Standing up for Democracy

Perhaps you are well aware that the US’ democracy is under attack from the presidential administration. I’ve been immersed in news stories and expert analyses and, quite frankly, I’m panicked at the onslaught of attempts to dismantle democratic norms like free and fair elections, the rule of law, and constitutional checks and balances. This article, “Standing up for Democracy” has been motivated by two questions “Is there one battle that we can’t afford to loose if we want to protect democratic norms?” and “What actions can we ordinary citizens take to bolster our democracy?” I’m sorry to say that I’ve found there are numerous battles that we can’t afford to lose. But, there are achievable steps that we can each take that will help win those battles.

Below I outline three topics: attacks on the US’ democracy, the pillars of democracy, actions we can take to support democracy. So, if you are already panicked and simply are seeking actionable advice, no need to freak yourself out more - skip to the action items at the end of this newsletter. :^) But if you think that I am over reacting or ‘liberalizing’, or if you have taken the understandable approach of closing your ears to the destruction, or if you want to understand how I developed the action items below - I urge you to read through the following. And then PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE - fight to preserve democracy in any way, at any level, that you can. Democracy, desperately, needs your voice.

Let’s start with some facts about what the administration has been doing to undermine democratic norms.

• Consolidating power in the executive branch and ignoring the rule of law

  • The president is testing the waters of full defiance of court orders and of being able to disappear anyone, including US citizens, who cause him problems. Gulp.

  • Tariffs and the ongoing mass firings of federal employees both reach into Congress’ power of the purse and are likely illegal, because they contradict the Constitution.

  • Attacks on the Judiciary have included calls by the president to impeach judges and threats to lawyers who have challenged the administration’s actions. Even the conservative Chief of the Supreme Court, Roberts, has balked at this behavior, stating “For more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision.”

  • The administration is also openly defying court orders on several other fronts.

• Attempts to silence the press

  • The president appointed Carr, a “he who shall not be named” loyalist, as chair of the FCC, the Federal Communications Commission. Carr wrote Project 2025’s section on the FCC.

  • Carr has launched an investigation into NPR and PBS for not complying with advertising regulations (that have been informally tolerated for decades).

  • Carr also launched an investigation into NBC for not complying with the order to dissolve DEI policies.

  • The president has banned the AP (the nation’s most respected newspaper for unbiased and factual reporting) from the Oval Office.

  • Rebecca Hamilton, A professor at American University Washington College of Law says “ …the latest FCC investigations launched by Carr are aligned with a broader effort by the Trump administration to punish outlets that Trump dislikes. Such investigations risk creating a chilling effect on the ability of journalists to report without fear of retaliation”

• Attempts to silence and influence academia

  • The administration demanded that Harvard appoint a White House approved external body “to audit the student body, faculty, staff, and leadership for viewpoint diversity” and that Harvard “immediately shutter all diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs” or loose $2.2bn in grants. Harvard refused.

  • Other universities have not been so bold - Columbia, University of California, and Dartmouth College capitulated to the adminstration’s demands. But following Harvard’s lead, many universities are banding together to fight the intended silencing of opponents and control of education and research.

  • Todd Wofson, president of the American Association of University Professors says: “They’re attempting to undermine and destabilize and ultimately control higher education. And at one level, it’s an assault on higher education, at another level, it could be seen as prevalent to a full-on assault on democracy. So I think this is a threat to the future of the United States of America, and because of this country’s role in the world, a threat to the entirety of the globe at this moment.”

• Undermining free and fair elections

  • Where to start? I suppose the stand out moment is the attempted overturning of the election results during the coup in 2020. Election deniers have never shown any evidence of fraud in the 2020 elections, yet the president continues to pedal these lies and sew distrust in the electoral process.

  • The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan group dedicated to voter access, notes that in 2023 at least 322 bills restricting voting access were introduced in state legislatures nationwide. They found that these laws had a disproportionate impact on voters with disabilities, people of color, indigenous communities, student voters, and older adults.

  • On April 10, 2025, the House passed a bill requiring proof of citizenship before you can vote. Again, this disproportionately affects people of color, tribal citizens, rural residents, and unhoused people. Research from the Brennan Center of Justice found that 9% of the US population don’t have readily available proof of citizenship.

• The rise of corruption

  • Outrageously large campaign donations have lead to mega rich donors having unprecepdent access to and influence on the president. Most obviously, Musk has regular access to the president, runs DOGE, and tried to buy the election of a Wisconsin Supreme Court judge.

  • On April 9, at 9.37 am, the president posted on Truth Social “THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO BUY!!! DJT.” At 1.18 pm on that day, the preisdent announced a 90 day pause on tariffs he had announced the week before. The market dove after the first tariff announcement, and rebounded dramatically after the announcement of the pause. Trump is seen in this video apparently bragging that two men that were in the room with him made money off his insider trading info “He made $2.5 billion today and he made $900 million — that’s not bad,” Senators Gallego and Schiff wrote to the Office of Government Ethics to request an urgent inquiry into insider trading.

Taken together (Heck, any of the above taken alone!) the attempt to suppress academia, the independent press, and our judges, the moves to consolidate power in the executive branch, the rise of corruption, and the attacks on free elections have led experts from all over the political spectrum to agree with The David Rockefeller Professor at Harvard, David Livitsky when he says that the administration is executing a takeover in a systematic intentional way. The Huffington Post notes that power grabbing, silencing your enemies, and rigging elections are all directly from the dictator’s playbook. One writer notes that the steps the administration has taken eerily follow Levitshy and Ziblatt’s treatise on “How Democracies Die.” Asha Rangappa, former FBI special agent, notes that we are in impeachment territory. The Democracy Report 2025 notes “ … it seems clear that the actions the Trump administration is taking domestically amount to an ongoing attempt steering towards democratic breakdown.” The authors further note that the US’ recent decay into autocracy has been far more rapid and blatant than what has been seen in other countries’ slides into autocracy.

AAAAAA!!!!!!!

Breath deeply. There are signs of resistance. There are things we can do. Let’s start with the Brooking’s Institute’s “Democracy Playbook” from which we can identify critical battles and action items. The Brooking’s Institute’s is both well respected and action oriented, is regularly ranked as the top think tank in the world, and aims to provide education and research, in a diverse and nonpartisan manner, on public policy issues. Their goal is to strengthen democracy by summarizing “evidence-based best practices for reversing democratic backsliding”. The report identifies seven pillars that are essential for democratic governance and protecting freedoms and rights. These are all battles we can’t afford to loose, but none of us have to hold up all seven and some simple actions support many of the pillars. From the Brooking’s Democracy Playbook, the 7 pillars are:

Pillar of Democracy I. Free, Fair, and Safe Elections

One of the bedrocks of democracy is for political candidates to accept the votes of the people. Following the 2020 election, there was a flood of disinformation about election rigging. No evidence has ever been provided to support these claims. During the coup attempt, the president and his allies attempted to overthrow the election results by attacking the US Congress resulting in the death of several people and terrifying many more. Misinformation and the incitement of violence about the election has continued to flow. In the 2024 elections, there were at least 227 bomb threats at polling loactions, election offices, and tabulation centers on and after the election. Other threats to fair elections were listed above.

Pillar of Democracy II. Defend the Rule of Law

The Rule of Law is also essential for a functional democracy. Simply stated it is the principle that all people and all institutions are accountable to the same laws. Equal treatment underpins the protection of our rights and protection against the arbitrary use of power. Researchers for the World Justice Project (WJP) have developed a “Rule of Law Index” which includes measures such as constraints on governmental powers and fundamental rights. The WJP found that the Rule of Law Index has declined for the 7th year in a row for a majority of the 142 countries studied. The US’ Rule of Law is under threat as never before seen in modern times. Power grabs, illegal deportations without any due process, and defying court orders, are all examples of ignoring the Rule of Law.

Pillar of Democracy III. Fight Corruption

Hand in hand with the fight to defend the Rule of Law is the fight against corruption. All actors are needed to insist on government transparency, ethics, and accountability. It’s long been clear that there is far too much corporate influence on our policies but now that influence is blatant. Elon Musk’s role in DOGE is a personification of conflicts of interests.

Pillar of Democracy IV. Reinforce Civic and Media Space

Political scientists point to the strength of the independent media in Poland as the key difference between their resistance to democratic backsliding and Hungary’s slide into autocracy. Indeed, would be dictators know this and they act to repress independent media, activists, and NGOs. With regard to the civic sphere, both social science and historical studies have found that democracies are protected, preserved, and strengthened when they are supported by a “Big Tent Coalition”. A Big Tent Coalition is an alliance of a broad range of members who are focused around pro-democratic values rather than any one political, religious, or social agenda. Back in February, the president called for a review of all US funding to NGOs and to halt spending to any groups that ‘undermine the national interest’. The Congressional Integrity Project has interpreted this as both an attempt to undermine the president’s political enemies and a threat to our democracy.

Pillar of Democracy V. Protect Pluralistic Governance

A pluralistic governance holds the philosophy that diversity in the government permits the coexistence of different interests, convictions, and lifestyles. Pluralism is a founding principle of the US government - with folks of different beliefs agreeing on the common ground of democratic norms such as free and fair elections, liberty, the right to assemble, and the rule of law. The current social climate in the US, deep polarization, can be seen as the opposite of pluralism. In a panel discussion, three experts on leader-driven-dismantling-of-democracies, noted that the first step in democratic backsliding was deep polarization. This is what happened at the start of Venezuela’s and Thailand’s backslide into autocracy and is now well established in the US. The Democracy Report 2025 finds that would be autocrats use disinformation purposefully to inflate negate feelings and distrust, thus fueling polarization, and an erosion of trust in the government. The antidote? The Democracy Playbook suggests that we all strongly challenge repression of freedom of speech, assembly, and the media, as well as participating in “Big Tent Coalitions” (see Pillar IV).

Pillar of Democracy VI. Counter Disinformation

We know that media and tech, including social media and generative AI, had significant influences on the last election as well as driving polarization. Indeed polarization and disinformation feed off each other. The Democracy Playbook recommends regulation of content moderation and industry standards that incorporate transparency and accountability.

Pillar of Democracy VII. Make Democracy Deliver

The final pillar of democracy is to make sure democracy delivers for all. Ironically, it is the growth of wealth and opportunity inequalities over the past few decades that enabled the president’s election, leading to more inequality. A federal government that promotes inclusive growth, improved well being, and opportunities for all, is not only morally demanded, but would be much better situated to counter populist movements. This is a point that is often missed but must be addressed: democracy has not been working for a lot of Americans.

Informed by the Democracy Playbook (summed above in the 7 pillars of democracy) and many other sources, I’ve gleaned a list of actions we can all take to support democracy. Even those of us don’t specialize in these battles for democracy can make important contributions. Dare I say we all should take action? Yes, I so dare. I challenge you to take 3 actions to support democracy this week.

ACTION ITEM #1. Support the independent media

If you are going to take only simple action to bolster democracy, supporting the independent media has to be one of the top candidates. The Democracy Playbook notes that this one action directly underpins at least 6 of the seven pillars of democracy. Independent media serves as a watchdog on government, corporate, and industrial practices. While some news sources report the news with a clear left, right, or corporate bias, independent media are free from the influence of government or corporate interests. Autocrats know of the power of the media - making it one of their first targets. So I urge you to seek out an unbiased news source and support it through a subscription or donations. The AP, Reuters, and BBC News are consistently ranked as being among the least biased of news sources.

• Support independent media such as:

  • The Associate Press

  • Reuters

  • BBC News

See also this fun graph of media sources biases relative to their adherence to facts. The further you go from centrist, in either direction, the less fact based and reliable the reporting becomes.

ACTION ITEM #2. Increase political pressure

The Democracy Playbook also notes the importance of political pressure. Democratic representatives need to know that we support democratic norms, environmental protection, and civil rights. Republican representatives need to be urged to vote their conscious. If you are shy about calling your representatives, you can call after hours and leave a message with your name, what county you live in, and what issue you are supporting or are not. It is most impactful if you include your reasons, the more personal the better.

As for the old myth that protests don’t make any impact, don’t believe that for a second. There are countless historical examples of protests changing public opinion and prompting legislative change. Sometimes the result is many years in coming, but protests spur change, starting with an increase in the number of people working towards a goal. Award winning research has also shown that no regime has ever withstood protests of 3.5% of the population. Finally, I urge you to read this compelling case for the impact of protests on the governmental workers who actually enact government directives. The author, who was a federal worker until they resigned in protest over the pardoning of January 6 rioters, recounts many examples of protests giving them and their colleagues strength, knowledge, and even language to stand up to autocratic maneuverings.

• Sign up for legislative action alerts, such as

  • Free and fair elections: League of Women Voters

  • Environmental legislation: Sierra Club

  • The easiest way to get your voice heard on progressive issues: 5calls.org

• Attend town halls

• Go to protests

  • Check out Indivisible for lists of protests near you

  • Quaker Friends guide to safe protesting

  • ACLU advice about the legality of protesting

ACTION ITEM #3. Give time or money to charities

Charities are one of the great connectors of people coming together and working towards a common goal although they may come from different backgrounds. Sites like Charity Navigator and Charity Watch can help you assess which charities you might like to support.

• Donate time or money to charities. Some of my favorites are:

  • The League of Women Voters

  • The American Civil Liberties Union

  • The Union of Concerned Scientists

  • Democracy Forward

ACTION ITEM #4. Strengthen our communities, diminish polarization

Truly representative, transparent, and accountable governments are grounded in inclusive communities. The sustainability community has long been aware that when solving problems, programs are most successful when all stakeholders are involved in decision making from the earliest possible stages. Diverse planners leads to broad acceptance of plans and the accomadation of different needs. But strong communities also entail those conversations at the mail box, the holiday party for the whole neighborhood, and those conversations about topics we don’t agree on. Finding common ground with others builds connection and diminishes polarization. Sometimes I wonder if countering polarization is the greatest work we can do. I humbly suggest the following actions.

• Stay engaged (learn, talk, attend, act) but also be sure to nurture your well being

• Listen to this podcast “The emergency is here”, an interview by Ezra Klein with former FBI Special Agent Asha Rangappa

• Seek common ground with others, focus on understanding not persuading

• But also don’t tolerate disinformation (it’s a fine line!) - perhaps suggest doing research together or to revisit a topic after you’ve all gather some unbiased facts

• Consider running for office

• Write letters to the editor, you may have greater success with your “hometown” paper

• Strengthen alliances between groups, perhaps by organizing or attending a Big Tent Coalition event

ACTION ITEM #5. Find your power

I’ve been reading the phrase “there is power in …” all over the place lately. And it’s true. It is not just the administration that has power. Businesses have power. Consumers have power. Community leaders have power. Alumni have power. Pension scheme participants have power. Find yours and lean in! Try to leverage your individual power by aligning with others who are working towards common goals. Here’s just a few random ideas about embodying your power.

• Participate in boycotts e.g. those who have rolled back their DEI policies

• Pressure your alma matter (and encourage your college friends to do the same) to stand up to the adminstration’s calls for universities to be overseen by the federal government, and support them if they do

• Be a neighborhood community advocate - organize a street party - invite everyone, organize a litter pick - invite everyone, organize a firefly party - invite everyone

• Go to stockholder meetings or get involved with your pension fund

• Attend protests as often as you can.

In the agonizing months it has taken me to finalize this article, the mood has changed many times. This week has felt like a critical inflection point. The talk has shifted from outrage at individual attacks on democracy, to stern warnings that the administration is trying to consolidate power, to silence enemies, and to take absolute power. Frankly, it’s been a relief to hear others saying this out loud. Yet, I know, it can be frightening to speak out, it can be overwhelming to know how to take action, it can be despairing to feel ineffectual. But we are not powerless. Our voices, our opinions, our dollars, our votes, our actions all speak volumes. In previous work, I have blathered on about our choices rippling outwards - in countless ways. But self-depracation aside, my training as a systems physicist gives me conviction that all our choices make an impact. Choosing to remain silent at this point is a form of complicity. Whereas donating to and supporting prodemocracy actors, protesting, calling, talking, depolarizing, and building community are all forms of defiance. I beseech you to find your way of standing up for democracy.