It seems odd to suggest that our democracy is in peril, but I’m starting to wonder.  Are we at risk of seeing this democratic experiment be swept aside?  I’d have laughed about this even a few weeks ago, but now?  I’m not so sure.  I wonder if this is the beginning of the American collapse.

Republicans have used local power to rig elections, so that Republican candidates continue to win, even with significant fewer votes.  They suppress voters who might vote against them, and use every trick to change elections, regardless of who should be winning.  They betray their oath to the Constitution every time they gerrymander districts, or put up spurious barriers.

The Republicans just voted in their tax bill, House and Senate.  It’s so wildly unpopular that this one bill will likely destroy their majorities by 2018.  And yet they voted for it anyway.  Their offices were bombarded by unhappy constituents singing and shouting and arguing and pleading that they vote ‘no’.  And they voted ‘yes’ anyway, pretty neatly along party lines.  It’s hard to know why.  It’s a terrible, poorly written behemoth that does nothing they claim, makes taxes harder and less fair, opening loopholes like crazy.  And they continue to lie about almost every facet of their work.

Many of the more extreme Republicans have begun attacking the FBI, openly lying about almost every complaint.  They love quoting Peter Strzok’s texts.  Mueller removed Agent Strzok the moment he found out, but they pretend he didn’t.  To do this, they’ve had to ignore almost every other text Strzok wrote.  Not a problem.  This is in line with the decades-long Republican tradition of underfunding or defunding every part of the government they dislike, like the IRS, FEC,  and most federal law enforcement.

And mainstream Republicans either keep silent or echo the lies.  Why do that, when big majorities of their voters disagree?

Republicans can’t be bothered to actually operate the government they worked so hard to win.  They gut the agencies their patrons dislike, but forget to pay the bills.  There’s a good chance we’ll see another shutdown, even though Republicans control all the branches of government.

The Republicans are working hard on filling court vacancies, but the candidates are notable for their loyalty rather than their actual knowledge.  Or their ethics.  Why don’t they care that Democrats will use this decision against them, too, come the next election?

Republicans have been attacking most media, while their patrons buy TV stations, newspapers, and radio companies.  They attack education, experts, and even expertise.  Why do they needlessly make enemies who are powerful in most open societies?

As Republicans dismantle one democratic institution after another, we keep talking about it as if they’re just collateral damage.  They only corrupt elections to win this or that district.  They’re only attacking Mueller because he threatens Trump, and they only attack the FBI because it supports Mueller.  Trump only removed the US Attorneys because some of them might sue him.  Rex Tillerson only dismantles the State Department because they’re bad at diplomacy.  They only undercut the press to hide the stuff they’re reporting.

The House and Senate committees tasked with overseeing the executive become cheerleaders for their party.  House Intelligence committee Chairman Devin Nunes conspires openly with the President, lies about it to the press, and only steps back when he’s forced to.  Politico reports that Rep. Nunes has been part of a secret, Republican-only team that’s using the Intelligence Committee’s materials — including secret and confidential information — to build their case to discredit federal law enforcement.

Trump tried to improperly influence FBI Directory James Comey, demanding personal loyalty and special treatment for Trump’s friends.  When that failed, Trump fired Comey, openly admitting on the air that it was to stop the Russia investigation.

All of this, including the Comey firing, all was to deny Trump’s collusion with Russians during the last election, when Russian intelligence services worked to influence state and federal elections in the US and across Europe.  That influence was something that all 17 US intelligence services have testified is true.  Under oath.

Today, Senator Mark Warner warned ominously that the Republican unfounded attacks against the FBI and the special council may provoke a Constitutional crisis.

I hope my concerns are unfounded.  In many ways, I hope I would never have to make this kind of speech, but there are troubling signs.  It is critical that all of us, as elected officials and as citizens, speak up against these threats now, before it’s too late.
— Senator Mark Warner, Senate floor, Dec. 20, 2017

“…Before it’s too late.”

Am I not thinking clearly?  What if this isn’t just political advantage?  What if there’s intent?  Is there a tipping point, where Republicans decide it’s easier and more practical to push the remaining democratic institutions aside?  They’ve openly talked about their permanent Republican majority as if that would be a great thing.

Is this what the American collapse might really look like?