(8:40)

While doing some morning reading the other day I ran across this list of the 10 elements of authoritarianism. As the state and the nation and world all go through changes that shatter the old ideals of self determination and start to creep back to authoritarianism, I thought it important to post this list:

What are the Top 10 Elements of the Authoritarian Playbook?

1. Divide and rule: Foment mistrust and fear in the population.

2. Spread lies and conspiracies: Undermine the public’s belief in truth.

3. Destroy checks and balances: Quietly use legal or pseudo-legal rationales to gut institutions, weaken opposition, and/or declare national emergencies to seize unconstitutional powers.

4. Demonize opponents and independent media: Undermine the public’s trust in those actors and institutions that hold the state accountable.

5. Undermine civil and political rights for the unaligned: Actively suppress free speech, the right to assembly and protest and the rights of women and minority groups.

6. Blame minorities, immigrants, and “outsiders” for a country’s problems: Exploit national humiliation while promising to restore national glory.

7. Reward loyalists and punish defectors: Make in-group members fearful to voice dissension.

8. Encourage or condone violence to advance political goals: Dehumanize opposition and/or out-groups to justify violence against them.

9. Organize mass rallies to keep supporters mobilized against made-up threats: Use fear-mongering and hate speech to consolidate in-group identity and solidarity.

10. Make people feel like they are powerless to change things: Solutions will only come from the top.

For those who want a more in depth discussion of each of these elements I recommend that you go to the original report here.

You can sure recognize much of what the MAGA Party and Donald Trump have done and are doing as they continue their assault on American democracy. As many have noted January 6th was only a dress rehearsal for what is to come.

Also I just wish to make a special note of the opening line of the original report:

Authoritarian takeovers rarely happen overnight. Today’s authoritarian playbook is a process that happens piecemeal and is hard to distinguish from normal political jockeying.