OPINION: We must protect American democracy from takeover by a cult

Recently, with warfare ongoing in Ukraine and the Middle East, President Joe Biden said that “American leadership is what holds the world together. American values are what make us a partner that other nations want to work with.”

Most Americans want our democracy to continue to be a beacon of peace, decency and human rights. They embrace the values that Thomas Jefferson described in his introduction to the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” The strength of these words has helped give our democracy its remarkable endurance.

However, a look at history from noted political commentator Heather Cox Richardson gives us reason for caution. She stated that “Democracies die more often through the ballot box than at gunpoint.”

Using the example of the rise of Adolf Hitler, she points out that in the 1930s, Germany had a constitution that was “one of the most democratic in the world,” but that was no defense against Hitler’s guile. Social scientists who studied Hitler’s rise concluded that “the key to the rise of authoritarians is their use of language and false history.” It is dangerous to tolerate someone who lies to the public.

Once lying to the public was an impeachable offense. But not now. Former president Donald Trump was impeached for other reasons, but not for his blatant lies about the dangers of COVID-19. In February 2000, he tweeted, “It’s going to disappear… it’s like a miracle, it will disappear.” Partially as a result of this misinformation, the United States has a far higher COVID death rate than other wealthy countries.

Why have so many Republican voters become tolerant of Trump’s lies?

The best way to understand is that his supporters have become a cult. Cults tend to self-reinforce; the more they are threatened, the stronger their followers’ adherence grows. The group of unrelenting Trump supporters is an excellent example. The more he is prosecuted by the judicial system for his systematic dismissal of the truth, the greater his popularity within his cult.

Recently, Trump has been reinforcing his cult with plans to punish critics and opponents. The Washington Post published an article on the subject entitled “Trump and allies plot revenge, control of Justice Department in second term.” Reprinted in the Nov. 6 edition of this paper, the Washington Post article left little doubt that our democracy would be destroyed if Trump were elected next November.

According to the Post’s article, Trump would consolidate power within the office of the presidency and take it from there. He would start by invoking the Insurrection Act on his first day in office. This would allow him to use military force to quell any civilian disagreement. The Justice Department would lose its quasi-independence and be directly under his thumb. This change “would dispense with 50 years of policy and practice intended to shield criminal prosecutions from political considerations.” Using this new power, “Trump has vowed to appoint a special prosecutor to ‘go after’ President Biden and his family... He repeatedly tells his supporters that he is being persecuted on their behalf and holds out a 2024 victory as a shared redemption at their enemies’ expense.”

The Washington Post article went on to say that when Trump was president four years ago, his staff protected the country from much potential damage. John F. Kelly, then chief of staff, said “Trump would often suggest prosecuting his potential enemies, or at least having the FBI investigate them.” Kelly said he would not pass along the requests to the Justice Department but would alert the White House Counsel’s Office. Usually, they would ignore the orders — and wait for Trump to move on. In a second term, Trump’s aides could respond differently, he said. “The lesson the former president learned from his first term is don’t put guys like me … in those jobs. … The lesson is to find sycophants.”

The article concludes with a statement by one of Trump’s lead staffers: “We don’t want careerists. We don’t want people here who are opportunists. We want conservative warriors.” This information should make us all concerned about the future of our democracy if Trump is elected next November.

Regardless of whether we are Republican or Democrat, let us all have the goodwill and courage to work together so “that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.”

Janet McCabe and her husband, David, came to Alaska in 1964. She is a graduate of Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and member of Alaska Common Ground and Commonwealth North.

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