Sleepwalking into an American dictatorship

"The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914” by Australian Historian Christopher Clark analyzes how Europe’s leaders at the time literally sleepwalked into World War I rather than consciously seeking it out. It is an all-too-apt description of our nation’s almost inexorable slide toward a totalitarian state.

We convince ourselves that dictatorships arise from the violent overthrow of governments in place and assure ourselves that “it can’t happen here.” In fact, modern dictators frequently are democratically elected — they simply use the tools at hand to convert — in months or years — the state into instruments of repression. Examples abound, whether with Hitler in Germany or with contemporary dictators like Orban in Hungary or Erdogan in Turkey.

A review of the first 150 days of this administration’s time in office reveals both the breadth and the magnitude of the threat to American democracy and the extent to which President Trump’s actions mirror those of an unwritten playbook for dictators.

Control the media. Ban unfavorable media from access to government resources and decision-making (e.g. Associated Press); sue news organizations for unfavorable coverage (CBS, NBC, CNN, NYT); eliminate others (PBS/NPR, RFE); use the FCC to censor through use of the licensure authority; constantly label critical news as “fake.”

Eliminate internal accountability controls. Identify and remove whistleblowers; remove and replace inspectors general; bring independent agencies under full presidential control.

Dominate the civil service. Convert the top 50,000 higher civil service officers into political appointees; require allegiance to the Trump agenda for all prospective federal employees; weaken or eliminate public employee unions.

Suppress or coerce independent societal institutions that pose a potential challenge to the regime. Remove military leaders approved by the previous administration; deny government access to law firms (and their clients) considered hostile to the administration; disrupt and destabilize arts and cultural organizations; impound money previously appropriated to state and local governments at odds with Trump policies.

Subvert institutions of learning. Withhold federal funding; assert management control over who teaches, what is taught; foster institutions consistent with the administration’s political and social views.

Challenge judicial oversight. Require litmus tests of loyalty from potential judicial appointees. Attack judges rendering unfavorable rulings as “fringe,” “unelected,” “communist.” Discredit the independence of the judiciary.

Demonize and crush all forms of opposition. Use both media and police powers to investigate enemies real and imagined; institute meritless prosecutions against those enemies.

Manipulate elections. Continue myths of a “won” election and election fraud to erode public confidence in elections; remove election control from state to federal oversight; insist on eliminating birthright citizenship.

Every dictatorship has thrived on an “enemy.” Trump capitalized on and fanned the flames around generalized fears of “immigrants.” Millions of ordinary people have now been made “criminal,” some because they entered the United States without documentation or permission to be here, and many others who came under the protection of the United States government. All have become the targets of removal, regardless of their personal circumstances both in this country and in their countries of origin. Their existence has become a “permission” to exercise a state’s ultimate coercive power: Authorized violence by armed and masked government agents, unprecedented intervention by federal troops into urban centers, the establishment of “detention camps,” and deportation with little or no due process to third countries.

The message is clear to all Americans: Contradict this administration at your peril. In this regard I am reminded of the message sent to thousands of temporary protected status holders in March: “We will find you.” The threat is real. We need to arouse ourselves from sleepwalking through this national nightmare.

• Bruce Botelho is a former Juneau mayor and Alaska attorney general.