They WERE real. The system of government was created to ensure "NO MORE KINGS" and functioned in his 1st term. But he figured out how to get his way and appointed only those who wouldn't stand in his way. It took time, but he was able to assemble/sway loyalists in all 3 branches of government.

So the benchmarks didn’t work. America never wants to admit that

They didn’t work because not enough people took it seriously. Americans became too complacent and too comfortable, thinking a fascist takeover would never happen here. Well, it’s obvious that it can when people get lazy and don’t vote.

We are seeing the danger of that same scenario in Canada as well.

Democracy and freedom should never be the taken for granted, and as Obama said in a recent video, we have to continue to fight for democracy every day. It’s never promised.

That's why we Democrats are disillusioned with our own party. In those 4 Biden years, we expected that something would be done about the system's weaknesses. We also expected that something would be done about trump. He shouldn't have been allowed to run for office, he should be in prison.

Absolutely. There are 100 reasons why it happened but 0️⃣ excuses. On some level, it was paralysis by analysis. Dems didn't organize or move fast enough for fear of losing in court, or the Senate Floor. Plus, they were operating under the old system, where a strongly worded letter would have worked.

I believe there is a lot of blindness in America now NOT to see reality. Politician actions are not even being measured by their own laws or codes of conduct. The capitulation is the hardest to understand.

I totally agree. I expected on day one of the Biden administration for trump to have been charged with treason for inciting an attempted coup. That happens pretty quickly in other countries, like S Korea and Brazil.

🎯

Are our guardrails real here in Canada, or are they based on the ethics of good people not to do sh*tty things? I can't find a firm answer to that.

Democracy is founded on continual vigilance. Many Americans seem to have 2 dangerous misconceptions: (1) that they are uniquely somehow freer than any other country (2) that it's somehow effortless and the US constitution will do all the hard work for them. I think this complacency led to Trump

I think the blinders of American exceptionalism led to ignorance and an arrogance that still prevents the American culture of self reflection.

Yes! If you’re brainwashed into believing that you are THE BEST, then you believe you’ve nothing to learn from anyone else, nothing to work towards, & anyone who says something needs improving isn’t a patriot.

Yeah lack of humility is a dangerous weakness. Pride before a fall. Don't all empires fail this way?

Personally, I feel our very different political system of a constitutional parliamentary monarchy has been tried and tested throughout history in various countries and proven it can survive. For one thing, having the buffer zone of a Governor General is different. No system is fail proof though.