all signs are pointing to this - that these guys are not willing to be out of power soon.
from the white house redecorations, to the trump 2028 hats, to the gerrymandering going on in many states. capture of judiciary, suppression of free speech etc. the 'us' vs 'them' mentality.
In the end the question is: will democratic institutions hold? I think we won't know the answer until they don't.
I think it would be unprecedented in the US, and over the years the red flags have been increasing, so the signs aren't good - but not there yet.
What’s your favorite democratic institution? My favorite is separation of powers.
Would you say it’s holding?
No, separation of power isn't in great shape unfortunately.
But I don't think it has collapsed yet, or you think it has?
Mine is probably free speech, it's also not in a great shape either. But without separation of powers, free speech is quick to crumble into a precarious position.
I think rule of law is probably more fundamental. It's important that the powerful are held to account, and that's very difficult without rule of law.
But if no one enforces the law on the rulling power, the law doesn't work.
If there is no one who makes the laws, the law won't exist ;)
So we have the important three:
- judiciary
- law making by Legislature
- executive powers for enforcing law
It's one of the most important things to keep them separated and not interweaved. The three powers control each other and the fourth one controlling the controlling:
- journalism and it's covered investigations or whistleblowers
And then you need the rule of law that the law is the only law.
This ground pillars of democracy.
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