At least some Democrats are talking about freedom. Here's Josh Shapiro in Pennsylvania. He gets loud roars of approval from the crowd. I was thrilled to hear this!
This is my assessment too, consequently, I am very on edge. My first grandchild will arrive soon, it' feels extra personal. Actually, it feels like the clock has run out. Your words make me feel more grounded, less of a drama queen. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
I've been watching US politics with a heavy heart from the UK for several years now and you are voicing what has been worrying me. Everything you've taught us about how democracy unwinds and how totalitarianism is born, seems to be reflected in what has been happening to the Republican party and with Trump.
I think there are some flaws that are built in to the American way of doing things. Holding elections for law enforcement and legal posts seems to bake in polarisation and partisanship. The Electoral College, and the non-proportionality of the Senate remove much of the protection from the Majority. All of this was manageable until the easy access and targeting of voters that Big Media brought. Once you have that, the whole country's future being in the hands of a small fraction of its electorate becomes a glaring vulnerability.
UK democracy is far from perfect, but the idea that an election worker would sabotage the vote, or that a politician would refuse to concede, that electoral boundaries would be manipulated by partisans or that senior judges would rule in nakedly partisan ways, are all inconceivable here.
My great nightmare is that one day, a decade or two from now, I will be watching videos online of Ukrainian, Georgian and Canadian volunteers fighting fascists in the suburbs of US cities.
This is probably not the time to nit-pick, but I suggest you may be wearing rose-tinted glasses in your assessment of the health/unhealth of UK democracy. Do you really think Boris Johnson has conceded defeat??? Perhaps the English are a teeny bit more subtle in the way they go about things, but the depth of corruption of our democratic systems is not so different at root.
The point here? It's important to see, understand and acknowledge how we are in the same boat and hence must stand together or drown.
I don't think I am. The UK has many problems, but a lack of democracy? I don't think that's really apparent. Parallels are drawn between Trump and Johnson, and between the 2016 Presidential Election and the EU referendum, but I think they are very overblown. The majority of UK voters chose Leave, and we left. The majority of US voters chose Clinton, and you got Trump. Johnson won a general election by a landslide, but when he was found to have acted improperly his own party forced him out. Trump won an election on a technicality, and when he was found to have committed Treason, his own party backed him to the hilt as if they'd been hypnotised by a cobra.
We share some issues, including the influence of the very rich (although in the absence of PACs and with limits on spending this is less in the UK), a non-proportional electoral system (although the UK's is less rigged than the US) and a vulnerability to influence campaigns via social media. To some extent we share the capture of parts of the media by the far-right, although in the UK this is largely confined to "newspapers" which have far less influence than TV channels.
I think the point is a little different. The United States of America is in danger of ceasing to exist, falling to a coup by the far-right. In those circumstances you shouldn't emphasise your differences with your potential allies, but try to unite on your common ground. There is virtually no support in the UK for the MAGA brand of Republicanism. Right wing politicians in the UK largely share your concerns about what is happening in the US. To dismiss that with a false equivalence is a mistake.
I think one of the weaknesses of the US progressive movement is a tendency towards ideological purity. There will be people who oppose immigration, or who want to restrict abortion access, or who oppose the stigmatisation of law enforcement, or who hold gender critical views, but who also wholeheartedly support democracy and oppose the MAGA attempts to subvert it. If democracy and the continuance of the Republic are truly at stake, as Professor Snyder has (I think accurately) warned, then what is needed is a broad alliance of everyone who is willing to fight that. If the "brave few" is restricted to those who tick every box of progressive acceptance, there just won't be enough people to win.
"The majority of UK voters chose Leave, and we left. The majority of US voters chose Clinton, and you got Trump.
Johnson won a general election by a landslide, but when he was found to have acted improperly his own party forced him out. Trump won an election on a technicality, and when he was found to have committed Treason, his own party backed him to the hilt as if they'd been hypnotised by a cobra."
Neil A, I agree. For what it’s worth, the Democracy Index, published by the Economist Intelligence Unit, the research division of the Economist, categorizes Great Britain as a Full Democracy and the US as a Flawed Democracy. The UK had a score of 8.21 vs the US score of 7.85 in 2021. The highest score was for Norway 9.75 followed by New Zealand at 9.37. Nonetheless the UK declined from its 2020 score of 8.54.
I don't agree. No UK politician has disputed election outcomes. No attempt has been made to politicise appointment of judges. No attempt has been made to intimidate voters. No politician has applauded attacks on politicians or their families. There is little gerrymandering.
There are issues, the requirement for voter ID is a nasty foretaste of American methods.
But we aren't America. Thank God. In fact the Truss disaster has made an attack on democracy and the rule of law here less likely.
Big differences from USA. No guns. Rule of law and State monopoly of force goes far deeper. And, crucially, the far right have just 30% of votes, rather than 55%
Tim, I suspect most of your readers will neither be surprised by nor disagree with your assertion that Americans' ability to elect our leaders in the future hinges on these midterms. It is late in the game, but those who live in (or near) areas where close and critical races are underway can still show up at candidate headquarters tomorrow and Monday morning. The process of going door to door -- now only to voters likely to support candidates in favor of honoring electoral votes for all elections -- is not complicated and does not even requiring massive extraversion or persuasive skills.
Further, many of your readers have done something this cycle, or in the past, called "phone banking" to get out the vote. This can be done from home using a smart phone and a personal computer (no one "gets" your phone number). All this can be figured out online with the keywords you would expect or by asking any friend who is active in politics to help you get set up. The whole thing is mildly awkward and certainly unglamorous, but does not require any particular talent, and it gets votes that are desperately needed for the reason you make clear.
You go, Shelley. I live in Connecticut, but have been driving out to New York's 19th district every other day to knock on doors. It is so critical. I prefer it to phone banking, but am going to spend tomorrow and Wednesday on the phone. The technology is very streamlined now. I hope the people who know how to do this or are willing to be trained will get out and do it, or stay in and do it. After the election will be a whole 'nother process of figuring out how to keep breathing and to continue making a difference when many battles and majorities have been lost.
Thank you, Laura. Exactly so! I have been phonebanking and training others to phonebank since 2016. I remember asking Prof. Snyder what we should do in early 2017. He said exactly what he said in his book 20 Lessons - take your citizenship seriously and take responsibility for our democracy. I have tried to do that. You can call anytime from the comfort of your home. It works. I have personally persuaded many voters that their vote counts and that they MUST have their say. Sometimes it comes down to just a few votes in a precinct! America IS on the ballot.
Thank you Timothy Snyder, for this alarm with regard to the future of American Democracy. Was America on the ballot in December, 2000, when the Supreme Court decided in favor of Bush against Gore? What has happened in the US in the last twenty-two years? When might the enormous challenges to American Democracy been called in a timely way? Is that ever the case? Weren't the wealth gap, the shrinking middleclass, along with wage stagnation, the disappearance of communities and the growing antipathy in the population loud signals of deep trouble years ago? The minority's power, Dark Money, along with Corporations and Billionaires running free, until Donald J. Trump and Elon Musk are calling the shots -- are we, perhaps, somewhat late to the game? The affects of technology on the work place, on communities, Main Street and on social intercourse have altered the country immeasurably. The loss of local journalistically oriented news and the growth of social media have poisoned the well. It appears that many of our young people feel and are unmoored. Even if the Democrats are able to hold on to the Senate, how late are we to the game? Joe Biden knew that he was fighting for the soul of America when he ran. It is not his fault that the soul of America is very difficult to get our arms around.
Thank you, Fern. I'm glad I'm not the only one who looks back to 2000. Well of course I've known for 22+ years that I couldn't possibly be the ONLY one. But we were in a minority at the time, and maybe even today, because I haven't heard anyone talking about 2000 these days, not publicly at least. Gosh, I've been screaming at the top of my lungs since then. Before then really, going back to Reagan, but at the at-the-top-of-my-lungs-level since 2000. I can't tell you how glad I am to meet someone who understands. I felt lonely trying to warn others at the time. Sometimes all it takes to give me a little hope and cheer me up a bit is simply knowing.
I'll will think of you, Rose, during the months ahead. We'll concentrate on each moment before us and meet our challenges together with strength. Salud!
Thank you, Fern, and I will think of you, too. Let us not forget each other! BTW, right after I watched Prof. Snyder's video, but before I read and replied to your comment, I posted a comment on the Independent State Legislature Theory and the 2000 election. So we were on the same wavelength last night. In case you missed it, here it is: "When SCOTUS granted cert to a case about the Independent State Legislature Theory for this term, I was not surprised, but deeply concerned. In an interview from several years ago, Justice Kavanaugh said that the Florida Supreme Court did not have the power to order a recount in the 2000 election (https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/17/politics/bush-v-gore-barrett-kavanaugh-roberts-supreme-court/index.html). Chief Justice Roberts, and Justices Kavanaugh and Barrett, were all involved in the litigation for that election. So we have to worry about that in 2024, too. I am not optimistic. That theory calls into question the principle of judicial review. Hell, we lost the principle of judicial review in the TX SB8 case." I send my warmest greetings to you this morning, and please take the very best care of yourself.
Thank you Professor Snyder. Very sobering and important plea for democracy. On Nov 11, 2020 I began calling the 147 Republican Representatives in the House and Senate who refused to acknowledge then President-Elect Biden as such. I was amazed that the staffers I spoke with were all working with the same script. I called again just before Jan 6, similar scenario. I hope everyone is voting for candidates who support free and fair elections and respected outcomes. I agree with you there will be a fight if need be. I have voted here in CT- straight blue. I hope you will stay with us here after The Making of Modern Ukraine reaches the end of the semester. We have so much to learn from you and Ukraine. Again much thanks I look forward to your book on Freedom when it is published
Thank you Doctor Snyder. I deeply appreciate your defense of democracy and ongoing warnings of the risks it (and we) are facing. In this election, however, I would argue for an even more stringent voting rule for this election than you propose. I believe it is necessary to defeat every Republican, even those who are not election deniers, and elect every Democrat. The reason is that which party controls the House, the Senate and each state house controls a huge lever of power. They get to set the rules and the agenda. I respect Republicans who are taking often courageous stands, but which party rules is is key at this time.
I live in France. I am not an American but I'm painfully aware of the fact most Americans do not realize the importance of their collective voice in other countries where democracy is also under attack every single day by the very same corrosive forces attacking democracy in Ukraine. We have evidence of this in Europe with every single bit of disinformation that has led to the recent election of proponents of the extreme right-wing in Italy, not to mention the corrosion affecting Hungary, the forces behind Brexit, and so on. All I can say is: Americans who care about their country set certain standards abroad. Despite all that is far from perfect in your country, all that is perfectible still, letting your country fall into the hands of election result deniers is not way to allow your democracy - or anyone else's - to grow and thrive. People all over the world will be watching the results of these mid-term elections. We're counting on democratic peoples to elect leaders who are committed to democracy. Thank you for your post, Mr. Snyder. I follow you Making of Ukraine class on youTube - a most useful course in these terrible times. Sincerely, Maria Damcheva.
'The best lack all conviction, while the worst/Are full of passionate intensity'. Biden and the Dems seemed to think that just being reasonable sort of people would somehow see off the revolutionary Right. He could have fought back. Packed SCOTUS. Prosecuted Trump. Admitted Washington DC and Costa Rica as States. Then forced through a defence of Democracy Bill
.Might not have worked but at least the Republic would go down fighting.
A majority of Americans are about to choose a party committed to ending the rule of law and free elections. Apparently they are fine with that. By ' majority' I include the tens of millions who don't vote - why should the end of free elections bother them?
It's very unclear what the new America will look like. What is clear is that it's the end for us in the UK too, long term. Freedom can't survive here if America is gone. Ukraine will be the first to know that.
I'm old. Thank God. I don't want to watch more of this.
But.....why? Why did America do this to itself? Why did we do what we've done...Brexit, Johnson, the absurd Truss? Will anyone ever be able to explain?
I venture to reply to you with trepidation, fearing I will be shot down in flames. But you had the courage to raise the question. So I feel the duty to reply, offering the extent of my understanding. Here goes…
What America is doing to itself has been explained. What is more, it was predicted 100 years ago. Our present—the future then—was foreseen via spiritual vision by Dr Rudolf Steiner, a high initiate in the Western spiritual tradition, who brought in a new spiritual path especially designed for modern Westerners—atheists, secularists, humanists, as well as those unable to find fulfilment within traditional religion. The path is Christ-centred, which must be taken to mean carrying on from where external Christian religion reaches its time-limits. The difference is that individual commitment, effort and practice are needed now, not mere passive attendance on festival days, relying on external authority to get you through. And the Christ is understood as a real spiritual being of Universal Love offered to all without exception in freedom.
The individual must take responsibility and make the effort now. We are at a point in human evolution where humanity as a whole is crossing the threshold, meaning, all that disgusting nastiness, those repressed antisocial desires, that horrible crappy underbelly, is rising into consciousness. People are required to deal with it by cleaning up themselves, not projecting out the rubbish onto others. That is the prime, urgent requirement of us all. External religion took care of us while we were still adolescents not fully grown. Now we are becoming adults, taking hold of the steering wheel, required to drive responsibly making our own decisions, with help and guidance freely available from wise elders and benevolent spiritual beings if we want to ask for it. But we are free beings, so the choice is ours.
If one makes the effort, it is possible to open hitherto dormant spiritual faculties. These in turn open up vision of both past and future in proportion to one's degree of individual achievement. It's like everything else: some have more aptitude than others, but everyone can have a go. And it's important to note that readiness is not connected with formal educational qualifications per se, but rather with the qualities of soul one has developed so far. Steiner said his lectures were accessible to all, regardless of their level of formal education.
This does not mean the future is fixed. Seeing the future is not the same thing as efficacious action to change things. The future is not fixed. Nonetheless, its most probable shape is there to see as it stands right now. If it doesn't look too good, now is the time to act to change its shape. The future is determined by karma and laws of cause and effect; it is open to change via the agency of human free will aided by the Love which emanates from the Christ being.
Specifically, there are two principles/beings opposing positive human evolution. One is Lucifer, called Evil; the other is Ahriman, called Satan. Two horns, forked tail. Between them, representing the Middle, stands the Christ being. Human beings need to find the middle point.
In terms of earth geography, Lucifer came first, incarnating in the East of the world about 3000 BC, in what is now China. Ahriman is now attempting to incarnate in the West of the world, in modern America. The world is karmically balancing itself out in this bipolar duality.
Lucifer now represents the forces attempting to draw human souls upward out of the body into his alternative future world; Lucifer attempts to sever your human connection to Earth.
Ahriman is trying , conversely, to rob you of your human soul, to de-soul you, to render you a mere object without a guiding human "I", an emptied dehumanised shell. Then he can fill your physical shell with his dead, mechanised, lifeless world of automatons. This is the challenge now facing Americans, and with them the rest of the world who are awake to what is going on and who support America in its resistance.
I hope this sheds a bit of light on the awful trials America is now undergoing. And you are so right, we are all in this together; without a good America, right now the rest of us are cast adrift.
This is class war. A large minority of the population do not want democracy as we understand it. They want to live in a ‘traditional society’ where women breed, men fight, and big men rule, where business is done via patronage schemes and government employees are selected according to a spoils system. They view the whole scheme of formal institutions, rule of law, impartial judiciary, professional civil service as an oppressive, exploitative system imposed on them by ‘elites’, in which they have no stake--comparable to a colonial administration dominating and exploiting the indigenous people. I grew up with this, in a gritty city in Trumplandia run by the Mob, populated by tribal people—working class white ethnics now incorporated into Trump’s Base. I don’t see how this can be reversed.
Perhaps it may be useful to make a distinction between:
a) pre-democratic people still operating as a tribe, and
b) criminal elements operating under mob rule.
For the first group, pull out all the educational stops from first school years right through to ongoing adult education in civics and related subjects.
For the second group, change the laws to regulate social media properly, so as to eliminate hate speech and similar incitements to violence, while overhauling the justice system to deal with offenders more effectively from the point of view of rehabilitation and education.
I am doubtful that better education can counter balance the addicting content of Fox News (to which I have lost multiple family members, including my mother). Their brains have been trained to expect a pleasing rage every fifteen minutes.
That’s why I like head start it teaches children (babies) at the same time. I realize this indicates the dreamer in me. I know that those who grow up to hate have been nursed that way. But hey. I always have to be hopeful that there is a chance to improvement. If Hillary had won in 2016 she was planning on expanding head start
Never apologise for being a dreamer. Without dreams, you have no future!
Education systems in the UK and Australia, with which I am most familiar, still proceed on the assumption that consciousness is the same as in Victorian times 150 years ago, when universal compulsory education was first introduced.
But humanity is continuously evolving, and consciousness is now different. That's why youth appear like alien invaders from outer space to us mouldy oldies.
The real tragedy here is that the new elements that are being introduced, viz. computer-controlled learning, are the exact opposite of what human beings actually now require for positive further evolution. Computers reify, mechanise human consciousness.
Our future lies in developing the heart and refined feeling. The Enlightenment took care of the head. Now it's time for the heart. Head and heart need to work together in developing positive imaginations and inspirations for good human futures. Pictorial consciousness is developing and needs to be pointed in a positive direction. Emojis are reified emotion and represent a backward step: limited, stultified feeling. You cannot express your human potential in its multiple wondrous subtleties through emojis!
Our true challenge lies in getting people to understand where humanity's real opportunities for progress lie. What is a good innovation? What is counter-evolutionary? How can computers be put in service of human ends rather than controlling humans in their daily lives ("Sorry, madam, the computer says no!"). Who on earth ever thought that new social media could bypass all moral and ethical control, when everything in human life to date has needed moral education and ethical regulation? Why is a free-for-all not freedom at all? Etc. Etc.
At least some Democrats are talking about freedom. Here's Josh Shapiro in Pennsylvania. He gets loud roars of approval from the crowd. I was thrilled to hear this!
https://twitter.com/NoLieWithBTC/status/1589030972036874241?s=20&t=PvO8TGQEEZGFIygExS14Nw
I am happy to report that Josh Shapiro won his race.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/nov/09/josh-shapiro-wins-election-pennsylvania-governor-democrats
This is my assessment too, consequently, I am very on edge. My first grandchild will arrive soon, it' feels extra personal. Actually, it feels like the clock has run out. Your words make me feel more grounded, less of a drama queen. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Thank you, Dr. Snyder. As always.
I've been watching US politics with a heavy heart from the UK for several years now and you are voicing what has been worrying me. Everything you've taught us about how democracy unwinds and how totalitarianism is born, seems to be reflected in what has been happening to the Republican party and with Trump.
I think there are some flaws that are built in to the American way of doing things. Holding elections for law enforcement and legal posts seems to bake in polarisation and partisanship. The Electoral College, and the non-proportionality of the Senate remove much of the protection from the Majority. All of this was manageable until the easy access and targeting of voters that Big Media brought. Once you have that, the whole country's future being in the hands of a small fraction of its electorate becomes a glaring vulnerability.
UK democracy is far from perfect, but the idea that an election worker would sabotage the vote, or that a politician would refuse to concede, that electoral boundaries would be manipulated by partisans or that senior judges would rule in nakedly partisan ways, are all inconceivable here.
My great nightmare is that one day, a decade or two from now, I will be watching videos online of Ukrainian, Georgian and Canadian volunteers fighting fascists in the suburbs of US cities.
This is probably not the time to nit-pick, but I suggest you may be wearing rose-tinted glasses in your assessment of the health/unhealth of UK democracy. Do you really think Boris Johnson has conceded defeat??? Perhaps the English are a teeny bit more subtle in the way they go about things, but the depth of corruption of our democratic systems is not so different at root.
The point here? It's important to see, understand and acknowledge how we are in the same boat and hence must stand together or drown.
I don't think I am. The UK has many problems, but a lack of democracy? I don't think that's really apparent. Parallels are drawn between Trump and Johnson, and between the 2016 Presidential Election and the EU referendum, but I think they are very overblown. The majority of UK voters chose Leave, and we left. The majority of US voters chose Clinton, and you got Trump. Johnson won a general election by a landslide, but when he was found to have acted improperly his own party forced him out. Trump won an election on a technicality, and when he was found to have committed Treason, his own party backed him to the hilt as if they'd been hypnotised by a cobra.
We share some issues, including the influence of the very rich (although in the absence of PACs and with limits on spending this is less in the UK), a non-proportional electoral system (although the UK's is less rigged than the US) and a vulnerability to influence campaigns via social media. To some extent we share the capture of parts of the media by the far-right, although in the UK this is largely confined to "newspapers" which have far less influence than TV channels.
I think the point is a little different. The United States of America is in danger of ceasing to exist, falling to a coup by the far-right. In those circumstances you shouldn't emphasise your differences with your potential allies, but try to unite on your common ground. There is virtually no support in the UK for the MAGA brand of Republicanism. Right wing politicians in the UK largely share your concerns about what is happening in the US. To dismiss that with a false equivalence is a mistake.
I think one of the weaknesses of the US progressive movement is a tendency towards ideological purity. There will be people who oppose immigration, or who want to restrict abortion access, or who oppose the stigmatisation of law enforcement, or who hold gender critical views, but who also wholeheartedly support democracy and oppose the MAGA attempts to subvert it. If democracy and the continuance of the Republic are truly at stake, as Professor Snyder has (I think accurately) warned, then what is needed is a broad alliance of everyone who is willing to fight that. If the "brave few" is restricted to those who tick every box of progressive acceptance, there just won't be enough people to win.
"The majority of UK voters chose Leave, and we left. The majority of US voters chose Clinton, and you got Trump.
Johnson won a general election by a landslide, but when he was found to have acted improperly his own party forced him out. Trump won an election on a technicality, and when he was found to have committed Treason, his own party backed him to the hilt as if they'd been hypnotised by a cobra."
Well said, sir, well said!
Neil A, I agree. For what it’s worth, the Democracy Index, published by the Economist Intelligence Unit, the research division of the Economist, categorizes Great Britain as a Full Democracy and the US as a Flawed Democracy. The UK had a score of 8.21 vs the US score of 7.85 in 2021. The highest score was for Norway 9.75 followed by New Zealand at 9.37. Nonetheless the UK declined from its 2020 score of 8.54.
I don't agree. No UK politician has disputed election outcomes. No attempt has been made to politicise appointment of judges. No attempt has been made to intimidate voters. No politician has applauded attacks on politicians or their families. There is little gerrymandering.
There are issues, the requirement for voter ID is a nasty foretaste of American methods.
But we aren't America. Thank God. In fact the Truss disaster has made an attack on democracy and the rule of law here less likely.
Big differences from USA. No guns. Rule of law and State monopoly of force goes far deeper. And, crucially, the far right have just 30% of votes, rather than 55%
Thank you. The world needs many hands working to preserve our freedoms and civil rights.
I'm not so happy feeling that there's a "single point of failure" in the rule of law. That if the U.S. falls to fascism the whole world is lost.
Voices like Tim Snyder's, and Anne Applebaum, and Masha Gessen, arise again and again and keep us aware of the risks.
And voices lik Josh Shapiro and Robert Reich and Heather Cox Richardson and Robert Hubbell and Joe Biden arise again and again to show us the way.
Tim, I suspect most of your readers will neither be surprised by nor disagree with your assertion that Americans' ability to elect our leaders in the future hinges on these midterms. It is late in the game, but those who live in (or near) areas where close and critical races are underway can still show up at candidate headquarters tomorrow and Monday morning. The process of going door to door -- now only to voters likely to support candidates in favor of honoring electoral votes for all elections -- is not complicated and does not even requiring massive extraversion or persuasive skills.
Further, many of your readers have done something this cycle, or in the past, called "phone banking" to get out the vote. This can be done from home using a smart phone and a personal computer (no one "gets" your phone number). All this can be figured out online with the keywords you would expect or by asking any friend who is active in politics to help you get set up. The whole thing is mildly awkward and certainly unglamorous, but does not require any particular talent, and it gets votes that are desperately needed for the reason you make clear.
Exactly what I am doing in my 80% republican town. And trying to breathe
You go, Shelley. I live in Connecticut, but have been driving out to New York's 19th district every other day to knock on doors. It is so critical. I prefer it to phone banking, but am going to spend tomorrow and Wednesday on the phone. The technology is very streamlined now. I hope the people who know how to do this or are willing to be trained will get out and do it, or stay in and do it. After the election will be a whole 'nother process of figuring out how to keep breathing and to continue making a difference when many battles and majorities have been lost.
Thank you from a resident of the 19th, Laura! I will say I’m seeing a surprising number of Riley signs here in red Greene County.
My home away from home! Love it out there.
Never forget to breathe. Set an alarm to remind you to get up, stretch your legs. And get a massage if you can.
Thank you, Laura. Exactly so! I have been phonebanking and training others to phonebank since 2016. I remember asking Prof. Snyder what we should do in early 2017. He said exactly what he said in his book 20 Lessons - take your citizenship seriously and take responsibility for our democracy. I have tried to do that. You can call anytime from the comfort of your home. It works. I have personally persuaded many voters that their vote counts and that they MUST have their say. Sometimes it comes down to just a few votes in a precinct! America IS on the ballot.
Thank you Timothy Snyder, for this alarm with regard to the future of American Democracy. Was America on the ballot in December, 2000, when the Supreme Court decided in favor of Bush against Gore? What has happened in the US in the last twenty-two years? When might the enormous challenges to American Democracy been called in a timely way? Is that ever the case? Weren't the wealth gap, the shrinking middleclass, along with wage stagnation, the disappearance of communities and the growing antipathy in the population loud signals of deep trouble years ago? The minority's power, Dark Money, along with Corporations and Billionaires running free, until Donald J. Trump and Elon Musk are calling the shots -- are we, perhaps, somewhat late to the game? The affects of technology on the work place, on communities, Main Street and on social intercourse have altered the country immeasurably. The loss of local journalistically oriented news and the growth of social media have poisoned the well. It appears that many of our young people feel and are unmoored. Even if the Democrats are able to hold on to the Senate, how late are we to the game? Joe Biden knew that he was fighting for the soul of America when he ran. It is not his fault that the soul of America is very difficult to get our arms around.
Thank you, Fern. I'm glad I'm not the only one who looks back to 2000. Well of course I've known for 22+ years that I couldn't possibly be the ONLY one. But we were in a minority at the time, and maybe even today, because I haven't heard anyone talking about 2000 these days, not publicly at least. Gosh, I've been screaming at the top of my lungs since then. Before then really, going back to Reagan, but at the at-the-top-of-my-lungs-level since 2000. I can't tell you how glad I am to meet someone who understands. I felt lonely trying to warn others at the time. Sometimes all it takes to give me a little hope and cheer me up a bit is simply knowing.
I'll will think of you, Rose, during the months ahead. We'll concentrate on each moment before us and meet our challenges together with strength. Salud!
Thank you, Fern, and I will think of you, too. Let us not forget each other! BTW, right after I watched Prof. Snyder's video, but before I read and replied to your comment, I posted a comment on the Independent State Legislature Theory and the 2000 election. So we were on the same wavelength last night. In case you missed it, here it is: "When SCOTUS granted cert to a case about the Independent State Legislature Theory for this term, I was not surprised, but deeply concerned. In an interview from several years ago, Justice Kavanaugh said that the Florida Supreme Court did not have the power to order a recount in the 2000 election (https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/17/politics/bush-v-gore-barrett-kavanaugh-roberts-supreme-court/index.html). Chief Justice Roberts, and Justices Kavanaugh and Barrett, were all involved in the litigation for that election. So we have to worry about that in 2024, too. I am not optimistic. That theory calls into question the principle of judicial review. Hell, we lost the principle of judicial review in the TX SB8 case." I send my warmest greetings to you this morning, and please take the very best care of yourself.
Thank you Professor Snyder. Very sobering and important plea for democracy. On Nov 11, 2020 I began calling the 147 Republican Representatives in the House and Senate who refused to acknowledge then President-Elect Biden as such. I was amazed that the staffers I spoke with were all working with the same script. I called again just before Jan 6, similar scenario. I hope everyone is voting for candidates who support free and fair elections and respected outcomes. I agree with you there will be a fight if need be. I have voted here in CT- straight blue. I hope you will stay with us here after The Making of Modern Ukraine reaches the end of the semester. We have so much to learn from you and Ukraine. Again much thanks I look forward to your book on Freedom when it is published
Thank you Doctor Snyder. I deeply appreciate your defense of democracy and ongoing warnings of the risks it (and we) are facing. In this election, however, I would argue for an even more stringent voting rule for this election than you propose. I believe it is necessary to defeat every Republican, even those who are not election deniers, and elect every Democrat. The reason is that which party controls the House, the Senate and each state house controls a huge lever of power. They get to set the rules and the agenda. I respect Republicans who are taking often courageous stands, but which party rules is is key at this time.
I entirely agree. This is an incredibly important point.
Once again, thank you for pushing the important issue forward!
Thank you Dr. Snyder. I believe it is important to be able to share your video or at least the text with as many people as possible. Is it shareable?
I live in France. I am not an American but I'm painfully aware of the fact most Americans do not realize the importance of their collective voice in other countries where democracy is also under attack every single day by the very same corrosive forces attacking democracy in Ukraine. We have evidence of this in Europe with every single bit of disinformation that has led to the recent election of proponents of the extreme right-wing in Italy, not to mention the corrosion affecting Hungary, the forces behind Brexit, and so on. All I can say is: Americans who care about their country set certain standards abroad. Despite all that is far from perfect in your country, all that is perfectible still, letting your country fall into the hands of election result deniers is not way to allow your democracy - or anyone else's - to grow and thrive. People all over the world will be watching the results of these mid-term elections. We're counting on democratic peoples to elect leaders who are committed to democracy. Thank you for your post, Mr. Snyder. I follow you Making of Ukraine class on youTube - a most useful course in these terrible times. Sincerely, Maria Damcheva.
Love
“Take responsibility for the face of the world. And do not look away.”
A powerful and compelling piece.
From Australia, our thoughts, our "Mitgefühl" are with you…
'The best lack all conviction, while the worst/Are full of passionate intensity'. Biden and the Dems seemed to think that just being reasonable sort of people would somehow see off the revolutionary Right. He could have fought back. Packed SCOTUS. Prosecuted Trump. Admitted Washington DC and Costa Rica as States. Then forced through a defence of Democracy Bill
.Might not have worked but at least the Republic would go down fighting.
A majority of Americans are about to choose a party committed to ending the rule of law and free elections. Apparently they are fine with that. By ' majority' I include the tens of millions who don't vote - why should the end of free elections bother them?
It's very unclear what the new America will look like. What is clear is that it's the end for us in the UK too, long term. Freedom can't survive here if America is gone. Ukraine will be the first to know that.
I'm old. Thank God. I don't want to watch more of this.
But.....why? Why did America do this to itself? Why did we do what we've done...Brexit, Johnson, the absurd Truss? Will anyone ever be able to explain?
I venture to reply to you with trepidation, fearing I will be shot down in flames. But you had the courage to raise the question. So I feel the duty to reply, offering the extent of my understanding. Here goes…
What America is doing to itself has been explained. What is more, it was predicted 100 years ago. Our present—the future then—was foreseen via spiritual vision by Dr Rudolf Steiner, a high initiate in the Western spiritual tradition, who brought in a new spiritual path especially designed for modern Westerners—atheists, secularists, humanists, as well as those unable to find fulfilment within traditional religion. The path is Christ-centred, which must be taken to mean carrying on from where external Christian religion reaches its time-limits. The difference is that individual commitment, effort and practice are needed now, not mere passive attendance on festival days, relying on external authority to get you through. And the Christ is understood as a real spiritual being of Universal Love offered to all without exception in freedom.
The individual must take responsibility and make the effort now. We are at a point in human evolution where humanity as a whole is crossing the threshold, meaning, all that disgusting nastiness, those repressed antisocial desires, that horrible crappy underbelly, is rising into consciousness. People are required to deal with it by cleaning up themselves, not projecting out the rubbish onto others. That is the prime, urgent requirement of us all. External religion took care of us while we were still adolescents not fully grown. Now we are becoming adults, taking hold of the steering wheel, required to drive responsibly making our own decisions, with help and guidance freely available from wise elders and benevolent spiritual beings if we want to ask for it. But we are free beings, so the choice is ours.
If one makes the effort, it is possible to open hitherto dormant spiritual faculties. These in turn open up vision of both past and future in proportion to one's degree of individual achievement. It's like everything else: some have more aptitude than others, but everyone can have a go. And it's important to note that readiness is not connected with formal educational qualifications per se, but rather with the qualities of soul one has developed so far. Steiner said his lectures were accessible to all, regardless of their level of formal education.
This does not mean the future is fixed. Seeing the future is not the same thing as efficacious action to change things. The future is not fixed. Nonetheless, its most probable shape is there to see as it stands right now. If it doesn't look too good, now is the time to act to change its shape. The future is determined by karma and laws of cause and effect; it is open to change via the agency of human free will aided by the Love which emanates from the Christ being.
Specifically, there are two principles/beings opposing positive human evolution. One is Lucifer, called Evil; the other is Ahriman, called Satan. Two horns, forked tail. Between them, representing the Middle, stands the Christ being. Human beings need to find the middle point.
In terms of earth geography, Lucifer came first, incarnating in the East of the world about 3000 BC, in what is now China. Ahriman is now attempting to incarnate in the West of the world, in modern America. The world is karmically balancing itself out in this bipolar duality.
Lucifer now represents the forces attempting to draw human souls upward out of the body into his alternative future world; Lucifer attempts to sever your human connection to Earth.
Ahriman is trying , conversely, to rob you of your human soul, to de-soul you, to render you a mere object without a guiding human "I", an emptied dehumanised shell. Then he can fill your physical shell with his dead, mechanised, lifeless world of automatons. This is the challenge now facing Americans, and with them the rest of the world who are awake to what is going on and who support America in its resistance.
I hope this sheds a bit of light on the awful trials America is now undergoing. And you are so right, we are all in this together; without a good America, right now the rest of us are cast adrift.
This is class war. A large minority of the population do not want democracy as we understand it. They want to live in a ‘traditional society’ where women breed, men fight, and big men rule, where business is done via patronage schemes and government employees are selected according to a spoils system. They view the whole scheme of formal institutions, rule of law, impartial judiciary, professional civil service as an oppressive, exploitative system imposed on them by ‘elites’, in which they have no stake--comparable to a colonial administration dominating and exploiting the indigenous people. I grew up with this, in a gritty city in Trumplandia run by the Mob, populated by tribal people—working class white ethnics now incorporated into Trump’s Base. I don’t see how this can be reversed.
Perhaps it may be useful to make a distinction between:
a) pre-democratic people still operating as a tribe, and
b) criminal elements operating under mob rule.
For the first group, pull out all the educational stops from first school years right through to ongoing adult education in civics and related subjects.
For the second group, change the laws to regulate social media properly, so as to eliminate hate speech and similar incitements to violence, while overhauling the justice system to deal with offenders more effectively from the point of view of rehabilitation and education.
Divide them and so conquer?
Head Start. Education??
I am doubtful that better education can counter balance the addicting content of Fox News (to which I have lost multiple family members, including my mother). Their brains have been trained to expect a pleasing rage every fifteen minutes.
That’s why I like head start it teaches children (babies) at the same time. I realize this indicates the dreamer in me. I know that those who grow up to hate have been nursed that way. But hey. I always have to be hopeful that there is a chance to improvement. If Hillary had won in 2016 she was planning on expanding head start
Never apologise for being a dreamer. Without dreams, you have no future!
Education systems in the UK and Australia, with which I am most familiar, still proceed on the assumption that consciousness is the same as in Victorian times 150 years ago, when universal compulsory education was first introduced.
But humanity is continuously evolving, and consciousness is now different. That's why youth appear like alien invaders from outer space to us mouldy oldies.
The real tragedy here is that the new elements that are being introduced, viz. computer-controlled learning, are the exact opposite of what human beings actually now require for positive further evolution. Computers reify, mechanise human consciousness.
Our future lies in developing the heart and refined feeling. The Enlightenment took care of the head. Now it's time for the heart. Head and heart need to work together in developing positive imaginations and inspirations for good human futures. Pictorial consciousness is developing and needs to be pointed in a positive direction. Emojis are reified emotion and represent a backward step: limited, stultified feeling. You cannot express your human potential in its multiple wondrous subtleties through emojis!
Our true challenge lies in getting people to understand where humanity's real opportunities for progress lie. What is a good innovation? What is counter-evolutionary? How can computers be put in service of human ends rather than controlling humans in their daily lives ("Sorry, madam, the computer says no!"). Who on earth ever thought that new social media could bypass all moral and ethical control, when everything in human life to date has needed moral education and ethical regulation? Why is a free-for-all not freedom at all? Etc. Etc.
This is beautiful. Thank you I am too old to stop dreaming. Heart yes some day! I call this hopes and dreams
Brains can always be retrained. Admittedly, it's harder with some than others…
Teaches babies and parents at the same time. .............
Need to get national media coverage of this.