Fri Dec 16, 2016, 10:59 AM

Skinner (63,645 posts)

NYT: Is Donald Trump a Threat to Democracy?

This op-ed on the New York Times does a good job explaining why I find Trump so alarming. Worth reading the whole thing...

By STEVEN LEVITSKY and DANIEL ZIBLATT DEC. 16, 2016

Donald J. Trump’s election has raised a question that few Americans ever imagined asking: Is our democracy in danger? With the possible exception of the Civil War, American democracy has never collapsed; indeed, no democracy as rich or as established as America’s ever has. Yet past stability is no guarantee of democracy’s future survival.

We have spent two decades studying the emergence and breakdown of democracy in Europe and Latin America. Our research points to several warning signs.

The clearest warning sign is the ascent of anti-democratic politicians into mainstream politics. Drawing on a close study of democracy’s demise in 1930s Europe, the eminent political scientist Juan J. Linz designed a “litmus test” to identify anti-democratic politicians. His indicators include a failure to reject violence unambiguously, a readiness to curtail rivals’ civil liberties, and the denial of the legitimacy of elected governments.

Mr. Trump tests positive. In the campaign, he encouraged violence among supporters; pledged to prosecute Hillary Clinton; threatened legal action against unfriendly media; and suggested that he might not accept the election results.

More: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/16/opinion/sunday/is-donald-trump-a-threat-to-democracy.html

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121 replies	Author	Time	Post
NYT: Is Donald Trump a Threat to Democracy? (Original post)	Skinner	Dec 2016	OP
K&R...	spanone	Dec 2016	#1
Yes, he is a threat.	kentuck	Dec 2016	#2
Yes we do.	pangaia	Dec 2016	#8
no, i think the question is	mopinko	Dec 2016	#15
With a Republican majority in Congress, the question is how much WILL he do;	hamsterjill	Dec 2016	#20
the uncertainty is a big part of the problem	srobertss	Dec 2016	#43
It's scary, because in many ways he's using the same tactics! Especially turning large	RKP5637	Dec 2016	#104
Kicked and recommended.	WheelWalker	Dec 2016	#3
Definitely worth reading the entire thing. K & R	Pacifist Patriot	Dec 2016	#4
K&R. Not only a threat, a puppet of a foreign entity. n/t	rzemanfl	Dec 2016	#5
yes, to our democratic process of government	bigtree	Dec 2016	#6
If you have to ask . . . . . .	no_hypocrisy	Dec 2016	#7
This editorial will never be understood by Trumpski and his comrades	GusBob	Dec 2016	#9
tRump scares me	madokie	Dec 2016	#10
Me too, absolutely..	whathehell	Dec 2016	#12
I agree with you.	hamsterjill	Dec 2016	#23
Yes, my major fear about him is	whathehell	Dec 2016	#59
"Say what you will	Bob Loblaw	Dec 2016	#70
Lol.	whathehell	Dec 2016	#88
He was	Bob Loblaw	Dec 2016	#89
and we will be just as dead	tavalon	Dec 2016	#86
Yes, exactly. n/t	whathehell	Dec 2016	#87
This!	smirkymonkey	Dec 2016	#99
Same here	tavalon	Dec 2016	#85
I sadly agree with you	Pachamama	Dec 2016	#95
Reminds me of how we felt with the rise of Hitler, all of the dictators back then! n/t	RKP5637	Dec 2016	#105
Yes, he is a threat - and the republicans, in congress, well	asiliveandbreathe	Dec 2016	#11
A companion piece from Smithsonian, DU thread by Muriel Volestrangler	UTUSN	Dec 2016	#13
This is even a question?	ananda	Dec 2016	#14
YES He Is! Donald Trump, the Family of Donald Trump and the Presidency...	Raster	Dec 2016	#16
K&R!	Omaha Steve	Dec 2016	#17
Yes. And in related news, water is wet.	malchickiwick	Dec 2016	#18
Around here, the water is as hard as a rock.	tclambert	Dec 2016	#22
Anyone who doesn't	pipi_k	Dec 2016	#19
+1	hamsterjill	Dec 2016	#24
The KKK, American Nazis(alt-right) the Russian dictator Putin	workinclasszero	Dec 2016	#21
The scariest thing is the media is playing the alt right like it's a joke.	Initech	Dec 2016	#103
Yeah, I'm stunned with how some in the media cover this with giggles. FFS, just how clueless	RKP5637	Dec 2016	#106
Death threats, rape threats, harassment threats are no laughing matter.	Initech	Dec 2016	#112
Don't you feel like we're in some kind of Stephen King novel, really? It's like a TV	RKP5637	Dec 2016	#114
I feel like we're living in an episode of The Twilight Zone or the X Files.	Initech	Dec 2016	#116
This.	CrispyQ	Dec 2016	#111
Russian interests say yes too. He's the perfect chaos candidate and easy to manipulate.	ffr	Dec 2016	#25
Trump alone is not a threat to democracy. He'll need a lot of help.	subterranean	Dec 2016	#26
That should be a statement	Perseus	Dec 2016	#27
This last election and the hacking of DU should show w/out a doubt that democracy is over for now.	Botany	Dec 2016	#28
This is what scares me	workinclasszero	Dec 2016	#50
YES-- he's a threat to everything we hold dear	ailsagirl	Dec 2016	#29
Democracy, and humanity!	nolabear	Dec 2016	#30
The entire Republican Party is a threat to democracy.	Maven	Dec 2016	#31
Absolutely correct. Look what they are doing right now in NC	mnhtnbb	Dec 2016	#38
Bingo!	workinclasszero	Dec 2016	#51
Incompetent governing + a terrorist attack...	ginnyinWI	Dec 2016	#32
YES!	smirkymonkey	Dec 2016	#33
American democracy has collapsed	elmac	Dec 2016	#34
Thank you for posting that video.	dawn frenzy adams	Dec 2016	#110
this is not accidental	AlexSFCA	Dec 2016	#35
Agree.	MarvinGardens	Dec 2016	#39
Dem moderates have been pushed out? What's your evidence for that assertion?	JudyM	Dec 2016	#47
learning	AlexSFCA	Dec 2016	#53
Your "both sides are the problem" characterization is exactly wrong.	Maven	Dec 2016	#49
"moderates from BOTH parties have been pushed out? WTF? How dare you spew that crap	KittyWampus	Dec 2016	#117
how in the world does one "build bridges" or work with a person who is completely irrational,	niyad	Dec 2016	#121
Trump, by himself is no threat	Lithos	Dec 2016	#36
Even Condoleeza Rice is Pushing Back!	McKim	Dec 2016	#37
Col. Von Staffenberg, where are you?	muntrv	Dec 2016	#40
Donald Trump is the living embodiment of Plato's critique of democracy	0rganism	Dec 2016	#41
Political extremist, polarization and leaders in power who are ideologues.	herding cats	Dec 2016	#42
Not any more than any other president can be seen as a threat.	Sekhmets Daughter	Dec 2016	#44
please understand that he doesn't give a rat's behind about whatever limits a president. and,	niyad	Dec 2016	#69
Meh. Tough talk	Sekhmets Daughter	Dec 2016	#71
so, reportedly, did members of hitler's cabinet.	niyad	Dec 2016	#72
Hitler didn't have a cabinet...	Sekhmets Daughter	Dec 2016	#78
whatever you want to call them. and no, it is not silly. his speeches, his gestures,	niyad	Dec 2016	#92
The whole world	Sekhmets Daughter	Dec 2016	#93
you go right ahead and tell yourself whatever makes you comfortable. the rest of us,	niyad	Dec 2016	#98
You keep doing the same.	Sekhmets Daughter	Dec 2016	#108
"by their actions shall ye know them"-- and we have seen his actions enough to know him.	niyad	Dec 2016	#120
A nice rational pause.	CanSocDem	Dec 2016	#90
Thanks for the link!	Sekhmets Daughter	Dec 2016	#91
This is even a question??	randr	Dec 2016	#45
Exactly!	Generator	Dec 2016	#46
Dump has already harmed American democracy in numerous concrete ways.	Nitram	Dec 2016	#48
Is any President who ignores the Constitution a threat to democracy?	guillaumeb	Dec 2016	#52
I'm particularly alarmed by the people Trump is surrounding himself with.	octoberlib	Dec 2016	#54
Clearly and concretely yes!!	onecaliberal	Dec 2016	#55
KnR	Hekate	Dec 2016	#56
Trump tests positive	Generic Other	Dec 2016	#57
Does a bear shit in the woods?	malthaussen	Dec 2016	#58
"to civilization"	Bucky	Dec 2016	#60
Uh yes, yes, and yes.	YOHABLO	Dec 2016	#61
Do we have a democracy in the US? I say no.	jimmil	Dec 2016	#62
KamaAina: Is Pope Francis Catholic?	KamaAina	Dec 2016	#63
His 'election' already	triron	Dec 2016	#64
yes he is	bdamomma	Dec 2016	#65
I think he's a threat to life on this planet..	whathehell	Dec 2016	#66
Trump voters think we are upset because Hillary "lost"	Skittles	Dec 2016	#67
dear nyt--perhaps if you had DONE YOUR DAMNED JOB of actually being journalists, and telling	niyad	Dec 2016	#68
To NYT: yes.	tandem5	Dec 2016	#73
Of course he is	NastyRiffraff	Dec 2016	#74
Not just to Democracy, he's a threat to the entire world. nt	Autumn	Dec 2016	#75
These paragraphs are particularly ominous.............	LongTomH	Dec 2016	#76
Those three paragraphs stood out to me, too.	CrispyQ	Dec 2016	#113
we haven't had a real democracy the last 30 years	certainot	Dec 2016	#77
This.	CrispyQ	Dec 2016	#115
Yes, he is! And 62 million crazed American voters like it that way	radhika	Dec 2016	#79
Donald J. Trump told us, repeatedly, that the election had to be "fair"	bucolic_frolic	Dec 2016	#80
He's a threat not only from his own fascist	BigDemVoter	Dec 2016	#81
Trump is a threat to life. nt	SunSeeker	Dec 2016	#82
Kick and recommend	Hekate	Dec 2016	#83
I think we can fight and defeat him internally	tavalon	Dec 2016	#84
Yep, he makes Bush seem harmless. This ass is likely to start a war over a tweet. Someplace awhile	RKP5637	Dec 2016	#107
If you have too ask. you don't have a clue.	Nitram	Dec 2016	#94
...	orleans	Dec 2016	#96
If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck...	C Moon	Dec 2016	#97
He's a threat to the human species.	Third Doctor	Dec 2016	#100
Yes of course	Emilybemily	Dec 2016	#101
Idiots are more of a threat.	liberalmuse	Dec 2016	#102
ascent of anti-democratic politicians?	eniwetok	Dec 2016	#109
They have to ask???!!! n/t	Different Drummer	Dec 2016	#118
Duh.	Rex	Dec 2016	#119

Response to Skinner (Original post)

Fri Dec 16, 2016, 11:00 AM

spanone (134,458 posts)

NYT: Is Donald Trump a Threat to Democracy?

1. K&R...

2. Yes, he is a threat.

8. Yes we do.

15. no, i think the question is

20. With a Republican majority in Congress, the question is how much WILL he do;

43. the uncertainty is a big part of the problem

104. It's scary, because in many ways he's using the same tactics! Especially turning large

3. Kicked and recommended.

4. Definitely worth reading the entire thing. K & R

5. K&R. Not only a threat, a puppet of a foreign entity. n/t

6. yes, to our democratic process of government

7. If you have to ask . . . . . .

9. This editorial will never be understood by Trumpski and his comrades

10. tRump scares me

12. Me too, absolutely..

23. I agree with you.

59. Yes, my major fear about him is

70. "Say what you will

88. Lol.

89. He was

86. and we will be just as dead

87. Yes, exactly. n/t

99. This!

85. Same here

95. I sadly agree with you

105. Reminds me of how we felt with the rise of Hitler, all of the dictators back then! n/t

11. Yes, he is a threat - and the republicans, in congress, well

13. A companion piece from Smithsonian, DU thread by Muriel Volestrangler

14. This is even a question?

16. YES He Is! Donald Trump, the Family of Donald Trump and the Presidency...

17. K&R!

18. Yes. And in related news, water is wet.

22. Around here, the water is as hard as a rock.

19. Anyone who doesn't

24. +1

21. The KKK, American Nazis(alt-right) the Russian dictator Putin

103. The scariest thing is the media is playing the alt right like it's a joke.

106. Yeah, I'm stunned with how some in the media cover this with giggles. FFS, just how clueless

112. Death threats, rape threats, harassment threats are no laughing matter.

114. Don't you feel like we're in some kind of Stephen King novel, really? It's like a TV

116. I feel like we're living in an episode of The Twilight Zone or the X Files.

111. This.

25. Russian interests say yes too. He's the perfect chaos candidate and easy to manipulate.

26. Trump alone is not a threat to democracy. He'll need a lot of help.

27. That should be a statement

28. This last election and the hacking of DU should show w/out a doubt that democracy is over for now.

50. This is what scares me

29. YES-- he's a threat to everything we hold dear

30. Democracy, and humanity!

31. The entire Republican Party is a threat to democracy.

38. Absolutely correct. Look what they are doing right now in NC

51. Bingo!

32. Incompetent governing + a terrorist attack...

33. YES!

34. American democracy has collapsed

110. Thank you for posting that video.

35. this is not accidental

39. Agree.

47. Dem moderates have been pushed out? What's your evidence for that assertion?

53. learning

49. Your "both sides are the problem" characterization is exactly wrong.

117. "moderates from BOTH parties have been pushed out? WTF? How dare you spew that crap

121. how in the world does one "build bridges" or work with a person who is completely irrational,

36. Trump, by himself is no threat

37. Even Condoleeza Rice is Pushing Back!

40. Col. Von Staffenberg, where are you?

41. Donald Trump is the living embodiment of Plato's critique of democracy

42. Political extremist, polarization and leaders in power who are ideologues.

44. Not any more than any other president can be seen as a threat.

69. please understand that he doesn't give a rat's behind about whatever limits a president. and,

71. Meh. Tough talk

72. so, reportedly, did members of hitler's cabinet.

78. Hitler didn't have a cabinet...

92. whatever you want to call them. and no, it is not silly. his speeches, his gestures,

93. The whole world

98. you go right ahead and tell yourself whatever makes you comfortable. the rest of us,

108. You keep doing the same.

120. "by their actions shall ye know them"-- and we have seen his actions enough to know him.

90. A nice rational pause.