Democracy is on the ballot this November. Are you voting to keep your rights?

This week, check out my 2022 Simple Politics YouTube Interview with Professor Ruth Ben-Ghiat on America's disturbing signs of authoritarianism.

Over the next several months, I will highlight in this newsletter some key YouTube interviews I’ve had with lawmakers and other public and private figures on my Simple Politics channel. The series is aimed at breaking the basics of some of our time's most pressing and potentially misunderstood issues.

First, I am sharing my interview with Prof. Ruth Ben-Ghiat, a History and Italian Studies professor at NYU. She is a specialist in fascist Italy and writes about fascism, authoritarianism, propaganda, and the protection of democracy. Her latest book discusses how conservative leaders utilize different methods, including corruption, violence, and propaganda, to remain in a position of power.

When Prof. Ben-Ghiat first saw Donald Trump at the beginning of 2015 holding rallies, having loyalty oaths, attacking the press, and demonizing his political opponents, she was met with a great sense of dread. These behavior patterns and Donald Trump's personality were eerily similar to what she has studied as a scholar of fascism.

We are 168 days away from the election. The possible end of American democracy is no longer just hyperbole. It’s the biggest question voters will face at the ballot on November 5, 2024. It’s still not taken seriously enough.

When we hear “authoritarianism,” we often think of military takeovers or something far afield from a functioning electoral system. But extremists can take power through elections and remain there under the guise of democracy. This slow evolution towards an autocratic and fascist government is very real.

Meanwhile, Trump is entering his fifth week of criminal trial in Manhattan. Republican leaders, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, have been showing up to grovel in purported solidarity with Trump — while he trashes the judge, the judicial system, and the rule of law to waiting cameras, stoking upticks in online threats of violence.

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What is authoritarianism, and how does it compare to democracy? 

The essence of authoritarianism is getting away with things. It is a form of government where an extremist leader demands strict obedience from the citizens. There is limited individual autonomy with few civil and political rights. (Think of the right to vote, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of education, and the right to choose your own job.)

The leaders disguise these restrictions as necessary for the public good and utilize the military and law enforcement to impose their will. 

Democracy, by contrast, is a government ruled by the people. The leaders are most often chosen by a form of voting, and the “supreme power” is vested in the people. This power is exercised directly or indirectly, depending on the use of a representation system. As many know, America under the Constitution is a democratic republic in which the people elect representatives to rule according to the nation's law.

The biggest difference between democracies and autocracies used to be elections. Historically, autocrats took power via typically military coups, where an identifiable tipping point or event resulted in a complete shift of authority. Today’s autocrats, such as Erdoğan (the current dictator of Turkey) and Putin (the current dictator of Russia), hide behind the ballot boxes and claim that their elections keep them from being dictators. But these are not democratic elections. Rather, they are autocratic elections, fixed to keep them in power. And if the results do not come out how they need them to, they are labeled fraudulent. 

Prof. Ben-Ghiat explained that fascist Italy is much more pertinent to today’s America than Nazi Germany, where everything immediately changed following the Reichstag fire. Mussolini was a prime minister of democracy for three years before he declared dictatorship. He slowly chipped away at the electoral mechanisms and free press during those three years. 

(Sound familiar?)

The slide from democracy to autocracy happens over time. It is an evolution, not a revolution.

How does the American government compare to fascism?

Classic fascism is a one-party state with no opposition of any sort. Fascist leaders use a combination of propaganda, repression, and corruption to rule and remain in power. Today, it works differently by what is known as the “autocratic capture of the state.” Prof. Ben-Ghiat broke this down during our interview, explaining that law is used as a major weapon by fascist and autocratic leaders rather than traditional violence. Leaders make legal and financial threats and initiate psychological warfare. By utilizing the law, the leaders can make regulatory, fiscal, and tax codes to control society's operations and restrict its citizens. Further, armies of lawyers work for them to try and get at their enemies. 

Consider this example I often use with my students. Imagine driving down the highway at 85 miles per hour, and the posted speed limit is 55 miles per hour. If a police officer pulls you over for speeding, he can make a lawful arrest. But if I pulled you over and stuffed you in the back of my car, I would get charged with kidnapping. The government controls the creation and enforcement of laws that make them different from regular people like you and me. In theory, this means that they can use the law to punish enemies and silence objections. 

So why aren’t all governments turning into a form of authoritarianism if people in power have access to enforcing laws that you and I don’t? 

Prof. Ben-Ghiat told me it is all about culture.