So, this spring has been very disjointed. I haven’t been paying a ton of attention to domestic news. The headlines and images stuck in my brain are all Gaza - Gaza - Gaza, and my amateur poli-sci analysis feels weird against that backdrop.
Additionally, the more I try to understand authoritarianism and how it’s growing in the US, the slipperier it seems. But there are clear signs—and it’s worth getting accustomed to seeing and understanding them. Another nerdy one; let's go!
Tl;dr: There are both qualitative and quantitative indicators that American pro-authoritarianism is ramping up. Today: qualitative.
FOR WHAT: Having a practice-based definition is great, but only if we can use it.
Quick review.
Authoritarianism
=
Highly concentrated power
maintained by
“accountability sabotage”
including
the neutering of democratic norms.
OK, so where are we seeing these three elements in practice? Here are a few trends I’ve been keeping an eye on.
Highly concentrated power and accountability sabotage
First example: Project 2025, which Axios calls “the most sophisticated, expensive pre-transition planning ever undertaken for either party,” is conservative think tanks’ plan to select and train hyper-MAGA candidates for civil service jobs across the administration, should the GOP win the presidency. So (to oversimplify slightly), jobs that have usually been held by nonpartisan experts making professional decisions would now be held by extremely partisan ideologues saying “yes, sir” to the president. No accountability; highly concentrated power.
Second example: MAGA's apprenticing itself to Victor Orbán, Hungary’s authoritarian prime minister, the current global poster boy for concentrating power and sabotaging accountability. Orbán “has spent the past 11 years in power asserting control over the judiciary, enriching his loyalists, and eliminating the free press, while remaking his country's laws to benefit his far-right Fidesz party.” (source)
When I say "they" love Orbán and Hungary’s political direction, I’m not just talking about the fawning of wackadoos like Tucker Carlson.
(Short digression! My friend’s family group chat was incensed a few years ago when Tucker kept mispronouncing then-candidate Kamala Harris’s first name. Her 82-year-old mother-in-law laid the matter to rest: “It doesn’t really bother me. I’m constantly mispronouncing his first name.” Lois isn't here for your nonsense, darling.)
Lots of rank-and-file MAGAites are looking to Orbán for guidance. Just a few examples: The American Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC) has held THREE annual conventions in Hungary, letting Orbán share the stage with US members of Congress. Ron DeSantis is a fan of Orbán, reportedly modeling Florida’s legislation on Hungary’s. And J.D. Vance would like the US to “learn from” Hungary’s crackdown on liberal universities.
Now, this can seem a little slippery, because a lot of it is piecemeal; of course no one’s going to yell “I LOVE VICTOR ORBÁN AND WE SHOULD BE MORE LIKE HUNGARY”—
—jkjkjk! Mr. Shout All Your Feelings did exactly that, a couple of months ago: “[Orbán’s] a non-controversial figure because he says, ‘This is the way it’s going to be,’ and that’s the end of it. Right? He’s the boss!”
Right! Moving on!
Neutering of democratic norms
Let’s stop talking about Hungary!
First example: the cockamamie "democracy vs republic" debate. You may be aware of this conversation happening online and IRL, wherein civics teachers political scientists grownup frat bros are yelling "WELL ACTUALLY THIS COUNTRY ISN’T A DEMOCRACY, IT’S A REPUBLIC, SO STOP YOUR LIBERAL CRYING ABOUT THE THREAT TO DEMOCRACY." This is not just pedantic but also silly and wrong. Like, OK, Darren! We have a democratic republic! Read a book! But, the idea that we've never been a democracy is getting a fair amount of traction among MAGAites.
If you’re interested in putting this issue to rest, please read or listen to this brief explainer from New Hampshire Public Radio.
Second example: some influential MAGA thinkers are recommending that conservatives refuse to use the word “authoritarianism” pejoratively. Their argument: authoritarianism basically just = respect for authority and expertise, and this is a good thing! Unfortunately, I am not making this up! (In fact, my evangelical upbringing demands that I consider authoritarianism x authority more deeply, so I will be subjecting you to this consideration in coming weeks.)
The upshot
These are four qualitative examples of authoritarian practice in action. As Project Democracy says, “authoritarian takeovers rarely happen overnight. Today’s authoritarian playbook is a process that happens piecemeal and is hard to distinguish from normal political jockeying.” BUT when we subject this "jockeying" to a practice-based definition of authoritarianism, we can more clearly see where it's cropping up.
Helpful?
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