist.
(Note: I’m not saying followers of Antifa are fascists, I’m just saying some of them use some fascistic tactics to silence dissent.)
Q & Anon
Where to begin with Q Anon.
Q Anon believes that a cabal of Satan worshipping Democrats is running a global sex trafficking ring.
If somebody told you that Satan worshipping Democrats were running a global sex trafficking ring, your first question would probably be “are you well?” Your second question would be “Do you have any proof.”
The answer to both: No
But Q Anon believes Trump- an alleged rapist- has teamed up with a mysterious figure named Q to fight the Satan worshipping Democrats and put a stop to their evil crimes.
It’s the plot of a Quibi exclusive horror film
It also shows how enamored with Trump some people are. It’s not enough for him to be the greatest president of all time in their eyes (which he isn’t) he has to also be a superhero fighting evil. But they sure could have chosen a more heroic individual for the part.
Unfortunately, Q Anon followers have devoted their lives to the conspiracy. If Trump leaves there’s no telling what they might do. They’ve already held up a pizza place at gunpoint because they believed normal pizza terms in an email sent by Hillary Clinton were code for evil pedophilic acts.
And Many of Q Anon’s followers seem to be armed.
The Radical Right
The radical right encompasses a broad range of individuals and ideas. There’s the alt-right and there are groups affiliated with the far right, including groups that seem to be in line with alt-right ideology but claim not to be.
[Sidenote: If you’re part of a group that is trying to start Civil War and has ties to white supremacy, you can’t be too upset when somebody doesn’t bother to research your exact political views and calls you toxic. If you don’t want to be associated with toxicity don’t join toxic groups. If you’re willing to team up with white supremacists to advance your goals, you may not be a white supremacist yourself but you’re not exactly a good person.]
The Boogaloo boys or bois or boyos or whatever else they call themselves believe a Civil War is coming so they’re trying to make it happen sooner. Members of the group are pro-gun anti-government and often show up to rallies carrying assault rifles. Some members are hoping for a race war, while other members condemn white supremacy (if the name you want is already taken by white supremacists, why not just call yourselves something else?)
The Wolverine Watchmen attempted to kidnap two Democrat politicians in hopes of starting a Civil War.
Members of the alt-right have gone on mass shooting rampages. Many of them buy into an idea known as “might is right” which basically says whoever has the most power should be in charge.
Whether Trump wins or loses, the Extreme Right is not going anywhere. And their use of social media to attract new members ensures their continued survival.
The Extreme Right isn’t only a threat to our Democracy, they’re a threat to Democracy in general.
Imagine
If any of these groups or ideologies take control, there’s no telling what America might look like. But it won’t be the America we know.
It won’t be our Democracy.
