Democracy pulse check -- we’re in very deep trouble, right now

NPR reports:

Hundreds of scholars say U.S. is swiftly heading toward authoritarianism

A survey of more than 500 political scientists finds that the vast majority (78%) think the United States is moving swiftly from liberal democracy toward some form of authoritarianism.

In the benchmark survey, known as Bright Line Watch, U.S.-based professors rate the performance of American democracy on a scale from zero (complete dictatorship) to 100 (perfect democracy). After President Trump’s election in November, scholars gave American democracy a rating of 67. Several weeks into Trump's second term, that figure plummeted to 55.

“We've slid into some form of authoritarianism,” says Steven Levitsky, a professor of government at Harvard, and co-author of How Democracies Die. “It is relatively mild compared to some others. It is certainly reversible, but we are no longer living in a liberal democracy.”

Kim Lane Scheppele, a Princeton sociologist who has spent years tracking Hungary, is also deeply concerned: “We are on a very fast slide into what’s called competitive authoritarianism.” 

In a competitive authoritarian system, a leader comes to power democratically and then erodes the system of checks and balances. Typically, the executive fills the civil service and key appointments — including the prosecutor's office and judiciary — with loyalists. He or she then attacks the media, universities and nongovernmental organizations to blunt public criticism and tilt the electoral playing field in the ruling party’s favor. (Does that sound quite familiar? It does to me)

Two points:

• How the hell can Harvard Poobah Levitsky, whom I actually respect (my review of his book is here), know if the MAGA authoritarianism we have slid into is “certainly reversible”? He can’t. No one can know with certainty how bad our political situation really is. Levitsky got this point wrong. The depth of MAGA’s grip on the minds of the true believers continues to strengthen according to polls. Those people are not going to stop supporting djt no matter what. MAGA is not “certainly” reversible. It is maybe reversible, maybe probably, but not certainly.

• The NPR article is based on an analysis by Bright Line Watch (BLW), where a score of 0 means complete dictatorship, and a score of 100 means ideal democracy. The BLW score of 55, puts the US political system well into anocracy (score range 50-69), hybrid dictatorship-democracy but closer to dictatorship than democracy. A different political system scoring system, Polity Watch, rates scores like this: Autocracy (dictatorship) scores at -10 to -6, anocracy is -5 to +5, while  democracy scores are from +6 to +10). After the July 2024 USSC decision that granted a president immunity from crimes committed in office, the Polity score dropped to 0, meaning the United States now falls squarely within the anocracy range (-5 to +5). The 2025 Polity score of 0 puts the US close to countries like Afghanistan (-1) and Uganda (-1). In other words, by both the BLW and Polity watch analyses, analysis the US is an anocracy, not a democracy.  The basis of BLW analysis is compared to the Polity Watch system:

Tracking America's descent into 

kleptocratic djt/MAGA dictatorship

Q: Since these two assessments were generated by experts[1] and their assessments constitute evidence that America is in a period of accelerating moral and political degeneration of its elites, should this kind of analysis be rejected as lies, false or socialist propaganda simply because they are experts conveying facts, truths and reasoning that are extremely inconvenient to djt, MAGA elites and their corrupt authoritarian wealth and power agenda?

Footnote:

1. Since about 2016, an important goal of MAGA’s pro-authoritarian, pro-corruption dark free speech, e.g., demagoguery, lies and slanders, has been to discredit experts, especially those who assert facts, truths and reasoning that are inconvenient to MAGA elites, essentially all of whom support corruption and authoritarianism. That is fact, not opinion. In his 2017 book, The Death of Expertise, expert Tom Nichols said distrust in experts and inconvenient knowledge has led America into a death spiral that “presents an immediate danger of decay either into rule by the mob or toward elitist technocracy . . . . and both threaten the United States today. . . . . the most disturbing aspect of the American march toward ignorance is not lack of knowledge per se but arrogance about that lack of knowledge.”

 

MAGA’s continuing anti-consumer attack

A federal appeals court has lifted its ban on djt almost completely gutting the CFPB (Consumer Finance Protection Agency. In Project 2025, the CFPB was a very high priority target for obliteration. Banks and financial institutions hated it because it protected consumers from predatory financial practices such as imposing high fees, which were often hidden. All of that is going to come back. As usual, the people most damaged will be low income households. The NYT reports (not paywalled) about how djt and MAGA elites were going to blow past the feeble, i.e., non-existent, protection the court initially said must apply. Once again, the court stopped the final obliteration of the CFPB: 

Two weeks ago, a three-judge panel from the federal appeals court in Washington lifted a freeze on firing employees at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, with some conditions. The judges, ruling on a Friday night, said that workers could be fired if agency leaders determined, after a careful assessment, that they were not needed to carry out the bureau’s legally required responsibilities. 

Within hours, Trump administration officials — working closely with Elon Musk’s associates at the Department of Government Efficiency — scurried to fire nearly all the agency’s employees. By the following Thursday afternoon, bureau leaders sent termination notices to nearly 1,500 employees, retaining barely 200 people, and ordered that the fired workers’ access to agency systems be shut down the next day.

A judge has again stopped the cuts for now. .... Firing so many workers at once, with no transition period, would destroy the bureau’s ability to operate, employees warned their bosses in emails, chat messages and verbal conversations, according to court records. Within days, critical technical systems would fail, enforcement lawyers would miss court deadlines and agency data that federal courts had ordered be preserved would be lost (which is exactly what kleptocratic MAGA elites want). (emphases added)

Workers could be fired if agency leaders determined, after a “careful assessment”?? Bwahahahahaha!! The only assessment that elite MAGA thugs conducted was to send out emails to the CFPB employees telling them YOU’RE FIRED!! That’s one heck of an “assessment.” 

Once again, the sheer ruthlessness of morally rotted djt, MAGA elites and Project 2025 is crystal clear. They are authoritarian, cynically kleptocratic and deeply opposed to protecting democracy, consumers, workers, the environment, the rule of law, civil liberties, and honesty, transparency and competence in government, or even a meaningful existence of a democratic government.

Q: Are (1) rank and file supporters of all of this, whether they know or believe they are supporters or not, good, decent, honest people who are simply deceived, manipulated and betrayed, or (2) am I a fool who has been deceived, manipulated and betrayed by MSM and socialist propaganda, lies and slanders, or (3) is something else going on here and both rank and file supporters and me are right, wrong, or something else?

MAGA horrors on parade

Elite MAGA and djt horrors are coming fast and furious. They're deadly. Instead of lots of details, short descriptions are in order, at least for the time being for most of it. I need to avoid TL/DR.

Law & Crime reports: ‘Trump is spitting in the face of law enforcement’: President pardons ‘Lady Trump’ for spending slain officer charity funds on ‘rent, cosmetic procedures, and her daughter’s wedding’ --  djt granted a “full and unconditional pardon” to Michele Fiore, the former Las Vegas councilwoman also known as “Lady Trump,” who was convicted of “fleecing” the community out of about $70,000 in a scheme to defraud donors to a charity for a police officer who was killed in the line of duty, using the money she collected for plastic surgeries, rent, and her daughter’s wedding. Fiore, a former Republican gubernatorial candidate who was a justice of the peace when she was federally indicted on six counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, was convicted on all seven charges following an eight-day trial in October 2024. .... A White House spokesperson told The Hill that Trump issued the pardon because Fiore was allegedly targeted for prosecution due to her “outspoken conservative views.”

Pardoned corrupt, cynical elite MAGA thug Fiore

She stole 100% of the contributions to her "charity",

not 1¢ went to real charity

Comment: Here, djt is both spitting on law enforcement and openly lying to the American people. This shows he feels the same kind of cynical contempt toward the rule of law, the courts, American democracy and the American people. 

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Above the Law reports that one of DoJ's  Pam Bondi-style court filings was flat out lying about what the USSC ordered the DoJ to do about getting the illegally deported Abrego Garcia back from El Salvador: DOJ Makes Up Fake Supreme Court Quote About Deportation Hoping No One Notices -- The government’s response is basically “everyone knows the Supreme Court unanimously ordered us to ‘facilitate Abrego Garcia’s release from custody,’ what this filing we’re signing as officers of the court presupposes is… ‘maybe they didn’t?'” .... For the record, the Supreme Court’s order reads: The order properly requires the Government to “facilitate” Abrego Garcia’s release from custody in El Salvador and to ensure that his case is handled as it would have been had he not been improperly sent to El Salvador. 

[The DoJ’s filing reads] “take all available steps to facilitate the return of Abrego Garcia to the United State.” .... “United STATE”?!?! That’s an embarrassing “[sic]” in any circumstances but for the United States Department of Justice you’d think they’d get it right because it’s RIGHT THERE IN THEIR NAME. They put “emphasis added” on a quote that ISN’T IN THE USSC ORDER!

The highlighted quote is allegedly but falsely

claimed to be what the USSC said in its order to the DoJ

BTW, the DoJ continues to flaunt that order by stonewalling it

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Gizmodo reports that djt's MAGA DoJ is attacking Wikipedia for posting foreign propaganda: Trump DOJ Threatens Wikipedia’s Nonprofit Status Over Alleged ‘Propaganda’ -- Between scrubbing government websites of information about everything from vaccine efficacy to LGBT health matters and the ongoing war with higher education, the Trump administration seems to have has a problem with freely available information that doesn’t align with its particular ideology. That war on knowledge appears to have extended now extends to Wikipedia. Earlier this week, a Trump appointed attorney sent a letter to the Wikimedia Foundation accusing it of allowing the spread of propaganda and threatening its nonprofit status. [The DoJ's letter] accuses the Wikimedia Foundation of falling short of requirements to maintain that status because, he claims, Wikipedia is “allowing foreign actors to manipulate information and spread propaganda,” and “permitting information manipulation on its platform, including the rewriting of key, historical events and biographical information of current and previous American leaders, as well as other matters implicating the national security and the interests of the United States.” (edits added for clarity and accuracy)

Comment: MAGA elites are OK with allowing Russian propagandists to manipulate information and spread propaganda and permitting pro-MAGA or MAGA-approved disinformation manipulation on any platform. But inconvenient content, factual or not, is now being openly attacked by djt and his elite, morally rotted MAGA goons. People, this is deadly serious, real time democracy-killing dictatorship, not a fever dream or hallucination.

MAGA wants to replace real medicine with alt/MAGA-medicine; MAGA guts the 4th Amendment

A STAT News article reports that the NEJM (New England Journal of Medicine) recently received a letter from MAGA thug Edward R. Martin (appointed by chief thug djt). Martin is the interim US Attorney for the District of Columbia. His letter questions alleged editorial bias. NEJM’s editor-in-chief, Eric Rubin, responded by reaffirming the journal’s commitment to evidence-based research, rigorous peer review, and editorial independence, while also invoking First Amendment protections for scientific discourse. The inquiry is part of a broader pattern, as similar letters were sent to at least three medical journals, including CHEST, a pulmonary care publication. The DoJ’s letter demands explanations about how journals handle “misinformation”, “competing viewpoints”, i.e., pseudoscience and crackpottery, and potential influence  (presumably woke/DEI influence) from funders like the NIH. 

Jeremy Berg, former editor of Science, called them an attempt to pressure editors into accommodating unscientific “alternative perspectives.” The DOJ’s threats her show radical MAGA aggression against peer-reviewed scientific publishing. Martin’s letters frame peer-reviewed journals as “partisan”, which is a blatant lie that misrepresents the role of academic rigor and peer review in validating research.

No, I am not saying that academic rigor and peer review always works. But, it beats the hell out of the alt-perspectives (crackpottery and lies) that MAGA crackpots, liars, grifters and poisoners want to inject into medical and all other science, including climate science. 

Q: Why would MAGA want to poison science and public health, e.g., to avoid inconvenient science that contradicts or undermines MAGA’s fake reality, and its idiotic and kleptocratic policies?

(yes, that’s why)

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The Daily Boulder reports that attorney general and MAGA thug Pam Bondi has issued a memo telling ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents they no longer need to get a warrant to look for possibly illegal immigrants. ICE is a federal law enforcement agency in the Department of Homeland Security. Bondi’s March 14 order, uses the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 as authority to give law enforcement nationwide the power to bypass basic constitutional protections. So now ICE agents can break into a home if getting a warrant is “impracticable.” They don’t need a judge’s approval. Instead, immigration officers can sign their own administrative warrants. The bar for action is low, requiring a “reasonable belief” that someone might be part of a Venezuelan gang is enough. In this matter, a “reasonable belief” can be reasonable or unreasonable because it is a mostly subjective standard [1], which is significantly lower than traditional Fourth Amendment requirements.

The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution, ratified in 1791, protects people from unreasonable searches and seizures. It ensures that no warrants shall be issued without probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and that the place to be searched and the items to be seized are particularly described.

Bondi’s memo was obtained by watchdog group Property of the People from a public records request that the group posted online. The 12-page memo is here. What it shows is a massive expansion of federal power that skips over courts and due process. Bondi has put anyone suspected of gang ties at risk of deportation without a hearing. The DOJ memo is clear that anyone labeled an “Alien Enemy” is “not entitled to a hearing, appeal or judicial review.”

The dishonorable, corrupt MAGA thug and traitor,

Pam Bondi telling us to STFU and take it like a patriot

or risk deportation to a death camp with no due process

And, in case you missed it, here’s djt putting it all in his own words on his lovely antisocial media site, Lies Antisocial: 

Here djt tells us that due process is toast

And, in his humble, gracious Easter Day comments to the public on his Lies Antisocial website, djt made clear what is on his mind:

“Happy Easter to all, including the Radical Left Lunatics who are fighting and scheming so hard to bring Murderers, Drug Lords, Dangerous Prisoners, the Mentally Insane, and well known MS-13 Gang Members and Wife Beaters, back into our Country.”

“Happy Easter also to the WEAK and INEFFECTIVE Judges and Law Enforcement Officials who are allowing this sinister attack on our Nation to continue, an attack so violent that it will never be forgotten!”

“Sleepy Joe Biden purposefully allowed Millions of CRIMINALS to enter our Country, totally unvetted and unchecked, through an Open Borders Policy that will go down in history as the single most calamitous act ever perpetrated upon America. He was, by far, our WORST and most Incompetent President, a man who had absolutely no idea what he was doing. But to him, and to the person that ran and manipulated the Auto Pen (perhaps our REAL President!), and to all of the people who CHEATED in the 2020 Presidential Election in order to get this highly destructive Moron Elected, I wish you, with great love, sincerity, and affection, a very Happy Easter!!!”

Aw, what lovely sentiments. I do not recall any president making uplifting comments anything like these.  /s

Footnote:

1. The normal, old-fashioned “reasonable belief” standard is for targeted people, Venezuelan crime gang members, in this situation: 1) being a Venezuelan national without U.S. citizenship or permanent resident status, 2) at least 14 years of age, 3) having alleged association with the Tren de Aragua gang, and 4) being present at the residence in question. 

Bondi's new “reasonable belief” standard applies the old 4-point standard in a fun and easy scoring game to determine gang affiliation where alleged aliens scoring 8 points and higher are “validated” as members of the crime gang. Aliens scoring 5 points or less should not be validated as gang members. It is unclear what happens to 6 and 7 pointers, but they probably get boxed up and mailed off to a death camp somewhere along with the 8 and above pointers. Points are assigned based on various factors including court history, communications with alleged gang members, observations of hand signals (like 🖕?), graffiti usage, clothing choices, tattoos and other symbolic associations. The factors presumably also include whether the ICE agent is in a bad mood, hungry, racist or in caught up in a messy divorce.

See? That’s clear as mud. Relax. You probably won't get boxed up and mailed out. Probably.

 

He is in charge of your civil liberties,

including taking them away