Democracy in Peril: America's Future in Jeopardy? - Essay Sample

Introduction

Is democracy at its death bed? Unfortunately, it is a real and sad state of affairs as experienced in several nations across the globe. In the past times, America was an icon that the word could reckon as a nation thriving in democracy, and its people were enjoying all the benefits that came with it. One thing that is unclear now is whether it still stands at the same admired position. There are several nations whose democracies have died, and America might be on the same path. Brazil is one of the countries whose justice was killed because of the authoritarian rule imposed by its leaders. There was a time in history when Brazil suffered from the depressing dictatorship of the military. Similarly, the state of the economy and lack of democracy heightened upon the re-election of Dilma Rousseff. She was impeached, and a coup staged. She killed democracy in different ways, but the primary reason is the controlling and manipulation of the budget. Another nation where democracy has died is in Venezuela where democracy was also killed by the leaders of the country. At the onset, Venezuela thought it had found Hugo Chavez a savior to inoculate its dying democracy, but it was only short-lived. In 2003 he blatantly depicted that he was not exceptional among those who were killing democracy. He did it by stalling an opposition election that was meant to remove him from office. Similarly, he ordered for the blacklisting of those who had signed the recall petition and this paved the way for his landslide win in 2008. Given the death of democracy in Venezuela and Brazil as characterized by the active role of their leaders in killing it, could America be following on the same path? It is a critical question whose answer is a necessity.

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America is destined to follow the same path as Brazil and Venezuela because of the authoritarian rule of its leaders. Levitsky and Ziblatt explain that a nation's democracy can die as a result of its generals rather than the elected leaders. It is a typical case democracy of Brazil, but that of America is destined to die as a result of its elected leaders. Dilma Rousseff of Brazil was chosen because the people believed that she would turn around the nation's economy as she is an economist by profession. The opposite of their expectations is what was received instead because in place of streamlining the budget and ensuring the benefit for all Rouseff is reported to be manipulating it. Venezuela, on the other hand, has its democracy being killed by the lack of transparency in the 2008 election where the people who had recalled for the petition were blacklisted, and this barred them from equal participation in the election paving the way for the landslide win of Chavez.

Through the study of the two nations, a litmus test on the democracy of America is obtained. It is important to note that America is following on the same path to the death of democracy despite it being the champion for it. America has had authoritarian leaders in the past, for instance, Henry Ford, George Wallace, and Huey Long, among others. One of the most important things is that dictators can be prevented from gaining power and ripping people off their democratic rights. America allowed Donald Trump, who was considered as would-bee authoritarian, and it is now suffering the consequences of its choices.

One of the ways through which America is following on the same path of dying democracy is through the use of political weapons by those who are in power on the ordinary people. The first time America failed the test of democracy was in 2016 when they elected a person with questionable allegiance to justice, and that is the current president Donald. America has twisted the ways of the courts and other neutral agencies into supporting the heinous acts of the elected leaders. The president gives directives on what he wants to benefit from the courts and not what favors the ordinary citizens as well as following the ways of democracy. The first step to acceptance of authoritarian leadership is when the Republican Party failed to keep the demagogue away from being nominated. In this regard, it is evident that America was unable to embrace its constitution, which is designed to thwart extremists like Donald Trump. It is important to note that democracies work best not through the written rules and regulations but through the support from the unwritten democratic rules.

Another way indicating the death of American democracy is the weakening of the democratic norms. Currently, the rules are pegged on partisan division which goes beyond the healthy policy difference and instead is inclined on conflict based or ethnicity and culture. A good example is the hateful speeches that Donald Trump gives concerning the immigrants in America. Over the years America has welcomed immigrants, and it has been the case since time immemorial, but the harassment and discrimination against them have not only increased during the reign of Trump but has also taken a more racial angle.

Additionally, democracy has been killed through the third constitutional pillar the Supreme Court which is supposed to be serving justice to the citizens has been politicized and helps those in power more than the people who elected them. Justice is also served to the wealthy donors and those with special interests. One of the ways in which justice has been jeopardized in court is through the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh a famous conservative who has been put in the position by Trump to help him in shaping the court to fit his political stance.

Through the rogue presidency of Donald Trump, the freedom of the press has been jeopardized through the use of machinery meant to gag them and evade the revealing of the rot in the American government. Trump has continually attacked the media by calling any news that touches on him and his way of leadership as fake news. He calls such media houses dangerous and sick. There is unprecedented vilification of the press because of the need to hide the rot in Trump's leadership. Similarly, Trump bragged about his power to use nuclear weapons and threatened to wipe away all the North Koreans an issue that jeopardizes the image and the democracy of America.

On the other hand, on a smaller extent, the democracy of America is not following the path to the death of democracy. One of the reasons is that it has not for a considerable period of time experienced a coup to dethrone an authoritarian president as compared to Brazil and Venezuela. Similarly, despite the courts being manipulated, they have been greatly improved to serve the citizens better. It is one of the nations where citizens can freely exercise their political rights without coercion or cynical manipulation.

America is also one of the nations which have hosted a large number of immigrants implying that people move to America to enjoy democracy cannot be found in their mother countries. Several governments across the globe look up to America for democracy guidance. For instance, one of the nations that have tolerated the transgender, lesbians, and gay communicates, and people from other countries run to America to seek asylum.

It is important to note that America's democracy is following the path of Brazil and Venezuela because of the authoritarian rule of its leaders. It elected a person with questionable allegiance to justice, and he eventually divided Americans along tribal lines. Similarly, he has suffocated the freedom of the press by continually attacking them. It a sign that democracy is dying as no one is allowed to speak anything contrary to the president's words. Also, America's democracy is dying because of the manipulation and politicizing the role of the supreme courts. The courts have been manipulated to act in favor of wealthy donors and people with specific interests.

Works Cited

Levitsky, Steven, and Daniel Ziblatt. How democracies die. Broadway Books, 2018.

Tisdall, Simon. American democracy is in crisis, and not just because of Trump retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/aug/07/american-democracy-crisis-trump-supreme-court

Westbrook, Robert B. John Dewey, and American democracy. Cornell University Press, 2015.