We are watching, in real time, the deliberate construction of an American version of the authoritarian model perfected in Hungary — where elections technically exist, but power is structurally rigged; where media technically operates, but is consolidated into the hands of loyal oligarchs; where courts technically function, but are bent to serve one man and one faction.
Donald Trump’s political project is no longer simply partisan.
It mirrors the Orbán and others playbook: weaken independent institutions, vilify opposition voices, concentrate economic power among a loyal wealthy class dependent on government favor, and gradually suffocate a free press by pushing independent outlets to the margins while friendly billionaires consolidate media ownership.
When wealth and political power merge in this way, democracy becomes performative.
Elections become branding exercises.
Media becomes propaganda by acquisition.
The opposition is not outlawed outright — it is financially starved, legally harassed, algorithmically buried, and structurally drowned out.
This is how democracies erode: not always by tanks in the streets, but by billionaires in boardrooms; not by abolishing elections, but by manipulating them; not by banning the press, but by buying it.
The American experiment depends on pluralism — independent courts, independent media, independent civil society, and elections insulated from partisan control.
When political leaders seek to undermine those guardrails while cultivating a wealthy class whose fortunes rise and fall on political loyalty, that is not conservatism.
It is oligarchy.
We must say clearly: government exists to serve the public, not to enrich the loyal; media exists to inform the people, not to shield power; and elections belong to voters, not to those who would control the machinery behind them.
History shows that authoritarian systems rarely announce themselves honestly.
They cloak themselves in the language of patriotism, “law and order,” and “restoring greatness.” But the substance is concentration of power and the silencing of dissent.
Democracy survives only when citizens refuse to normalize its slow dismantling.
The real victory for power is that over time we start doing the censoring for authoritarian systems, telling ourselves resistance is naïve or futile. The examples you highlight are important because they shatter the illusion of inevitability - and once people see the lines can be crossed, the spell begins to break.
The rebellion begins when we stop negotiating with the cage and remember we were never meant to live in one.
Consider the lines They have crossed while engineering this take over. They ignore the law because they have loyalists in place who won't stop them. It may have taken a decade to build to that point, but what's been done could conceivably be undone using similar methods - ?
"Toppling Tyrants" arrived in my mailbox yesterday and I'm devouring it. Maybe I'll understand all this a little better when I turn pg. 327 over and find it blank. I hope so, because right now, this is the worst damn movie I've ever seen.
You are doing important work. Chris. I am going to share this with my audiences. We must learn from history and we must not go fully down this road. I think your sharing of effective actions people continued to take even in rigged systems is very useful right now. I'd also recommend everyone rewatch Wag the Dog. Among other things this was on Iran is a pre-election bait and switch.
Brilliant again, Christopher. This is happening. Folks here recognize that--we really need to contact anyone who will listen and share the info and the urgency. I got my copy of Toppling Tyrants. Thank you very much. I am eager to absorb the info so that I can pass it on. And the urgency. And the options we have. Thank you!
I can't tell you how much I appreciate you! I have already sent this to all my "friends." I am writing to my state rep right now--again. I wrote to her last night about Palantir and divesting our retirement funds. Today, I am going to write about options for actions by the states. I will call her and my state senator on Tuesday. Their session is coming to an end in the next 6-8 weeks. I hope they will take this seriously. Thank you very much. So much.
I keep posting articles especially on FB since that is where other family members are. I think that articles and news that I fact check to hell and back is all I post there now, hoping that some of my MAGA family might actually read my posts and wake up. But that ain't happening. I was interested in this one because of detail you went in to describing Victor Orban's process of taking over a democracy. I had shared one article (again for my family) back when CPAC had invited him as a keynote speaker. I couldn't believe a Republican fundraising organization would invite a dictator to speak at their conference. Shocking as hell to me but doesn't phase people who have already drunk the Koolaid. I'm tired. I'm wasting too much time and energy trying to break through the blindness of people who don't want to see the truth. I think I'll just post dog videos and dinner but then go to a protest. People at those rallies are a lot more fun.
OK, now USA is at war with Iran. Hungary was visited, Mid-East was in on this too. WHO paid a BILLION DOLLARS for memebership in trump's Board of Peace? These dicators, oligarchs paid in to get USA to harass Iran to change the balance of power in the Mid-East and to make Saudi, UAE, Qatar safer and in control of their new Sphere of Influence with no powerful Iran competing. US Military is a mercenary asset for trump/GOP/Oligarchs/Dictators. Our taxes pay for this hot mess and for the killings by US Military in Caribbean, Venezuela, Iran and Mid-East countries. IRS taxes pay for the masked, thugs in US streets seizing people at will, detaining them, mistreating them, KILLING THEM, sending them anywhere they want. TAX REVOLT, MASSIVE BOYCOTTS of EVERYTHING unnecessary, GENERAL STRIKES, WALK-OUTS, WORK SLOWDOWNS, SICK-OUTS, MARCH 28 NO KINGS MARCH MUST BE 15-20 MILLION STRONG! This is it and We must show up because no one is coming to save our country, our people, our lives, our freedoms/rights. We are the SOLDIERS in the USA.
I feel like centrist Democrats have been contributing to the dissolution of democracy for at least a few decades. And now we have people who just sit in Congress collecting a paycheck and occasionally make the right "performative" noises meant to placate the public, but they still do nothing. And then we have a DNC that keeps running the same corporate/centrists instead of supporting candidates whose actual agenda is to help make living conditions better.
Opposition to the current fascist regime is our only hope.
We are watching, in real time, the deliberate construction of an American version of the authoritarian model perfected in Hungary — where elections technically exist, but power is structurally rigged; where media technically operates, but is consolidated into the hands of loyal oligarchs; where courts technically function, but are bent to serve one man and one faction.
Donald Trump’s political project is no longer simply partisan.
It mirrors the Orbán and others playbook: weaken independent institutions, vilify opposition voices, concentrate economic power among a loyal wealthy class dependent on government favor, and gradually suffocate a free press by pushing independent outlets to the margins while friendly billionaires consolidate media ownership.
When wealth and political power merge in this way, democracy becomes performative.
Elections become branding exercises.
Media becomes propaganda by acquisition.
The opposition is not outlawed outright — it is financially starved, legally harassed, algorithmically buried, and structurally drowned out.
This is how democracies erode: not always by tanks in the streets, but by billionaires in boardrooms; not by abolishing elections, but by manipulating them; not by banning the press, but by buying it.
The American experiment depends on pluralism — independent courts, independent media, independent civil society, and elections insulated from partisan control.
When political leaders seek to undermine those guardrails while cultivating a wealthy class whose fortunes rise and fall on political loyalty, that is not conservatism.
It is oligarchy.
We must say clearly: government exists to serve the public, not to enrich the loyal; media exists to inform the people, not to shield power; and elections belong to voters, not to those who would control the machinery behind them.
History shows that authoritarian systems rarely announce themselves honestly.
They cloak themselves in the language of patriotism, “law and order,” and “restoring greatness.” But the substance is concentration of power and the silencing of dissent.
Democracy survives only when citizens refuse to normalize its slow dismantling.
Silence is not neutrality.
Silence is surrender. WE MUST NEVER BE SILENT
Orban served as a consultant on the drafting of Project 2025, so the resemblance is not coincidental.
The real victory for power is that over time we start doing the censoring for authoritarian systems, telling ourselves resistance is naïve or futile. The examples you highlight are important because they shatter the illusion of inevitability - and once people see the lines can be crossed, the spell begins to break.
The rebellion begins when we stop negotiating with the cage and remember we were never meant to live in one.
Consider the lines They have crossed while engineering this take over. They ignore the law because they have loyalists in place who won't stop them. It may have taken a decade to build to that point, but what's been done could conceivably be undone using similar methods - ?
"Toppling Tyrants" arrived in my mailbox yesterday and I'm devouring it. Maybe I'll understand all this a little better when I turn pg. 327 over and find it blank. I hope so, because right now, this is the worst damn movie I've ever seen.
Thank for grabbing a copy, Mara.
That book is a product of me engaging with the same feelings you are right now 🌲🌲🌲
I got my copy yesterday, too. I have a six-hour plane ride next week. It will be a working journey. I am eager to contact everyone!
Add Minneapolis to those resistance cities!
You are doing important work. Chris. I am going to share this with my audiences. We must learn from history and we must not go fully down this road. I think your sharing of effective actions people continued to take even in rigged systems is very useful right now. I'd also recommend everyone rewatch Wag the Dog. Among other things this was on Iran is a pre-election bait and switch.
Just two days ago my Dad was telling me to watch Wag the Dog!
💙💙💙
@Christopher Armitage: You need to get on Instagram. Your messages would be spread much farther!
The team has made social media accounts that I never personally use. They are still only a few weeks old and I need to start promoting them here!
https://www.instagram.com/theexistentialistrepublic?igsh=Y3A1eDcxM2I5aWNk
Share your actionable posts too! The young kids need to be educated about the democrats and how and why to pick progressive ones. 🤗
I'll pass that along! We are saving up money right now to run “Action Ads” on those platforms 🌲 🌲 🌲
That’s great! 💙
Brilliant again, Christopher. This is happening. Folks here recognize that--we really need to contact anyone who will listen and share the info and the urgency. I got my copy of Toppling Tyrants. Thank you very much. I am eager to absorb the info so that I can pass it on. And the urgency. And the options we have. Thank you!
Appreciate it. Lexine!
I can't tell you how much I appreciate you! I have already sent this to all my "friends." I am writing to my state rep right now--again. I wrote to her last night about Palantir and divesting our retirement funds. Today, I am going to write about options for actions by the states. I will call her and my state senator on Tuesday. Their session is coming to an end in the next 6-8 weeks. I hope they will take this seriously. Thank you very much. So much.
Thank you for being such an relentless advocate for your fellow humans, Lexine.
When we have a few million people following your lead, the whole world will change for the better🌲🌲🌲
I keep posting articles especially on FB since that is where other family members are. I think that articles and news that I fact check to hell and back is all I post there now, hoping that some of my MAGA family might actually read my posts and wake up. But that ain't happening. I was interested in this one because of detail you went in to describing Victor Orban's process of taking over a democracy. I had shared one article (again for my family) back when CPAC had invited him as a keynote speaker. I couldn't believe a Republican fundraising organization would invite a dictator to speak at their conference. Shocking as hell to me but doesn't phase people who have already drunk the Koolaid. I'm tired. I'm wasting too much time and energy trying to break through the blindness of people who don't want to see the truth. I think I'll just post dog videos and dinner but then go to a protest. People at those rallies are a lot more fun.
Thanks for this contribution, which I have sent to my young friends in New York, Australia and Tehran.
OK, now USA is at war with Iran. Hungary was visited, Mid-East was in on this too. WHO paid a BILLION DOLLARS for memebership in trump's Board of Peace? These dicators, oligarchs paid in to get USA to harass Iran to change the balance of power in the Mid-East and to make Saudi, UAE, Qatar safer and in control of their new Sphere of Influence with no powerful Iran competing. US Military is a mercenary asset for trump/GOP/Oligarchs/Dictators. Our taxes pay for this hot mess and for the killings by US Military in Caribbean, Venezuela, Iran and Mid-East countries. IRS taxes pay for the masked, thugs in US streets seizing people at will, detaining them, mistreating them, KILLING THEM, sending them anywhere they want. TAX REVOLT, MASSIVE BOYCOTTS of EVERYTHING unnecessary, GENERAL STRIKES, WALK-OUTS, WORK SLOWDOWNS, SICK-OUTS, MARCH 28 NO KINGS MARCH MUST BE 15-20 MILLION STRONG! This is it and We must show up because no one is coming to save our country, our people, our lives, our freedoms/rights. We are the SOLDIERS in the USA.
As Jack Nicholson said in "Mars Attacks" , "Why can't we all just get along?" ACK ACK. Play some Bruce Springsteen music and make Trumps head expolde.
I feel like centrist Democrats have been contributing to the dissolution of democracy for at least a few decades. And now we have people who just sit in Congress collecting a paycheck and occasionally make the right "performative" noises meant to placate the public, but they still do nothing. And then we have a DNC that keeps running the same corporate/centrists instead of supporting candidates whose actual agenda is to help make living conditions better.