The Threat of Authoritarianism
There are over thirty different descriptors for the various types of government that exist. They include names like democracy, fascism, monarchy, oligarchy, communism, etc. Many of these descriptors overlap one another and some even describe governments at both ends of the political spectrum.
When it comes to the United States, the descriptors that fit the best are democracy and capitalism. We believe that the people should decide how the country is run via the representatives that we elect to Congress and as president. We also believe that free enterprise and competition are the most efficient way to provide a productive economy which benefits all of the people.
Ideology is the basis for driving people towards each particular type of government. Fascism is an extreme right-wing government. Communism is an extreme left-wing government. Capitalism and socialism are both democratic forms of government and are preferred by moderate conservatives and moderate liberals.
One of the many problems with the extreme forms of government is that they are authoritarian in nature. They are typically a one-way street – that is, once the country is there the leaders don’t allow it to go back to a democratic form of government peacefully, no matter what the people want. To see confirmation of this you only have to look at right-wing extremist Russia or left-wing extremist China where the people have no right to decide much of anything anymore. Both of these countries are also considered oligarchies, which is when a small group of people, usually wealthy, run the country with absolute power.
Democracy is a moderate form of government. The Founding Fathers of the U.S. were moderates. At the present time our democracy is being threatened as it has never been before. And we see the results: the rule of law is being distorted on a daily basis, our bar for integrity is at a rock-bottom level, the free press is being threatened, and our country is no longer the most respected country in the world. And there is a fear for the first time ever that we will not have a peaceful transition of power after the presidential election in November.
Under no circumstances can we allow the United States to go the way of Russia or China. Even though the people there, most recently in Hong Kong, have been protesting for democracy, for them it is unfortunately too late. And the leaders of both China and Russia have recently made themselves, in effect, leaders for life.
But it is still not too late for us. Luckily, we have one somewhat moderate candidate to pick from as president and we, as moderates, need to vote to make sure that Biden is elected president.
But once Biden is elected, we need to push for the formation of a third major centrist party to make sure that our democracy is never again threatened and to end the gridlock that is holding us back. The moderate middle 40% of Americans need our own political party. Join with others who understand that the problems that we are facing are due to our failing two-party political system. There are several fledgling efforts out there to accomplish this such as the Alliance Party (theallianceparty.com), the Reform Party (reformparty.org), and Represent.Us. Volunteer and support these organizations before it’s too late. Nothing will happen without you.