We're examining the unraveling of American democracy through history, politics, and culture, connecting past events to today’s challenges with insight and urgency. Substack: http://threadbarerepublic.substack.com
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The fight over unions is about whether people can defend themselves against the wealth of corporations and the authoritarianism of leaders. When Trump strips collective bargaining rights from federal employees, he is weakening one of the last organized defenses against unchecked executive authority.
A government stripped of independent voices cannot challenge mistakes, check corruption, or serve the public interest. Trump’s call for unquestioning obedience is a warning: when leaders demand a cult of yes-men, the very foundations of democracy are at risk.
What happens to an authoritarian movement when it’s leader is gone? Authoritarianism doesn’t always end when the leader does. The movement can outlive the man, reshaping itself into nostalgia, legend, or grievance politics that carry his name long after he’s gone.
America does not need more thoughts and prayers. It does not need another press conference outside another school. It needs laws, accountability, and citizens who refuse to live in fear.
In 1812, a salamander-shaped district became a symbol of cynical power. Two centuries later, Gerry’s creature still slithers across our political maps, but now it serves the whims of strongmen, and rigs democracy before the people ever get their say.
The ballot may say “president.” The office may appear unchanged. But when accountability is gone, when institutions are weakened, when elections are hollowed out, what remains is not a president.
Trump’s romance with Kim is heavy on theater and light on substance. Proof that diplomacy by love letter is diplomacy without results. #trump #kimjongun #romance
The soldiers are already in the streets. Trump has already said out loud what he intends to be. The question is not whether he will keep going. The question is whether Democrats will finally act before it is too late or whether the end of the American republic will come with a shrug and a hashtag.
By banning flag burning, Trump has placed his brand of loyalty above the liberties the flag was meant to protect. The order is not about honoring Old Glory. It is about extinguishing the freedom it represents.
The paradox is stark. America, the world’s oldest continuous democracy, has also become a master of undermining its own democratic ideals through cartography. The more precise the tools become, the more distorted the representation. Politicians, rather than voters, choose their constituents.
Trump didn't just inherit flawed institutions. He openly glorifies the abuses, promises to expand them, and turns them into a political brand. Criticizing him isn’t “pretending it’s new,” it’s recognizing that he’s taking old wounds in our democracy and making them deliberate weapons.
And you're ok with that?
Speaking of...
The ballot may say “president.” The office may appear unchanged. But when accountability is gone, when institutions are weakened, when elections are hollowed out, what remains is not a president. #trump
Kent State should have been a warning. Instead, the very generation who lived it made sure America’s police were armed like the National Guard.
The moment soldiers take on the work of police, the state has already declared war on its own people.
It lets us translate ideas into images quickly enough to match the speed of advancing authoritarianism.
Trump’s second presidency is proof that the failure to prosecute has consequences far beyond one man. What happens next depends not on what has been tolerated already, but on whether this time, at last, America decides that accountability is not optional.
Medicine and vaccines are no longer treated as universal protections but as privileges that can be restricted or denied. From Nazi Germany to modern authoritarian regimes, exclusion from healthcare has been used to marginalize, dehumanize, and eliminate those deemed unworthy.
The moment soldiers take on the work of police, the state has already declared war on its own people. #resist
The moment soldiers take on the work of police, the state has already declared war on its own people.
The moment soldiers take on the work of police, the state has already declared war on its own people.
Labeling art as ‘objectionable’ and demanding its removal echoes the Nazi campaign against so-called ‘degenerate art.’ When politics dictates culture, democracy frays.
"The fabric of democracy does not unravel on its own. It weakens when those charged with protecting it stand aside." #resist
www.rollingstone.com/music/music-...
James Dobson stood firmly in the lineage of those who wielded faith to enforce boundaries, a reminder that the struggle over the role of religion in public life is not just about prayer or morality. It is about who gets to define the nation’s identity and whose vision of God America will serve.
James Dobson stood firmly in the lineage of those who wielded faith to enforce boundaries, a reminder that the struggle over the role of religion in public life is not just about prayer or morality. It is about who gets to define the nation’s identity and whose vision of God America will serve.
Mockery doesn’t bring a dictator down, but it punctures the illusion that makes him seem larger than life. It reveals vanity where there should be strength, desperation where there should be authority. Keep doing what you're doing.
Mockery doesn’t bring a dictator down, but it punctures the illusion that makes him seem larger than life. It reveals vanity where there should be strength, desperation where there should be authority. What #GavinNewsom is doing is important.
Mockery doesn’t bring a dictator down, but it punctures the illusion that makes him seem larger than life. It reveals vanity where there should be strength, desperation where there should be authority. This is why the things #GavinNewsom is doing are important.
History shows how nations have bent, and sometimes broken, under the weight of pathological narcissists. The past century provides vivid examples. And today, Donald Trump stands in their shadow, displaying the same traits on American soil.
He's not even trying. It's all about control. Authoritarian leaders have repeatedly used health policy as a way to consolidate power.
Authoritarian regimes frequently normalize the presence of armed forces in civilian life. In Nazi Germany, the SA and SS patrolled the streets alongside or in place of local police. These visible shows of force were not only about safety but also about demonstrating who truly held power.
This is not simply a dispute about museum policy. Art and culture shape the narratives a society accepts about its past and the values it aspires to uphold. When governments decide which stories are acceptable, they are actively rewriting history and narrowing the space for public debate.
He's just following the playbook...
Trump’s appointment of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. marks a profound shift in public health policy. Medicine and vaccines are no longer universal protections but privileges that can be restricted or denied. History shows where this leads...
"The fabric of democracy does not unravel on its own. It weakens when those charged with protecting it stand aside."
"The fabric of democracy does not unravel on its own. It weakens when those charged with protecting it stand aside." open.substack.com/pub/threadba... #authoritarianism #trump #resist
He calls it “Liberation Day.” History shows this is a power grab. threadbarerepublic.substack.com/p/the-author...
From Hitler and Mussolini to Stalin and Mao, history has shown us that dictator summits are not harmless. They are warnings. The Trump–Putin summit in Alaska is not just a meeting. It’s a message... open.substack.com/pub/threadba...
From Hitler and Mussolini to Stalin and Mao, history has shown us that dictator summits are not harmless. They are warnings. The Trump–Putin summit in Alaska is not just a meeting. It’s a message... open.substack.com/pub/threadba...
From Hitler and Mussolini to Stalin and Mao, history has shown us that dictator summits are not harmless. They are warnings. The Trump–Putin summit in Alaska is not just a meeting. It’s a message... open.substack.com/pub/threadba...
From Hitler and Mussolini to Stalin and Mao, history has shown us that dictator summits are not harmless. They are warnings. The Trump–Putin summit in Alaska is not just a meeting. It’s a message... open.substack.com/pub/threadba...
He knows, like any good authoritarian, that if you control the art and the history, you control the story. It's worked before and it could work now...
Trump just took over D.C.’s police and put the National Guard on the streets. He calls it “Liberation Day.” This isn’t about safety. It’s about power. Here's why it matters: threadbarerepublic.substack.com/p/the-author...
Every authoritarian knows the secret: control the art, control the story. It worked then. It’s working now. Here’s how: open.substack.com/pub/threadba...
Every authoritarian knows the secret: control the art, control the story. It worked then. It’s working now. Here’s how: open.substack.com/pub/threadba...
Breaking news: The White House will launch an aggressive review of Smithsonian exhibitions, collections and operations ahead of America’s 250th birthday celebrations next year.
Authoritarian regimes frequently normalize the presence of armed forces in civilian life, not only for safety but also to demonstrate who truly holds power. Read more about Trump's DC takeover and how it reeks of authoritarianism. open.substack.com/pub/threadba...
President Trump's deployment of the National Guard to DC and takeover of the local police department is baseless and an abuse of power. The people of DC shouldn't be forced to live in occupied, militarized communities.