By Aly Kamadia, Editor-In-Chief, iDose
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A few years ago, if anyone asked whether American democracy was under severe threat, they were laughed at by many people including politicians, bureaucrats and intellectuals.
Fast forward to early 2020, and the giggling continued.
By ‘election day’ in November 2020, the laughter had faded. It became undeniable that Donald Trump would resort to any method, including violence against both the American public and members of Congress, to try and steal the presidency if Biden won the election. Equally menacing was the number of Republican Party members who were complicit, if not outright supportive of Trump’s attempt to overthrow American democracy.
Soon thereafter, on January 6th, 2021, (then) President Trump ordered a mob of his supporters to attack the Capitol. The attempted coup was a scene foreign to any drama that had unfolded in the pages of American history.
Near the end of 2021, I wish I could say that this dark chapter had concluded (or that it was merely a ‘chapter’, for the matter).
But among the Intellectual Doses served up in October’s issue is an article by the eminent Political Scientist Robert Pape, who provides convincing evidence to support the claim that roughly 20 million Americans not only see Biden as illegitimate, but believe that violence should be used to restore Trump.
It’s all too easy for politicians, bureaucrats and intellectuals to respond by stating that this domestic threat to American democracy is obviously being taken seriously. Though I’m not quite so sure that it’s obvious, particularly given Pape’s astute warning that Trump’s movement “is larger and more complex than many people like to think”.
Stay safe,
