The Fallacy of American Democracy: where do we go from here?

A couple weeks ago I quit my corporate job to commit my life to the resistance full time. Writing is a significant element of that plan. But as I sat down to write… I froze.

So much has happened over the last couple weeks between bombing Iran, the dismantling of ACIP (which provides recommendations on vaccine schedules) and all the chaos surrounding The Bill. I watched the chatter online. I posted a few updates. But still, nothing to write… until now.

For the last five months I have been urging folks to prepare for a new reality, one where our democratic elections hold no meaning, where the federal courts hold no power and where authoritarianism flourishes without the established bounds of checks and balances. For the last five months the entire movement has continued to call for this regime to contain itself, for Trump to be impeached and removed and for Congress to “use its power” to stop this dictatorship.

These calls are falling on deaf ears. The time for this movement was 2016. The last call for the movement was 2020.

Many of us were screaming “HE’S A FASCIST” throughout Trump’s first campaign. We were called hysterical. We were chastised for drawing parallels between Hitler and Trump, between MAGA and Nazism. How dare we use the word fascist in America. How dare we disrespect the weight of such a word.

These critiques did not just come from the far right as a way to discredit us. They came from figures such as Madeleine Albright who urged us to be careful when calling Trump a fascist while simultaneously indicating that his actions were, in fact, fascist in nature.

The media (as always) failed us here, too. How is it that a man who incited an insurrection (we all watched him do it IN REAL TIME) was able to run for president AGAIN with almost NO mention of said insurrection throughout the entire campaign? There was rarely a challenge to his fitness for the job… as though a man who incited an insurrection would somehow lead with restraint and honor during a second term where he would have absolutely zero incentive to appease the people. There are no third terms. He has nothing to “work towards” now. But mark my words, term limits be damned, he will not leave office until they carry him out in a body bag. Fascists do not relinquish their power. He will not make that mistake again.

So here we sit… 5 months into a fascist authoritarian regime and the people are demanding democracy. The people are demanding he be removed. But for what? To go back to the system that got us here in the first place?

You may say that system was better than this, and yes, perhaps it was more humane. But at the end of the day it wasn’t working. And at the end of the day we still have a 6-3 super majority Supreme Court that has handed this regime win after win after win while stripping itself of its own power. And we still have a Congress that has proved itself entirely worthless. The spineless Democrats in the Senate voted to fund this regime under the guise of “working with the system” to protect the people. Really? How’d that work out for us? Let’s be real… they wanted to keep their paychecks and appease their corporate donors. What part of this system are we really trying to save?

Perhaps you’d like to preserve the part where we vote for the candidates we select. But do we REALLY select our candidates? Or does the two-party system run by corporations handpick the candidates we’re allowed to vote for?  That’s how we end up with spineless Democrats in the first place. Even the “good ones” get to Washington and turn on us (looking at you, Fetterman).

Maybe it’s the Constitution! I say, maybe on its face… but we don’t live in a society that adheres to the Constitution as it is written. If I learned anything in law school it was that our entire system, the law-making, the law enforcement, the legal interpretation, every facet is designed with government in mind. The courts will always rule in such a way that protects government interests, not yours. So the Constitution is not there for YOU. It has been stripped down, ripped apart and pieced back together to serve the system. Y’all didn’t have the rights you thought you had six months ago. What this regime has taken from us is a far cry from the vast array of rights the Constitution was meant to preserve at its conception.

So I’ll ask again… what is it we are asking for? Because if your only demand is a return to the dysfunction we had on January 19, 2025, you are not asking for enough.

American democracy is a fallacy… a curated version of reality that gave JUST ENOUGH to the people to prevent revolution. Removing Trump would not solve our problems. It would not shatter the genocidal foundation upon which our republic was established. It would not fix the centuries of Supreme Court rulings that have muddied the rights we (well, some of us) DID have. It would not remove corporations from our politics. It would not dismantle the two-party system. It would not uproot the fascism that has embedded itself in our society (fascism is a movement, not an individual).

Trump is a symptom of a system of control, not the cause. He is the manifestation of 250 years of inequality, white supremacy, patriarchy and greed.

I have no motivational words of wisdom about how we can save American democracy because I do not believe we can, nor do I believe we should. The system has fallen into darkness. No act of Congress, no court order will stand in its way. This regime has proven it holds no regard for law and order yet we keep demanding law and order as our only solution. Furthermore, voting will not get us out of this. Fascist regimes do not hold fair elections. They do not cede power. Waiting for the next election cycle is useless.

There is no remaining force to rewind the tape. The fastest way out is through. We cannot prevent what they are successfully achieving. Fascism eats itself in the end by consuming its own power. It’s not pretty. But we are already well into the fifth and final stage of fascism—extreme radicalization. Fascism knows no bounds which ultimately leads to its own destruction.

This is not to say that we should sit back and do nothing. I am simply arguing that the focus of the current movement is misguided… too little too late. There are other opportunities for resistance that do not rely on Washington, and we should be leaning into those.

First, continue to protest. Show up. The numbers matter. The show of unity matters. But be realistic with what you expect out of your message. He will not be impeached. He will not be removed. Those rely on adherence to a Constitution that no longer applies to our federal system. And impeachment and removal will not FIX what is actually wrong here in our society.

Secondly, rely on your community. We build back our power as the people by rejecting the system entirely and by focusing on building each other up to ensure our local needs are met. Offer your skills in exchange for the skills of another. Trade and barter. Make a meal for your neighbor. We will not get through this without mutual aid and the more we rely on our local community, the less power we give to a system that is literally trying to kill us.

Finally, create a network of trusted individuals. Work behind the scenes. Protect each other. There are examples of this throughout Nazi Germany that we can and should draw from. Do your research. Gain and understanding of how good Germans navigated the Holocaust. WE are the only ones who can protect US.

Washington is not your friend. It never has been. It never will be. Stop begging that system to save you. The best form of resistance is a refusal to engage. Buckle up buttercups. We’re in for quite the ride.