Essay Sample on US Democracy: Crumbling or Strengthening?

Introduction

The United States has, for a very long time, considered as a democratic country, but most recently, its democratic tenets have been crumbling. Understandably, the significant strides that have been made by the civil rights movement and the institutionalization of the 1965 Voting Rights Act which helped in creating a functional democracy (Levitsky and Daniel 169). However, recent events have pointed to the fact that some of the basic ingredients of democracy have been dwindling. Moreover, the breakdown of the long-established beliefs, institutions, and laws has created a governance crisis and hence, the decline of democracy in the US. It is worth noting that the United States plays an integral in maintaining world peace, which is more often than not destabilized by the failed democratic system in most countries (Levitsky and Daniel 24). Despite the significant efforts that have been made by the US government to create a functional democratic system, there have been economic, social, and political factors that have contributed to the decline of the US democracy.

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Understandably, after the end of the Cold War, US democracy has experienced breakdown notably caused by the democratically elected governments. Notably, some renowned world leaders like Venezuela's president, Hugo Chavez, have continued to subvert the democratic tenets and institutions (Levitsky and Daniel 93). Most recently, there were deep-rooted fears that there was foreign manipulation of the last American presidential elections, and that has created distrust among citizens about the progress of the American democracy. Moreover, the fading societal norms and constitutional checks have further curtailed the democracy, and the elected leaders have leveraged on the confusion to create democratic failure. It should be noted that American democracy is built on strong foundations compared to countries like Venezuela, Hungary, and Turkey. Still, the recent backsliding of the country's democracy has been attributed to the failure of the citizens to elect leaders with values who believe in strengthening democracy as a means of creating a functional governance system (Levitsky and Daniel 81). More critically, the American political leaders have focused on new media to wage political propaganda that would make them gain power, thereby stifling democracy.

Furthermore, the dwindling and breakdown of democratic norms have substantially eroded the social fabric values of American society (Levitsky and Daniel 117). Most Americans have highlighted that the country's democratic system is becoming less responsive to most of their needs, and the government is always focused on destroying the trust citizens have bestowed on them. Additionally, some authoritarian regimes such as Russia and China have leveraged modern technology to create an onslaught on American democracy (Levitsky and Daniel 39). More critically, the convergence of authoritarian powers and the steady but sure erosion of the American social fabric have created confusion among the citizens, which in effect exacerbates the decline of the American democratic space. Moreover, the elected leaders and citizens are always focused on matters touching on their selfish interests. More often than not, they always give issues that pose a danger to American democracy a wide berth. It is instructive to note that the advent of technology and, more specifically, social media has resulted in the shrinking of democracy. The United States has created an environment where autocrats triumph over democrats, and this has led to the fade of free expression, which is a key factor contributing to the failure of democracy in any country (Levitsky and Daniel 95).

Levitsky and Ziblatt noted that democracy is often subverted by individuals who always pretend to defend and protect it (Levitsky and Daniel 67). Also, autocrats always utilize strategies such as initiating economic crises and wars to destroy the gains that have been made in expanding the democratic space. Moreover, US democracy is in danger because the political players always reject the democratic rules and soiling the legitimacy of potential political rivals (Levitsky and Daniel 59). Understandably, the Trump administration has demonstrated every sign that points to the failure of American democracy. President Trump often labels his imagined and real opponents as lacking legitimacy, and its constant use of social media has further contributed to the crisis facing the country's democracy. Additionally, the American democratic system has faced great danger since the 2016 presidential election, where authoritarian tendencies have been allowed to set in (Levitsky and Daniel 101). More importantly, the absence of mutual toleration and blatant disregard for important institutions has not only stifled the rights of political opponents to compete favorably but also bypassed the rule of law that should guide the political competition.

Moreover, Republicans and Democrats have experienced partisan realignment, which has inevitably contributed to the blurring of liberal Republicans and conservative Democrats ideologies and hence, the decline of the American democracy (Levitsky and Daniel 89). The recent political polarization has eroded the democratic norms and hence, the emergence of autocrats who proceed to embed dictatorial tendencies in the American democratic system. It is worth noting that most of the Democratic and Republican delegates in 1972 were elected at state-level, and the dynamism of the political selection has shifted the power of deciding presidential nominations from the party establishment to the voters (Levitsky and Daniel 50). For instance, the emergence of Donald Trump was largely attributed to the undemocratic tendencies, disregard of party gatekeepers, and more critically, the advent of social media, which he used to cement his populist narrative and hence, the breakdown of democratic norms. Additionally, Levitsky and Ziblatt highlighted that the expansion of institutional channels could help in addressing the dwindling American democratic system (Levitsky and Daniel 102). Notably, the adoption of political measures such as taking the extralegal path against an autocrat would result in adverse consequences that would erode the democratic norms and exacerbate political polarization, which have the potential to destroy American democracy's protective guardrail further.

It should be noted that the rise of the special-interest groups has contributed significantly to the erosion of the American democratic system. They often build political discretion, which provides an environment for lobbying of their special privileges. More importantly, the continued entrenchment of authoritarianism in the American democratic system where the elected autocrats always reward political brokers and influential business people with state positions in exchange for their silence which not only serves the selfish interests of the autocrats but also poses a danger to the American democracy (Levitsky and Daniel 128). Furthermore, the freedom that has been accorded the political parties to formulate policies and, worse still, write laws has further embedded the authoritarian tendencies in the United States (Levitsky and Daniel 37). Also, the failure of the US government to make decisions under the confines of the rule of law has resulted in arbitrary power and hence, the recent decline of the country's democracy.

President Donald Trump has always been known to depict little allegiance to democratic norms, which are integral in promoting the American democracy in general, and the Republican Party was deeply faulted for presiding for his surprise emergence (Levitsky and Daniel 72). Democracies have been established to work more efficiently when a country's constitutional system is bolstered with unwritten democratic norms. However, the current degradation of the American constitutional system and disregard of critical institutions has posed a great danger to US democracy. Understandably, the partisan fight has proved to be a key factor contributing to the destruction of the guardrails of American democracy, just like the way it destroyed Europe's democracy during the 1930s (Levitsky and Daniel 213). Furthermore, the emergence of racial and cultural conflict has created adverse effects such as extreme polarization, which inadvertently has weakened the existing democratic norms.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the American democracy, which was erstwhile used as a yardstick by many countries to measure their progress in expanding their democracy, has been experiencing a steady decline. Notably, democratic breakdown always has adverse effects on the economic, social, and political growth of any society, and the warning signs about the dwindling of American democracy have created fear among many Americans. Also, disregard for institutional forbearance and mutual toleration, which are the basic tenets for democracy, have resulted in the breakdown of the democratic norms. Moreover, they have brought to the fore partisanship and extreme polarization which have destroyed the democratic gains made by the US in the recent past. Additionally, the weakening of the American governance and institutions have led to the emergence of special-interest groups that are in perpetual pursuit of their selfish interests, which are more often than not harmful to the growth of the American democracy. Understandably, the Americans should rise and confront the challenges that contribute to democratic crises before the country could plunge into an abyss of democratic failure.

Work Cited

Levitsky, Steven, and Daniel Ziblatt. How democracies die. Broadway Books, 2018, pp. 24-217.