Perhaps, the American people have to fail miserably before they wake up.

[fightforfreedom]

Tens of millions of Americans have become extremists. They are under the complete control of propaganda. Talking to them will not fix that. Facts don't work with them. This is the largest extremist movement in our history. It is propaganda driven.

Extremism is on the march and nothing will stop it from getting worse unless the American people vote to keep the Republicans out of power for many years. If the people do that it would force the Republican Party to moderate. I am not sure if there are enough reasonable Americans left to get that done. We will find out in this election and in the 2024 election

Perhaps the Republicans in the future will ban abortion across the country. They may take more of our rights away in the future because so many Americans have become extremists. Far to many Americans are under the influence of propaganda. They do not know what they are doing.

Perhaps the rule of law will continue to weaken because of the mass extremism.

At some point extremism will reach a breaking point. The American people will see the results of their extremism, that's how it always works. Will they like it? I doubt it.

Perhaps the American people will have to get their way when it comes to their extremism, madness, ignorance and fail horribly. Then we can finally see an end to this madness that has engulfed our country and get back to our normal way of doing things.

I am still hopeful the American people will wake up and do the right thing this November. That would send a big message to all the extremists. That would tell me there are still enough Americans to beat back extremism, fascism, racism.

It's all up to the American people what path they choose. They will have to live with the results of their decision.

[W_HAMILTON]

1. We've hit several of those "waking up" points already.

The worry now should be that if they haven't woken up from all that has happened thus far, odds are by the time they do, it will be too late for them or anyone else to do anything about it.

There was a particularly apt quote, I can't find it right now, that went along the lines of "fascism starts slow -- and then fast." We are well past the slow part and any future "waking up" moments could be the one that pushes us over the edge and it will be too late at that point.

[fightforfreedom]

6. I do not believe America will ever become a dictatorship.

Yes things can get very bad. Yes a lot of people can get hurt if extremism gets out of hand. That's my point, there will be a moment will things get bad enough the American people will wake up. I am hoping it doesn't go that far. The upcoming elections will tell us a lot.

[Irish_Dem]

9. It could happen. At least 50/50 odds right now.

Trump is a clever, cunning psychopath, but not an intellectual giant.
And he is a bull in a china shop. Charming but rough, makes silly mistakes.
No nuance or subtlety. Never listens to good advice.

A more brilliant, smooth, well advised psychopath could come next.

Everything is in place for it to happen.

The GOP is grabbing control over voting and the other election processes.
Half the US Congress, US Judiciary, FBI, CIA etc. would not fight it.
In fact would be happy with it.

And so would a big portion of American citizens.

American oligarchs would be thrilled, they will get their share of the US economy,
US politicians would be thrilled to have unlimited power.

And many Americans will love white, male, christian minority rule.

[W_HAMILTON]

10. You are far more optimistic than me...

...and far more optimistic than the situation warrants, I fear.

I feel that things have gotten bad enough already that those Americans should have already had their wake-up call; if they haven't yet, even after everything that has happened, I wouldn't put much faith in them being the ones to save our democracy. And that is exactly why I fear for our democracy.

Fascism probably won't come through a January 6th-like jarring event, but through under-the-radar court cases that will essentially accomplish the same thing. Decisions that say, sure, you can throw out those votes. Sure, you can disregard who your state voted for. Sure, you can substitute your own set of electors. And those same Americans that are still asleep so to speak certainly won't be woken up though the theft of our democracy by such means. And once they do finally realize it, whatever jolting event may finally cause them to, it will be too late because fascism will have already taken hold. The only way to dispense of the fascists at that point will be to take up arms, and if they won't even fucking vote right now, you expect them to put their lives on the line? I don't.

[gab13by13]

2. Wow, what an idea,

"Perhaps the American people have to fail miserably."

Ok, but a dictator controls the military, a dictator controls the police, a dictator controls the courts, a dictator controls the media.

What steps will the American people have to take to get back to our normal way of doing things under a dictatorship?

[Irish_Dem]

12. If you look at history, the steps taken to overthrow brutal dictators often involve blood.

A lot of it.

The American people seem too complacent and indolent to take such action.

[ananda]

3. Already done and happened.

The billionaires and corporations, including the media,
so not want to be regulated.

They actually want a completely broken country.

[Wednesdays]

4. That was Ralph Nader's and Susan Sarandon's strategy.

[BeyondGeography]

5. That would require historical memory and an attention span

Good luck to us.

[fightforfreedom]

7. I know what you mean. It's scary.

[SergeStorms]

8. By the time they wake up....

it'll be too late. Once minority rule establishes itself (and it's well established already) it will be impossible to return to actual democracy. The grand experiment is over. Autocracy is at hand.

[fightforfreedom]

11. It is never too late.

Many people probably thought America could never return to normal after the civil war. Many people back then were probably saying the grand experiment is over.

[SergeStorms]

21. But democracy was still functioning.

There were measures on hand to ensure the southern states could still participate in said democracy.

There are no such guarantees in an autocracy.

[Irish_Dem]

13. Some Europeans think Americans didn't suffer in WWII.

Like they did.

That is why Americans don't want a safety net, equal rights, etc.

Americans cannot be bothered to create a better society.

So maybe Americans do have to suffer enough to fight for freedom, democracy, a better world.

[fightforfreedom]

15. Our ancestors kept the Republicans out of the White House from 1932 thru 1952.

They put in place the New Deal. They created the greatest middle class in the history of the world. The American people have forgotten.

When the people voted to return a Republican to the White House in 1952, it was Ike. He was no extremist, he was a moderate.

[Irish_Dem]

17. Exactly my point. The American people had to suffer greatly to put FDR in the White House.

The Great Depression was horrific, the American people were devastated with hunger and poverty.
Many lost everything.

It was only this event that lead to significant changes.

[Just A Box Of Rain]

14. Populist extremism is the challenge of our age.

[treestar]

16. Like the woman who almost died because she had to go

to another state for an abortion.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100217263084

[ecstatic]

18. It seems like our system was set up to fail

I started school in the mid-80s. Part of the backdrop for when I started school was that women were starting to be told that we could be anything we wanted to be. My dad really latched on to that sentiment and would pump me up in that regard.

I'm not sure if schools were to blame or our media at the time, but I was led to believe that the United States was the best country in the world. The best system. The best democracy. Indestructible. A success story. Of course, I had to compartmentalize all of that information considering the realities on the ground. Anyway, the problem with the American propaganda we were fed was that there was no context given of how and why the United States had attained the level of success it was experiencing at that time. That was a major blunder and omission in our educational system: The contributions of African Americans and immigrants was (and remains) a key part of America's success. However, millions of Americans were only fed context-free American propaganda.

The second major blunder of our system, which was already mentioned, was pumping this impression of an indestructible country that had already been tried and tested. At no point was it ever mentioned that our democracy had to continuously be protected. And on top of that, there were very little, if any, lessons about other countries. None of the other countries mattered, apparently. If there had been more foreign studies, students could have inferred certain lessons that were being omitted with regard to American history.

[Boomerproud]

20. Great post. We never learn.

[303squadron]

19. What is at stake is not "failing miserably"

We aren't talking about the Democrats losing to the Republicans like Stevenson lost to Eisenhower in 1952. We are talking about losing to the rise of fascism. The anti-Semitic tropes and violence, the anti minority violence, the Reich wing gun toting holier than thou religious sect threatens democracy itself. It was a little over 8 years from Hitler's rise to power to the first gassings in Auschwitz. It can't happen here???? Wrong! It CAN happen here! All you need to do is convince one group of people that other groups of people are the untermentsch.....and you're halfway there!!!!!! Faux News is telling their viewers who the untermensch are every damn day!